Guidelines for Essay 1
CONTENT
1. Is the issue clearly defined? From reading the paper, is it clear what the controversy
is?
2. Has an attempt been made to identify special interest groups who might be active in
representing the various sides of the issue? i.e., the NRA, PETA, NARRAL, ACLU
3. Have examples, statistics, history, anecdotes, expert testimony been used to help
illustrate the issue?
4. Is the intro engaging? Does it make the reader want to keep reading? Is the intro
relevant? Does the intro unfairly sensationalize or exaggerate the issue?
5. Does the conclusion end with a strong sense of closure? Does it logically tie in with
the rest of the essay? Do the intro and conclusion work together to form an effective
and unified “framing device” for the essay?
ORGANIZATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is the essay easy to follow?
Are paragraphs unified? Does each paragraph focus on and develop one idea?
Does each paragraph have a strong topic sentence?
Does the rest of the paragraph work to develop the main idea expressed in the topic
sentence?
5. Does each paragraph have smooth transitional ideas that move seamlessly from one
point to the next?
MLA FORM
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Is the paper typed in MLA form?
Are there at least 2 internal citations?
Are sources correctly documented?
Are running acknowledgements used appropriately?
Can the reader differentiate between your ideas and those of the source?
Is the Works Cited page done correctly?
Is a word count included on the Works Cited page?
SOURCE
1. Is a copy of the source attached?
2. Does the source cited in the paper correspond to the Works Cited page?