Self-Editing Sheet for Research Paper

Hello all,
Below are some methods to use and things to look for as you edit the final draft of your Research Paper. We’ll also do a little self-editing in class on Friday morning, but it will be brief and will not be a substitute for doing careful proofreading and editing on your own.

Self Editing for Research Paper

--Is your title an engaging one? Would the title spur a reader's interest? Would you feel interested in checking out a paper with a similar title? If your answer to these questions is not an unqualified "yes," then brainstorm a few new titles until you have developed a more effective one.

--Is your introduction an effective one? Does it preview your main points? Does it use one of the methods discussed in class to add interest to your writing? Is every sentence clearly written? Is your thesis clearly communicated? If your answer to these questions is not an unqualified "yes," then revise your introduction accordingly.

--Is your conclusion an effective one? Does it review your main points? Does it use one of the methods discussed in class to add interest to your writing? Is every sentence clearly written? Is the final position of your argument clearly communicated? If your answer to these questions is not an unqualified "yes," then revise your introduction accordingly.

--Read your paper out loud looking for clarity, word form and other issues. Have a friend, relative or significant other read your paper and alert you to any clarity, argument or other issues.

--Check all of your in-text citations to make sure they are listed by author and page number, for example (Smith 34) or by the first few title words when an author is not available, for example (Energy Althernatives 11). If no page number is available, then omit it.

--Do the authors or title words in your in-text citations all match the first word or words of one of your Works Cited entries? If not, change your in-text citations so that they do.


The basic MLA formatting has been great for your drafts, but you'll still want to do a quick check including:

--Doublespacing throughout
--All 12 point New Times Roman font used
--Page header includes last name and page number in New Times Roman 12 point font
--No boldface font used in title or other places
--No words in all capitals used in title or other places (unless you’re using an acronym) --Name, class, date etc. information listed correctly (use paper due date for date)

Your Work Cited page should have a more careful check including:

--It is titled Works Cited?
-- Are hanging indentations used for all entries?
--Are your Works Cited entries alphabetized?
--Are all citations complete, including volume, issue and page numbers for articles as necessary?
--Have you included retrieval dates for all web pages and library database articles?
--Are you using the database name from the library database list to identify your database rather than the producer name, such as EbscoHost?

Other Things to Check:
--Are all direct quotations in quotation marks?
--Are all quotations led into with signal phrases so that they are not dropped quotes?
--Have you spelled out all numbers that can be written in one or two words?
--Have you used it's only when you mean to use the contraction of it and is?
--Do all possessive forms except for its include an apostrophe?
--Look for common misspellings with homophones such as to/too/two and their/there/they’re.
See pages 299-300 of A Writer’s Reference for additional examples. Look up any words in your paper that you’re unsure that you’re using correctly.