what the reader wants to see
A clear thesis.
To get one, ask: What is the point of the essay?
What position am I taking (on an issue or question) or what is my point of view?
Is my topic sufficiently focused for the length of the paper?
Could the reader anticipate the sort of support I will present and the way I will present it?
Logical Organization.
Consider: Could the reader outline the paper at the first reading?
Does the paper follow a particular rhetorical style (cause/effect, classification, etc)?
Is the point of each paragraph clear after reading the first or second sentence?
Is the point directly and clearly relevant to the thesis?
Is the paragraph logically and effectively placed in the paper?
What specific words indicate the relationship of the idea to the thesis or the previous idea (paragraph), i.e. How are the points tied together?
Adequate development.
Query: Are there examples, details, references, quotations, or descriptions that support the point of the paragraph?
Have I explained why or how the support relates to the point of the paragraph?
What specific words indicate the relationship of the support to the main idea of the paragraph?
Appropriate diction, grammatical construction, spelling and punctuation.
