University Writing

General Priorities for Fellowing 

 1.  Check the draft for APPROPRIATENESS. 

Does it meet the assignment specifications?  Take the specified approach?  Have all necessary parts?  Do everything that’s asked?

 2.  If #1 is in order, check the draft for FOCUS. 

Look for a central idea, whether it is expressed, worthy of discussion, and limited enough to be discussed thoroughly.

  3.  If #2 is in order, check the draft for ORGANIZATION. 

Is each paragraph connected to the thesis?  Are the paragraphs connected to each other in a logical way?  Does each paragraph deal with only one idea?  Are all the remarks about one idea located in the same paragraph (or if the idea is a complicated one, are all the remarks about it located in consecutive paragraphs)?

  4.  If #3 is in order, check for DEVELOPMENT.

Are claims and statements supported by sufficient examples, details, and illustration?  What do you want to hear more about?  Where did the essay leave you feeling unsatisfied or disappointed?

  5.  If #4 is in order, check the INTRODUCTION and the CONCLUSION. 

Do they accurately reflect the body of the paper?  Does the conclusion provide a sense of closure?  Is it more than a repetition of the introduction?

  6.  If #5 is in order, check SURFACE FEATURES.

Does the paper demonstrate proper punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, and documentation?
7.  If #6 is in order, check DICTION and STYLE.

Do the word choice, sentence structure, and tone enhance the purposes of the paper?

 

Adapted from:      Toni-Lee Capossela, The Harcourt Brace Guide to Peer Tutoring. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace and Co,1998, p. 12.