Essay Advice Checklist for Students

(Updated September 2018)

Essay Content

  • Your total word count is no more than 10% above the required word count.
  • You’ve proofread for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • You’ve included page numbers.
  • Your essay is double spaced.
  • You’ve used one of these fonts in 12pt size:
  1. Arial
  2. Calibri
  3. Cambria
  4. Times New Roman 
  • Titles are italicized or “in quotation marks” as appropriate (see the MLA guide).
  • Your quotations are correctly formatted.
  • Your electronic submission is in .docx format, and not .pdf.

Referencing

  • Works Cited section included at the end of the essay or assignment.
  • Page numbers (or equivalent) of quotations from primary and secondary texts included in brackets immediately after the quote is used.
  • All of the work cited in your Works Cited has actually been used in the essay and cited in-text.
  • Full details (author, title, publisher, date, place) of all materials used, have been included in the Works Cited.