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Remember for high-quality communication, correct formatting is as important as correct grammar. This checklist is in Word format so you can add to it as you need. ItemDescriptionBulletsAll formatted the same? All the same size? All the correct shape?ColorsAll colors correctly used? All print out clearly if printed in black and white?Conciseness No fancy words when a simpler one will do?Splitting long sentences and paragraphs where you can [keep paragraphs, for example, tightly focused on one topic])?Checked for “there is” and “there are” to see if you can rewrite those sentences without them?Checked for “all of the,” “in order to,” and “due to the fact” constructions, replacing them with “all the,” “to,” and “since” or “because” as appropriate instead? (Note: you can use “in order to” with stative verbs and in “in order not to” constructions. See Section 2 in Merchant’s English Usage Guide for Technical Writers for more information.)Checked for “number of” and replaced “a number of” with “few,” “some,” or “many” as appropriate, “a large number of” with “many,” and “small in number” with “few” or “small” as appropriate?Checked for “period of time” and replaced with “period” or “time” as appropriate?Check Section 2 in Merchant’s English Usage Guide for Technical Writers for more wordiness problems.ContentKeywords listed in abstract?Executive summary more than just one or two paragraphs (see instructions for more information)?A persuasive final “conclusion”/sales pitch/call to action?Did you reread assignment instructions during and after you finished writing to ensure you included everything the instructions ask to be included? Body is longer than six pages? (Six pages or less is too short.)Have you spelled out abbreviations, including acronyms and initialisms, the first time you used them?Have you included any abbreviations used more than once in your glossary?Is your information accurate, honest?CorrectnessWhile you can reuse anything you wrote in your proposal and extended definition without needing to cite the proposal or definition, have you made any needed grammatical changes to the text you copied so that it fits logically and smoothly in your white paper?Have your checked for grammar errors?Have you checked for punctuation errors (including that you have only one space after a closing period)?Have you checked for spelling errors (including homonym errors—“to” instead of “too,” for example)?Have you checked to see if you used any contractions?Using the tools listed at writing-help/#OG as well as the Writing Center is strongly advised.Figures/Graphics (all visuals that are not tables; for tables, see Tables entry below)All figures have numbers and titles? Figures have a period after the number but not at the end of the title (for example, Figure 1. Mass Effect 5e Character Sheet)?Figure titles below the figure; source information below the title. Correct sizes for title and source text (font size 12, Times New Roman for titles; font size 10, Times New Roman for source information)?Figure, title, and source centered; no text flowing around the figure?Using correct title capitalization? All figures introduced in the text first? All figures clear, easy to read, with important features noted in the text? No figure extends beyond the margins? (If one does, is it placed in the appendix with that appendix item referred to in the appropriate place in the body text?)No figure is split across pages where avoidable? If need be, rotate graphic 90 degrees counter-clockwise (see Style Guide section on illustrations). Are figures sized properly, not stretched or squeezed, not too small? All color figures useable if printed in black and white? All figures not your own have correct source information?FootersOnly on pages that require one? All formatted correctly? (Font size 12, Times New Roman; black font color, for example?)FootnotesIf you have any, are they in Times New Roman text?GlossaryAll abbreviations used more than once are included?All symbols, except for common ones (see the Style Guide for guidance) included?All terms you think your audience may not know or may not have the correction definition of included?All items in alphabetical order (alphabetize symbols by their definition)?Formatted correctly (term boldfaced; definition normal text [not boldfaced]; size 12, Times New Roman, hanging indent)?If one page long, is the glossary in the front matter; if more than one page, is it placed in the back (see assignment instructions and Style Guide for guidance)HeadersPages that require headers have one? Is the page header information in the page header? (Do not shrink the margin to pretend it is in the header.)All headers are correctly formatted? Font size 12, Times New Roman; black font color, for example?)All headers contain the required information? (For example, each section has the section title in the second line with an em dash between it and the page number.)Headings/TitlesAll headings/titles formatted correctly: correct color, correct size, correct font family, correct spacing before and after? Using correct title capitalization? Headings are not orphaned or bumped (not at the bottom of a page)? Headings have text after them (not another heading—exception: you can have a level-1 heading after a section title)? Headings levels are not skipped (for example, do not have a level 2 section divided by level-4 headings but no level-3 headings)?List of Illustrations (or List of Figures or List of Tables)All entries match the actual illustration? Any missing entries? Page numbers match the document? Formatted correctly? If only have figures, the section is titled List of Figures? If only have tables, title of section is List of Tables?ListsAre numbered lists in the correct numerical order? Are numbered lists numbering explained (why are they numbered)? While unordered list items are not numbered, are they at least in alphabetical order?More than one item in the list?All items formatted correctly? Are nested lists too deeply nested? Are lists introduced?Do first-order lists (first level, not nested—all nested lists are within first-order lists) have a blank line before the first list item and a blank line after the last list item?MarginsOne-inch margins on every page?MathAll calculations add up correctly? All formulas work out correctly?All equations introduced and labeled correctly (see the COES Equation Guidelines found at style-guide/ for guidance).Page numbersAll pages that require page numbers have a page number? In the correct order? Used insert page number feature and not just typed in?Placed/Aligned properly in the header or footer (as appropriate)?All formatted correctly? (For example, black font, size 12, Times New Roman? Lowercase Roman Numerals for front matter, Arabic numerals for the body? Em dash [—] before Arabic numerals? Remember: em dashes do not have a space before or after them.)ReferencesAll reference items formatted to MLA 8 guidelines? Including hanging indents? Including titles in italics (book title, journal title [not article title], website title [not webpage article title])?Long URLs wrapped at a backslash? Dates included (accessed date if no update date is available)? Alphabetized (including: items beginning with numbers treated as if the number is spelled out; items beginning with articles [a, an, the] treated as if the article is not there)? Single spacing within each item but double-spacing between items (one blank, size 12, line between items)? Every reference from proposal and definition included as well as any additional ones? Every visual, text quotes, and paraphrases cited in the paper as well as the cites included in the references section? No highlighting of text? Text is black and not dark gray or any other color (including URL text)? Underlining turned off for URLs (remove hyperlinking of URLs)? Using the tools listed at writing-help/#OC as well as the Writing Center is strongly advised.Style guideAll styles applied consistently?Table of ContentsAll entries match the actual headings? Any missing entries? Page numbers match the document? Formatted correctly? TablesAll table numbers and titles correct? Tables have a period after the number but not at the end of the title (for example, Table 1. Mass Effect Console Commands)?Table titles on top of the table and source information below the table?Source information properly formatted: “Source:” or “Adapted from:” is bolded, the rest is not, no hanging indent, centered)?All formatted correctly (correct color for table row headers; font size 12 Times New Roman unless need to use size 11 or even 10 [no lower] if needed to make table fit the page) Table, title, and source information are centered; no text flowing around the table? All tables introduced in the text first? Using correct title capitalization? All tables clear, easy to read, with important features noted in the text? No table extends beyond the margins? No table is split across pages where avoidable? If a table is split, does it have the table header row repeated on the next page?All tables not your own have correct source information?All tables are useable if printed in black and white? TextAll formatted correctly, including proper fonts, sizes, and color? (double check text copy and pasted—sometimes formatting is lost, including being pasted as dark gray and not black). URLsAll correct? Did you test them to make sure they work? Formatted correctly (especially in references)?Adapted from: Graham, Gordon. “Checklist for Proofing a White Paper.” White Paper for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2013. 245. ................
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