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Online Guide to Writing and Research Assessing Your Writing

The Draft Stage

As you begin drafting your paper, focus on your thesis. The goal should be to hone and perfect it. Use each working version of your thesis to plan your organization and develop your thoughts. These organizational efforts will often reveal flaws in your initial thesis. You can fix them in your next draft. Once you finish, you should be able to answer the following questions with authority.

As you begin drafting your paper, focus on your thesis. The goal should be to hone and perfect it. Use each working version of your thesis to plan your organization and develop your thoughts. These organizational efforts will often reveal flaws in your initial thesis. You can fix them in your next draft. Once you finish, you should be able to answer the following questions with authority.

 

 Checklist for the Working Thesis
✓   
  Can I state the thesis specifically and summarize the one main idea to discuss? 
  Does my thesis statement suggest my writing strategy and which patterns I might use to develop my ideas? 
  Can I support my thesis with evidence from class readings, research notes, experience, or all of these? 


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Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing