Checklist for global revision

Purpose and audience

  • Does the draft address a question, a problem, or an issue that readers care about?
  • Is the draft appropriate for its audience? Does it address the audience's knowledge of and attitudes toward the subject?
  • Is the tone respectful?

Focus

  • Is the thesis clear? Is it prominently placed?
  • Does the thesis answer a reader's “So what?” question?
  • If the draft has no thesis, is there a good reason for omitting it?

Organization and paragraphing

  • Is each paragraph unified around a main point?
  • Does each paragraph support and develop the thesis?
  • Have you provided organizational cues such as topic sentences and headings?
  • Are ideas presented in a logical order?
  • Are any paragraphs too long or too short for easy reading?

Content

  • Is the supporting material relevant and persuasive?
  • Which ideas need further development? Have you left your readers with any unanswered questions?
  • Are the parts proportioned sensibly? Do major ideas receive enough attention?
  • Where might redundant or irrelevant material be deleted?

Point of view

  • Is the dominant point of view—first person (I or we), second person (you), or third person (he, she, it, one, or they)—appropriate for your purpose and audience? (See 13.)