Saturday, April 19, 2025 : TES > Documents > Checklist
Editor’s Checklist
Proofread
(If you do not want to read your paper, why should I?)
Spelling
Look up words about which you are unsure, or at least use the spell checker.
Contractions
Avoid them (don’t, won’t, it’s).
Possessives
Do not confuse with plurals and vice versa. Examples:
|
singular possessive — society’s |
singular — hero |
Pronouns
Number (singular or plural) must agree with its antecedent (singular or plural). It is therefore wrong to write: “Each person has their biases” or “Everyone has their quirks.” The antecedent (“person” or “everyone”) is singular and therefore the pronoun deriving it must be singular: “Each person has his (or her) biases” or “Everyone has her (or his) quirks.”
Tenses
Do not switch back and forth from past to present tense; be consistent. When writing about literature always use the present tense.
Paragraphs
For practice, be certain each paragraph has at least four sentences. Most should have more, but do not run paragraphs together. Paragraphs should flow logically from one topic to another utilizing transitions.
Sentences
Every sentence must be a complete sentence. Do not run complete sentences together. When a sentence is complete, end it.
Narrative Voice
Use active-voice verbs as much as possible and do not refer to yourself with personal pronouns such as I, we, my, our, etc.
Quotations
Introduce all quotations with a colon (:) unless it is a short quotation integrated into the body of your sentence. Block quote more than four lines of quoted material. Only quote when you cannot use your own words.
Margins and Fonts
Avoid large margins and fonts. They make it appear as if you are short on words and that you think you can slip a short paper past your professor.
Plagiarism
Do not borrow quotations or conclusions or paraphrase another need to be cited, but do not regurgitate class lecture material either — I know my own stuff.
Conclusion
Write a good one summarizing your findings, adding general comments that include a larger significance.
Punctuation
Confused about the proper use of the comma, colon, semicolon, dash, etc.? Consult your grammar textbook if you are unsure, or easier yet, Gary Olson’s Punctuation Made Simple.
Proofread again