This document provides guidance on evaluating common issues in research papers such as overgeneralization, lack of or improper use of sources, weak counterargument rebuttals, dull openings and titles, unclear theses, and poor transitions. It instructs readers to examine their papers for these issues and determine if rewriting is needed to address deficiencies in areas like adding sources, reworking openings and titles, strengthening theses, and improving transitions between ideas. The document emphasizes that identifying issues is the first step and significant rewriting will likely be required to resolve them.

1. Created by Jennifer Zellner of University of Cincinnati

2.  Today’s activity is designed to help you
figure out a game plan for your research
paper.
 We’ll be going through and talking about
common issues in papers so you can
determine if it is an issue you need to
fix.

3. Generalizations
 Look through your paper
 Cross out every sentence/statement that
begins with:
 Many, or Many people
 Some, or Some people
 Most, or Most people
 People, students, researchers, etc.
 How much of your paper is crossed out?

4. Using Source Material
 Look through your paper
 How many sources do you cite?
 0: This needs to be addressed immediately.
 1-2: You will need to bring in more sources.
 3-4: Depending on the quality of your
sources, this may be okay, but you probably
should bring in more sources.
 5+: You should be okay in terms of quantity

5. Using Source Material
 Look through your paper
 What kinds of sources are you using?
 Primarily academic: Awesome, keep it up.
 A fairly even mix between academic and
non-academic: Make sure that you’re
establishing your credibility, but if you have
enough sources, this should work.
 Primarily non-academic: You’ll need to find
credible academic sources to support your
opinion and provide credibility.

6. Using Source Material
 Look at the last page of your paper
 Is it a Works Cited?
 Yes: Awesome, double check Purdue OWL
or the A&B to make sure it’s properly
formatted.
 No: Create a Works Cited promptly.

7. Addressing Counterarguments
 Look through your paper
 Do you address counterarguments?
 Yes: Good, how are you refuting them?
 No: You should address counterarguments.
If you don’t feel that your paper has a
counterargument, then you need to refocus
your paper so that it is an arguable point.

8. Opening Sentence
 Look at your opening sentence
 Is it interesting, attention-grabbing,
explanatory?
 Yes: Awesome
 It could be better: Work on rewriting your
opening sentence so that it is interesting,
etc.

9. Title
 Look at your title
 Do you have a title?
 Yes: Cool
 No: Make sure you write one
 Is your title relevant and attention
getting?
 Yes: Even more cool
 It could be better: Rewrite your title so that it
is relevant and attention getting.

10. Thesis
 Look at your thesis
 Does it explain your purpose and map
out the rest of your paper?
 Yes: Awesome
 It could be better: Rewrite it until it does

11. Transitions
 Look through your paper
 How are your transitions?
 Good, I used old before new and the ideas
tie together rather nicely: Awesome, make
sure that you keep those transitions nice
and tight as you rewrite and revise your
paper.
 Alright, some are pretty good, but most
could use some work: Transitions should be
part of your rewriting process then
 Could use work: Transitions should be a
major part of your rewriting process then

12. Stopping the bleeding
 How’s your paper holding up?
 If you’ve got a long list of things to address,
then you’ve obviously got a lot of work, and
you should start that promptly.
 If you’ve got a very short list of things to
address, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a
lot of rewriting ahead of you. You’ll just be
focused on a different kind of rewriting.