Even a skilled writer does not produce a finished product in a single draft. Writing is a multistage process. Once you have finished writing your essay (or research paper), you have completed only the rough draft. Your job now is to revise your paper to make sure that all of your statements are clear and well connected. You also must proofread your paper to catch any spelling and grammar errors.

Go over your rough draft carefully, and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is each sentence clear? Is each paragraph immediately understandable?
• Does each sentence and each paragraph add something new and important to the theme of my essay?
• Is each paragraph logically connected to the ones before and after it?
• Do I need to rework any of the connecting sentences to make them more clear?
• Does the introductory paragraph properly introduce the theme of the essay?
• Does the concluding paragraph properly summarize the main points of the essay?

Also:

• Have a friend read the paper to see if any points that seem clear to you are not clear to the average reader.
• Read your paper out loud. This will help you catch awkward sentences that you might miss when reading to yourself.
• Correct all errors in spelling, punctuation, and formatting (how the words appear on the page) that were not caught by your computer's spell and grammar checker.

See also Writing Short Essays.