Peer Editing for Essay #1: Short Stories and Poetry

1. Is the paper in proper MLA format? Are there headers on any of the pages? Is there a title? Are the margins too big? Is the paper double-spaced?

2. Is there a Works Cited? Does it look right? Is it on a separate page and at the end of the paper? Is there a header on it or is it just stuck in the back?

3. Read over the paper once. Is there an introduction and conclusion? Is the introduction and /or conclusion one sentence?

4. Can you hear the author’s voice?

5. Can you find the thesis statement of the essay? What is it? Is it a good thesis statement or should it be improved?

6. Look over the body paragraphs. Do they support the thesis statement?

7. Do the body paragraphs have transitions?

8. Look at the parenthetical documentation in the paper. Is it correct? Are there at least one primary source and four secondary sources?

9. Is there any dialogue with the secondary sources?

10. Is the conclusion appropriate for the paper? Does it support the thesis statement?