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Graduate Academic Reading and Writing: Grammar and Expression

A Guide for Reading and Writing at the Graduate Level

Tip

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Read your paper aloud and listen for lack of clarity, awkward phrasing, and errors in grammar and word choice.

Revise and Edit

Revise using the following questions: 

  • Does my paper have a clearly presented purpose? Is this in the form of a concise and specific thesis statement?  

  • Does my paper answer the question posed in the assignment prompt? 

  • Does the body of my paper adequately support my purpose or thesis statement? 

  • Are my body paragraphs organized around single points, with clear topic sentences and sufficient evidence? 

  • Do I have a clear and compelling introduction that draws the reader in and introduces my purpose? 

  • Do I have a distinct conclusion that summarizes my paper and provides recommendations, implications, or applications for the reader? 

Edit using the following questions: 

  • Have I formatted my paper according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, etc.)? 

  • Have I correctly and consistently used in-text citations? 

  • Have I included a correctly formatted Works Cited or References page? 

  • Is my language formal and academic? 

Revise and Edit Contents

Reverse Outlining

Reverse Outlining is a helpful strategy for checking your paper for structure, organization, and relevance of content.

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