Proofreading

1.  Quietly read your paper aloud and listen to flow.  You may notice something that doesn't sound quite right (repetition or otherwise).  If so, fix it!

2.  Copy your paper and paste it into a Word document.  Do a spelling and grammar check to make sure that Google Docs didn't miss anything.  If you make changes, make sure to recopy your paper out of Word and paste it back into Google Docs.

3.  Do a "command f" search for ".  " to make sure you have two spaces after all periods and also check for other ending punctuation.

4.  Do a “command f” search for these words to see if you use them too frequently:

                        -then

                        -and

                        -next

5.  Do a “command f” search for these words, and if you find them, reword your sentence so that it does not contain the word.

                        -you, your, you’re

                        -I, me, my, mine

6.  Print your paper to the MS_TOSHIBA_LMC

7.  Do you have a CREATIVE title at the top of your paper?  It should be something that tells me what to expect in your paper and makes me want to read more.  Just “Fly Fishing Equipment” is boring.

8.  Underline your transition words (because, however, if, when, first, another, etc.).  Do you have solid transitions from one sentence to the next and one paragraph to the next?  These should come either at the end of a paragraph or as part of your topic sentence.  Remember, find a way to link your body paragraphs together.

9.  Count the number of sentences in each paragraph and write the numbers in the left margin.  Do you have 4-5 sentences in your introduction and conclusion, and do you have 7-10 sentences in each body paragraph?

10.  Circle the first word of each sentence.  Do you have more than two sentences that start with the same word in one paragraph?  Do all of your paragraphs start with same word?  If so, make changes.

11.  Count the number of words in each of your sentences.  Write the numbers in the right margin.  Do you have enough variety?  If not, either split some longer sentences into shorter ones or combine shorter ones into longer ones.

12.  Make sure to spell out all numbers ten and under.  Also words like "percent" should be spelled out.  Unsure?  Ask for help!

13.  Make changes to your electronic document based on steps 7-12. (keep your proofread copy to turn in with final draft)