History

HIS 101 – ONLINE PAPER CHECK LIST

YOU MUST RETURN THIS CHECKLIST FILLED OUT WITH YOUR PAPER, OR IT WILL NOT BE GRADED.

NAME:_________________

 ______ My paper is approximately four to six pages in length. It is double-spaced, in 12-point type, and has 1" to 1.5” margins.

 ______ My pages are numbered. I have included my name on my paper.  ______ My paper has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.  ______ My paper’s introduction and conclusion match.  ______ My paper has a thesis. I argue this thesis consistently throughout the

paper.  ______ My paper uses evidence from the text. It avoids generalizations without

substantiation by backing up assertions with examples.  ______ Each time I discuss a new idea, I begin a new paragraph. No paragraph is

one page long; no paragraph contains three or four different arguments.  ______ I use analytical, not narrative, topic sentences with transitions between

paragraphs.  ______ I used no contractions in this paper. I was especially careful not to use it's

(it's abbreviates it is, and is not possessive).  ______ I eliminated extra words whenever possible.  ______ I eliminated run-on sentences. I broke up long sentences in accordance

with grammatical rules. When in doubt, I kept my sentences short.  ______ I eliminated shifting tenses. I did not move back and forth throughout my

essay between the past and the present.  ______ I avoided the following expressions: the author "goes on to say"; the

author "goes"; the author "says"; "it's like"; the author "talks about"; the author "feels".

 ______ I paid attention to singular-plural agreement. "One", for example, is singular.

 ______ Instead of a check, since I have paid attention, I will draw a smiley here.  ______ I avoided the passive tense. (For example, instead of writing,

“Subservience was characteristic of the women,” I wrote, “The women were submitted to male dominance.”)

 ______ I did not repeat vocabulary within the same or neighboring sentences.  ______ I identified all pronouns. I made clear who "they", "he", "she", etc. were.  ______ I integrated quotations from the book into my essay. I did not allow

quotations to break up my prose.  ______ I made sure my quotations did not include references to an unidentified "I",

"you", or other pronoun. If necessary, I identified characters by inserting names in brackets [Ishtar].

 ______ I saved a copy of my paper.  ______ I used proper citation form (see topic assignment sheet).  ______ I proofread my essay slowly and carefully on paper, not on screen.  ______ I asked a friend to proofread my paper for me (optional).