ANTH Check Sheet for Student Essay Editing Review
Prepared by Susan Vincent
Most of these questions you can answer with "yes," "no," "for the most part," "not usually," etc.
Note: consult the Department of Anthropology Essay Style Guide
Argument:
Does
the introductory paragraph clearly outline what topic the paper deals
with and how it will proceed to prove the argument? ______
Is there a thesis statement? ___
If there is one, state it here: ______________________________________________________________________________
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Is it easily found? ___
Is it early in the paper (preferably in the introductory paragraph)? ___
Is it: clear?___ ; wimpy or wishywashy?______; strong?_______;
Does it clearly express something: proveable? ______; interesting? _____; related to one of the questions? ________
Does it clearly take a position? ________
Does it give clear and relevant reasons for this position? _________
Theory:
Is
there a section at the beginning of the paper in which the theoretical
framework or concepts that the author uses to analyse the evidence are
outlined? __________
Is it clear? __________________
Is the theory relevant to the question and argument? ______________
Is the theory used to analyse the evidence in the body of the paper? ______________
Context:
Is the ethnographic context explained at the beginning of the paper? ______________
Are the characteristics of the ethnographic context important to the argument? __________
Is it clear? ____________
Evidence:
Is the evidence relevant to the argument? _________
Does each paragraph deal with a distinct, clearly identifiable aspect of the argument? _____
Is there any information that does not seem relevant? ____
Is it analysed using the theoretical concepts? _________
Is there too much information and not enough discussion of how it relates to the argument? ____
Is there a logical structure to how the argument flows? ____
Is the evidence persuasive? ____
Could you understand it easily or did you have to reread it to get the meaning? ____
Style: (mark specific problems on the paper itself)
Are the sentences clear and easy to understand? ____
Are there a lot of typographical or spelling errors? ____
Are there a lot of grammatical errors? _____
Are there places where the wrong word has been used? ____
Is the style too colloquial? ______ or too stuffy? ______
Are there confusing shifts in tense, person, and/or number? _____
Is the essay too long ____ or too short? ____
Is there evidence that the writer is trying to hide that the paper is too long or too short? ____
Is there a page number on each page, counting from the first page of text? ____
Is
the paper double-spaced, with one inch margins on all sides, in a font
of 10 to 12 characters per inch and with indented paragraphs instead of
leaving an extra space between paragraphs? ___
Conclusion:
Is
there a concluding paragraph that winds the paper up nicely, telling
the reader what has been argued and perhaps pointing to future
directions or other relevant issues? _____
Referencing: see Department of Anthropology style guide, in particular the AAA citation style guide.
Is the source of the information given for each time information is presented, whether or not there is a direct quotation? _____
Are there too many quotations? _____ Quotations that are too long? ____
Is there a consistent standard referencing style? ______
Is there a consistent standard bibliographic style? _____
Are all of the works cited in the bibliography? ____
Are there any works in the bibliography that should not be there because they have not been cited? _____
Other suggestions:
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