Provide Suggestions for Improving the Introductory Material

1. Read the essay up until you identify the writer's thesis. Stop reading at this point and answer the following questions: a. Does the introduction give you enough background to understand the thesis? b. Do you understand why this issue is controversial? c. Is the thesis clear? Provide suggestions for improving the introductory material.

2. Does each paragraph adhere to a single main idea? Note any paragraphs that seem to have multiple topics competing for attention. 3. Are paragraphs connected with transitions? Identify any places where transitions between paragraphs can be improved. 4. Do paragraphs make good use of repetition of key ideas? Note any places where the writer might improve coherence by repeating a key term or synonym. 5. Does the writer provide sufficient evidence for each of the main points? Note any places where you would like to see more evidence. Make suggestions for what type of evidence the writer might include. 6. Does the writer use quotations and paraphrases of sources effectively? Are there places where the sources seem to take the writer off-track or places where the writer seems to focus more on summarizing other people's arguments than on making his or her own arguments? 7. Does the writer handle objections to his or her argument effectively? Are the objections included in a logical point in the essay? Can you think of additional counter-arguments the writer might include to rebut (or counter) these objections? 8. Is the overall order of paragraphs in the paper logical? Do the paragraphs in the body of the paper follow the order suggested by the thesis? Does the overall organization seem to have some sort of ordering principle—such as moving from least to most important criteria? 9. Does the argument contain any logical fallacies that you can identify? Note these. 10. Does the essay have an interesting conclusion that does not simply repeat the main points of the essay? 11. Does the writer include a correctly documented works cited page? 12. What are the three most significant changes the writer could make to improve this paper?