“ I hope that all students find a way to visit the Writing Center.”
—Dana McLeod, First Year Student, Undeclared
Writing a Research Paper?
Ask yourself these questions as you read over the first draft of your report. The answers to most of these questions can be found by reading your first draft out loud.
- What point do I want to make in the report? What is my major reason for writing the report?
- Have I said clearly the thing I want most to say?
- What parts of the draft do not contribute directly to my main point(s)?
- How long must a reader read before knowing what my subject is? Can I get into my subject more quickly than I do?
- Have I left muddled sentences in my draft? Can I make sentences clearer?
- Should I alter my choice of words—using words which more precisely convey meaning? (Try using a thesaurus.)
- Can I simplify sentences, maybe by eliminating some words, i.e. unnecessary adjectives?
- Am I guilty of using clichés, tired old expressions that have been used so much that they have lost the power to be vivid? (Examples include “dead as a doornail” and “stark reality.”)
- Does my text flow easily from one idea to another?
- Is my conclusion adequate? Does is provide a graceful end to my report?
- Are my endnotes sufficient when it comes to acknowledging my sources?
