How to edit your own papers...

On FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 before 11:59 pm, your Project 1 Draft 3 is due. You have received comments from your classmates about your draft via your group's shared folder.

This means that, at this point, you have received LOTS of feedback on this paper. But does that mean it is ready?

How should you edit your papers?:

• Each time we meet during video conferences, I tell you, "Write this down on your checklist of things you should check before you click publish." That's not a suggestion. People develop writing habits and this semester our goal is to break the most basic ones. Review your checklist of habits.

• Go through the common errors. I posted a lecture before conference to ensure you were aware of the common errors students make on their drafts. Use the Ctr F function and make sure your draft does not include I, me, my, our, we, very, just, so and unique. Delete these words from your draft.

• Delete any rhetorical questions. The only question in your paper should be your research question.

• Check your MLA citations. Make sure all of them are in the proper format. Go to Purdue Owl and double check if yours are correct. Italics are important!

• Read your paper aloud. When you read your work aloud, you will be able to heard awkward sentences, passive verbs, and rough transitions in a way that you will not be able to see on a draft. OR read your paper into the voice recorder of your phone and play it back.

• Go through each paragraph. What is your topic sentence? Is your evidence good? Does it provide the claim made in your topic sentence. Does your conclusion sentence set up the next paragraph?

• Are your transitional statements basic? Statements like, "the next claim" or "In conclusion" are amateur writer transitions.

• Go through the draft sentence by sentence. Review my lecture on sentence structure and syntax. Next use a highlighter or the highlighting tool on Word or Google docs. Highlight subjects in blue and verbs in green. A complete sentence must have a subject and a verb. If the subject is not performing the action, your sentence is passive. If you verb is a variation of a "to be" verb, then your verbs are not active.

• Do not end your sentences on a preposition.

• Are you teaching or telling? If you write, "This evidence relates to the research question because..." you are telling me that you are answering the questions required on the prompt. It is pointing language. However, by using specific examples and relevant evidence you are teaching me and convincing me that your insights are correct instead of telling me you are correct.

• Punctuation. Do you know the difference between a semicolon and a colon? Do you know when to use a comma? Grammar Girl is a good source for these answers.

Your finalized edited draft should be uploaded to your P1 page before 11:59 pm FRIDAY 10/11. Be sure to check our the Project #1 Style Guide for an example of what your P1 Page should look like. Remember that when you transfer information from a doc file to a text box on Wix, you must go back and adjust the formatting. This means you must go back and fix your Italics and manually indent your paragraphs.