Author's Checklist

Structure / Organization

My introduction contains:

my thesis statement
my support topics
a hook to interest my reader
a smooth transition to the rest of the paper

The body of my paper contains at least three support topics that are:

clearly related to my thesis
in logical order
connected with smooth transitions

The conclusion of my paper contains:

a reference to my thesis
a review of my support topics
closure technique
the significance of my message

My paper:

follows the assigned format
shows that I've enhanced the way it looks

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Content

My thesis statement is:

specific
opinion-based
provable
significant

Each of my support topics:

develops the thesis
is believable
shows creative [and analytical] thinking

The evidence I use to substantiate each support topic is

relevant
documented
varied
valid (factual or proven)
reliable (from appropriate, dependable sources)

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Language / Style

My sentences:

are correctly structured
begin in a variety of ways
vary in length
include compound and complex forms

My paragraphs:

are logically ordered
are indented
begin for each idea
have main ideas and supporting details
move smoothly from one to another

My language:

is my very own
is appropriate for my purpose
is specific and clear
is different and unique

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Mechanics

In my paper I have used the following punctuation correctly:

ending marks
apostrophes
commas
quotation marks
colons
semicolons
dashes/hyphens
parentheses
other

In my paper I have used capitalization correctly for:

sentences
names
titles
quotations
other purposes, such as effect or format

In my paper I have correctly spelled:

all basic words and names
all advanced, technical words

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Copyright 1998
Teri Beaver
Developed at UNC Laboratory School
Stenhouse Publishers
York, Maine