The following is a list of items that you should really think about in order to get the best possible grade on your paper. Please leave yourself adequate time after completing an initial draft of your paper so that you can go back and address these issues as needed. A written assignment is a very important reflection of your ability and how you approach academic work and you should plan your time accordingly.

• Proofread! Read your whole paper. Make sure there are no typographical errors, extra words, etc.
• Read for grammar, flow, etc. Read the paper aloud to yourself. Does what you are writing sound funny/awkward to you? If so, it will sound even worse to someone else.
• Read for organization. Does your paper follow a logical flow? Is it clear why you are moving from one topic to the next? Consider using sub-headings to guide the organization.
• Look for excessively long paragraphs. Each paragraph should deal with a single main idea. Overly long paragraphs are a sign of poor organization.
• Are your word choices appropriate? Do not use a particular word if you are at all unsure of the meaning it conveys. I am not impressed by attempts at a sophisticated vocabulary that fall short.
• Have you appropriately answered all the questions in the assignment?! Also consider if you have included extraneous-- thus distracting-- material that does not actually address the assignment.
• Are you being fair to conflicting arguments and the weaknesses in your own arguments? Watch out for straw men and magic bullet solutions.
• Have you taken the opportunities to directly apply course material where it is relevant to what you are discussing?
• Do your conclusions make sense based upon the information you have supplied? Where appropriate, are your conclusions supported by appropriate research and have you correctly cited the research?
• Are your causal arguments substantiated through logic or research? Just because A and B both increase, does not mean A caused B.
• Do you really have enough references (paper #2 only) that bear directly upon the questions in the assignment and have you used them appropriately?
• Make sure you have actually bothered to read and follow the submission guidelines.