PROOFREADING CHECKLIST

PROOFREADING ChecklisT
STYLE
·         Is every sentence clear and easy to understand?
·         Do my sentences and paragraphs connect coherently with effective transitions from idea to idea? Do I avoid abrupt shifts and awkward transitions?
·         Is my writing economical and concise or do I waste words? Which sentences can I shorten to make more effective?
·         Is my tone appropriately formal? Too formal and stilted? Overly casual?
·         Is there variety in the length of my sentences? Do I vary the structure of my sentences?
·         Do I say something new and important in each sentence, or do I repeat myself?
·         In every sentence, do I say what I intend to say or do I settle for something close?
·         Do I use direct quotes and paraphrases effectively?
·         Are my sentences interesting and creative? Are some of them striking and memorable
GRAMMAR/USAGE
·         Are all my sentences complete? Any accidental fragments?
·         Is my verb tense consistent throughout the paper?
·         Do all my verbs agree with their subjects?
·         Are the antecedents for all my pronouns clear? Is it clear what the pronouns refer to?
·         Do my pronouns agree with their antecedents in number?
·         Are all my modifying words, phrases, and clauses correctly placed? Do they clearly modify the word or phrase they are supposed to?
WORD CHOICE/DICTION
·         Do I use the precise word every time? Am I sure of the definitions of the words I’ve used?
·         Can I replace any word with one that is more precise, clear, or vivid?
·         Am I aware of the connotations of the words I use?
·         Have I left out any words I meant to include? Have I left words in I meant to delete?
·         Do I avoid technical jargon and slang that might be unfamiliar to my reader?
·         Do I avoid clichés and bland, overused expressions?
MECHANICS & FORMATTING
·         Have I spelled every word correctly? (Don’t trust your spell-checker — it doesn’t catch homophones and any typos that result in another word.)
·         Does every sentence end in a full stop (or question mark or exclamation mark)?
·         Have I followed the rules for comma use?
·         Have I correctly punctuated and formatted all my quotations?
·         Have I capitalized properly?
·         Have I avoided unnecessary abbreviations?
·         Do I indent consistently to begin all new paragraphs?
·         Are my paragraph breaks where they should be?
·         Is my font simple and a consistent 10- or 12-point size?