Writer: Braxton Saldana Peer editor: Gregory Novak

Peer Editing for Causal/Proposal Essay Rough Draft

Manuscript Form
Consider the following, and mark problems on the paper:
 Is the paper double spaced?
 Is there an extra line between paragraphs? There should not be.
 Are the heading and headers in the right format?
 Does the title reflect the main idea of the thesis?

What should the writer focus on in the rewrite?

The thesis seems to be too broad going by what the professor wants. You need to identify a specific group you
want to influence instead of just “people.”

Basic Structure and Organization and Introductory Paragraph

Underline the thesis sentence and the topic sentences; check each. Consider the following, and mark problems
on the paper.

Introductory Paragraph
 Does the writer use the assigned thesis pattern?
 Does the introduction make sense? Does it include enough background information to let the reader
understand the thesis?
 Is the thesis sentence the last sentence of the introductory paragraph?
 Does the introductory paragraph following the instructions on the green cards in your writing folder?
Mark the draft as necessary.
 What needs to be done to improve the introduction?

Body Paragraphs
 Are there eight body paragraphs?

Conclusion Paragraph
 Is there a conclusion paragraph?

What should the writer focus on in the rewrite?

If you do identify a specific group in your thesis you mainly would need to rewrite paragraphs 5 and 6 and
change mentions of the proposal where necessary. Paragraphs 7 and 8 would also may need to looked at again,
but I do not believe they would take an entire rewrite.

Body Paragraphs
Consider the following, and mark problems on the paper:
 Does each body paragraph have a topic sentence?
 Is the topic sentence the first sentence in the paragraph?
 Does the topic sentence identify the main idea of the paragraph and reflect the overall focus of the
thesis?
 Does the topic sentences for the first four paragraphs follow the instructions of the blue cards for body
paragraphs?
 Does the topic sentences for the last four paragraphs follow the instructions of the white cards for body
paragraphs?
  Does each the first four body paragraphs follow the instructions of the blue cards for body paragraphs?
 Does each the last four body paragraphs follow the instructions of the white cards for body paragraphs?
 Does the paragraph have enough information to prove the topic sentence?
 Is there anything in any of the body paragraphs that doesn’t make sense?
 How could each paragraph be improved?

Conclusion
Consider the following, and mark problems on the paper:
 Does the conclusion follow the instructions on the green cards?

How could the conclusion be improved?

It may need a slight rewrite if you do change the thesis, but other than that it is good.

Outside Sources
Consider the following, and mark problems on the paper:
 Is there a Works Cited page?
 Are the entries on the Works Cited page in the correct format?
 Is the Works Cited page in the correct format?
 Are the sources acceptable?
 Is each source listed on the Works Cited page? (Compare parenthetical documentation with Works
Cited page)
 Is there anything on the Works Cited page that is not cited in the paper? (Compare parenthetical
documentation with Works Cited page)
 Are the parenthetical citations in the correct format?
 Are quotations properly introduced with a complete sentence and a colon?
 Are all quotations documented?
 Is there any undocumented information in the paper that looks as if it should be documented?

Do you see any other problems with the research elements in the paper?

You need to indent every sentence following the first in the citations. You can do this by highlighting the
citation, then right click the highlight, select paragraph, under indentation select hanging on the dropdown box.

Grammar, Sentence Structure, and Punctuation

Mark any grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation errors that you see. Look for problems in the following
areas.
Unclear sentences verb case errors capitalization errors
fragments dangling modifiers hyphen errors
run-ons (fused and comma misplaced modifiers comma errors
splice) non-parallel structure any other punctuation errors
subject-verb agreement errors shift in person (not third person) improper word choice
incoherent sentences shift in tense beginning a sentence with a
sentence structure errors shift in voice coordinating conjunction
excessive coordination semicolon errors awkward sentences
improper subordination verb form errors slang
choppy sentences missing words manuscript form errors
pronoun reference errors titles punctuated incorrectly
pronoun agreement errors spelling errors