Radford University Learning Assistance & Resource Center
Writing Session Notes

Higher Orders of Concern:

• Organization – Does the paper move from one topic to the next in a logical fashion?
• Thesis/ Topic Sentences – Is the thesis well-defined, and does it pose an argument? Do the topic sentences relate to the thesis sentence and set-up each paragraph?
• Flow – Is the paper free from interruptions that distract from the writing?
• Content – Does the paper contain specific details important to the main topic? Is the content appropriate?
• Logic – Is the paper free from logical fallacies? Are the claims backed up by evidence?
• Citations – Does the paper conform to an established citation format (APA, MLA)?
• Formatting – Are headers, citation style, margins, paragraphs, and double spacing correct?
• Proper Use of Quotes/Paraphrases
• Framing – Are quotes properly introduced within the sentence?
• Subject – Are the quotes relevant?
• Word Usage – Are words being used in the right context?
  

Lower Orders of Concern:

• Sentence Variation – Are they using a mix of simple, complex, and compound sentences?
• Subject-Verb Agreement – Do the subject and verb agree in number (plural or singular)?
• Verb-tense Consistency – Are verb tenses appropriate to the context and consistent with each other?
• Pronoun Agreement – Do the pronouns agree with the antecedent?
• Punctuation – Is all punctuation used correctly?
• Colons and Semicolons 
• Periods
• Commas
• Question Marks
• Punctuation in Relation to Quotation Marks
• Missing Words – Are there any words missing?