Revisions Checklist

When you have finished writing your paper and are ready to begin the revising/editing process, the following guidelines may help you locate problem areas and guide your efforts to improve your work.
Global Revisions

Before editing the specific details of your essays, you must edit the content or make global revisions. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is the thesis sentence clearly stated or implied in the introduction? Can you, if asked, offer a one-sentence explanation or summary of what the paper is about?
  • Does your thesis contain the main idea of the paper?
  • Is the thesis supported in the body of the paper?
  • Is there an introduction, body, and conclusion?
  • Do you have an appropriate audience in mind?
  • Does the introduction capture the reader's attention, provide any necessary background information or definitions, and gradually lead up to the main idea of the paper?
  • Does the organization make sense?
  • Does the paper progress in an organized, logical way? Have you effectively utilized transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs?
  • Is each main point represented by a topic sentence (stated or implied) at the beginning of each body paragraph?
  • Do the topic sentences relate to your thesis?
  • Are the main points of your essay fully developed?
  • Are there places in the paper where more details, examples, or specifics are needed?
  • Does the paper as a whole flow? Does it seem complete?
  • Are all sources credible? Are the facts accurate?
  • Is the research accurate, unbiased, and complete?
  • How can this paper be improved?

Specific Revisions

  • Have you included a proper heading at the top of the page?
  • Have you double spaced between paragraphs? (For on-ground classes, you need to double space throughout the paper and indent five spaces before each new paragraph.)
  • Have you avoided speaking from the second person point of view ? Have you used the first person or third person point of view consistently throughout the paper?
  • Have you varied sentence structure, rhythm, and length?
  • Do you have any comma splices, fragments, or fused sentences?
  • Have you avoided the passive voice? For example, instead of saying, "The ham was eaten by Sally," you should say, "Sally ate the ham."
  • Do the sentences agree in subject and verb? By pronoun and antecedent?
  • Have you avoided awkward sentence constructions or verb tense shifts?
  • Have you correctly used commas, semicolons, dashes, etc.?
  • Are your word choices clear, effective, and concise?
  • Are all the words spelled correctly?
  • If research was used, did you utilize proper documentation? Is the parenthetical documentation formatted correctly?
  • Print our your paper and read it aloud. Underline anything that sounds unusual or awkward. Go back and look at each of the sentences you have underlined and see how you can reword them to make them sound clearer.
Created by Becky Villarreal Austin Community College 2002