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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    August 07, 2009

    Sample Revision Checklist 

    Wisconsin LawyerWisconsin Lawyer
    Vol. 82, No. 8, August 2009

    Below is a sample revision checklist. It is a general checklist; not all points may be relevant to all documents. You may want to add checklist points that are specific to your own writing.

    Large-scale Revision

    • Does the document contain all necessary parts and sections?
    • Do all the parts and sections contain everything they need to contain?
    • Have you followed all formatting requirements, including page or word limits, if any?
    • Does the document have visual appeal?
    • Are hard-copy pages in the proper order?

    Small-scale Revision

    Paragraphs

    • Do paragraphs begin with strong thesis sentences?
    • Do paragraphs stay on topic?
    • Do all sentences in each paragraph connect together?
    • Does one paragraph transition to the next?
    • Are paragraphs a reasonable length?

    Sentences

    • Have you omitted needless words?
    • Do the lengths of your sentences vary?
    • Are the subjects and verbs close together, near the beginning of the sentence?
    • Have you chosen active over passive voice, unless you need passive voice for a particular reason (such as preferring to downplay the actor or subject in the sentence)?

    Words

    • Have you eliminated legal jargon?
    • Do you use strong, precise verbs?
    • Have you eliminated nominalizations (e.g., words that end in -tion, -ability, -ment), changing them back to verbs?
    • Can you turn a multiple-word phrase into a single word?

    Proofread

    • Are all words spelled correctly? DO NOT rely solely on the spell-checking function!
    • Do subjects and verbs agree in tense?
    • Are commas and other punctuation properly used?
    • Are citations placed where needed?
    • Is your citation format correct?
    • Have you followed all other Bluebook or firm- or court-mandated conventions? 

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