Essay Self-Review Checklist

Run this first, on a printed copy or with the comments panel open. If an item fails, fix it before going further: everything below depends on it.

ARGUMENT AND STRUCTURE
[ ] I can underline my thesis statement in the introduction.
[ ] The thesis makes a claim someone could disagree with, not just a topic.
[ ] The thesis answers the question in the prompt.
[ ] The first sentence of each paragraph states a point that supports the thesis.
[ ] Read in order, those first sentences sketch the whole argument.
[ ] Each paragraph has evidence (a quotation, a paraphrase, data) and says what it shows.
[ ] Paragraphs follow an order I can explain (by importance, by time, by counter-argument).
[ ] Transitions say how a paragraph relates to the one before it.
[ ] The conclusion answers the thesis and introduces no new evidence.

Underline the thesis

if you hesitate between two sentences, the thesis is split. Merge them or choose one.

First sentences only

reading just the topic sentences is the quickest test of structure, and the one that shows a paragraph that belongs elsewhere.

Evidence and commentary

a quotation with no sentence after it explaining what it shows is a common gap. The commentary is where the argument happens.

Run this once the paragraphs are stable, since moving text moves sources. Use the style your instructor asked for.

CITATIONS
[ ] The heading or title page has the details my instructor asks for.
[ ] Every quotation and paraphrase has an in-text citation.
MLA: (Author page), for example (Smith 45)
APA: (Author, Year), with a page number for direct quotations
[ ] Every in-text citation has an entry in the Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA).
[ ] Every entry in the list is cited at least once in the text.
[ ] Author names and years match between the text and the list.
[ ] The list is in alphabetical order by author's last name.
[ ] One style is used throughout, not a mix of MLA and APA.

Match both ways

checking that each citation has an entry finds missing sources; checking that each entry is cited finds sources you dropped while revising.

One style

mixing MLA and APA (Smith 45 in one paragraph, Smith, 2020 in another) is a frequent result of copying citations from different generators.

Layout is separate

margins, font, double spacing and hanging indents are set in your word processor. Check them there, against your instructor's instructions.

Run this last. Reading aloud is slower than reading silently, which is the point: it stops your eye filling in what you meant to write.

SENTENCES
[ ] I read the essay aloud, start to finish.
[ ] No sentence made me stop and reread it.
[ ] No doubled words ("the the") or missing words.
[ ] Names, terms and spellings are the same every time they appear.
[ ] Tense is consistent (literary analysis usually uses the present tense).
[ ] No informal phrases the assignment would not expect.
[ ] Spelling and grammar checker run, and every suggestion read, not accepted blindly.
[ ] Word count and file format match the assignment.

Reread the stops

any sentence you tripped on when reading aloud is one your instructor will trip on too.

Consistency

a name spelled two ways, or a term that changes halfway through, is easy to miss in your own writing and easy to spot in someone else's.

A checklist catches what you know to look for. Another reader catches what you cannot see because you know what you meant. If you want a written second read, the Essay Review ($12, paid once) reports on language, structure, typos and MLA or APA citations in one PDF, with each finding quoting the passage. It gives no grade.