1. Highlight the thesis
statement
Does the thesis give you a clear
picture of the situation and the
focus of the argument? Does the
reader know what this paper will
be about?

2. TOPIC/TRANSITION
SENTENCES
Highlight the topic sentence
of each body paragraph
 sentence should be general – if
sentence includes detail note on
side of paper
 The second (and subsequent) body
paragraphs should also include a
transition (pull from prior paragraph)

3. WORD CHOICE
Circle the word there if it
begins a sentence.
Circle the “be” verbs: am, is,
are, was, were, be, being,
been

4. NUMBERS
Look for all numbers in the paper. If any are
incorrect, highlight them.
Spell out a number that begins a sentence.
Spell out a number that expresses order (i.e.
first, second, third, etc.)
Spell out a number that tells how many if it is one
or two words. If it is longer than two words, write
it numerically.
Use numerals to express numbers in
conventional situations (like percentages, dates,
addresses, times, etc.)

5. FORMAT
Check for MLA formatting—this should be the
easiest part of your research paper grade! Make
any corrections with a red pen.
Margins should be 1” (Allow Word to autofix
“orphan” lines)
4-line heading (First Last, Mrs. Stewart, English
II PreAP, Date [6 December 2012])
Double spaced (with no extra lines between
paragraphs)
Header (in same font—Last name and page #)

6. CITATIONS
Highlight all parenthetical citations in your paper.
Then check for…
…the period. It should go only after the
parentheses. Not before and after. Not just
before. Just after. Like this  Mrs. Stewart is the
weirdest teacher ever (“Weird Teachers”).
…the titles. Titles must be capitalized! No, I don’t
mean IN ALL CAPS. The major words should be
capitalized like such  The Social Network.
Notice that the title was italicized because it’s a
major work. If it’s an article title, it should be in
“quotation marks.”

7. Works Cited/Citations
Make sure the first word of the citation
matches the first word of the Works
Cited entry.
Do NOT list the url address
(http://www.) on the Works Cited page.

8. Works Cited
Check page title
Format
 Double-spaced
 Alphabetical order
 Hanging indent
Do all entries on the Works Cited page
have at least one parenthetical citation
in the paper?

9. POINT OF VIEW
Highlight ALL instances of first (I, me,
my, we, our, us, etc.) or second (you,
your, etc.) person. Unless the
supporting evidence is anecdotal,
eliminate these from your paper.

10. CONTRACTIONS
Search for any contractions in your
paper and highlight them when you spot
‘em. Uncontraction these. Okay, so
that’s not a word, but you know what I
mean.

11. CONJUNCTIONS
Many English teachers say to not start a
sentence with a coordinating conjunction
(FANBOYS—for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
because it often leads to a sentence fragment.
There is really nothing wrong with starting with
a conjunction if used correctly. Double-check
any sentence starting with a conjunction.
**Hint: the most common sentence-starting
conjuctions are “and,” “but,” and “so.”

12. GENERAL TYPOS
If you haven’t already, switch papers
with someone else.
Read carefully for general typos,
spelling and punctuation errors, etc.
Mark in red ink.