1. Five Biggest Mistakes in the Rough Drafts

2. Error #1(By a Mile!) - Plagiarism
Too many people are listing information without citing where they got it. Statistics, quotes, and background and history of a subject are just some of the researched items being blatantly stolen!

3. Error #2 – Improper MLA citations
The MLA style for citations has been covered numerous times in class. Please refer to your notes and examples already given to correct this problem.

4. Error #3 – Eliminate Contractions and First Person References
Words like can’t, shouldn’t, won’t, aren’t, etc. DO NOT belong in the paper.
The only exception would be someone else’s words in a direct quote.
Say “NO” to I, we, our, and second-person you.

5. Error #4 – Body Paragraphs Lack of Connection to Thesis
Does your material connect or help you prove or support your thesis? If not, why is it there?
Does the last sentence of each body paragraph connect the paragraph back to your SO WHAT THESIS?
Body paragraph = one topic!

6. Error #5 – Format Errors (Heading, Page Numbering, Indenting, Capitalization, and Punctuation)
These are simple to fix. Please do not lose easy points due to mistakes that can be quickly corrected.
Proofreading your paper (at EVERY stage) is crucial in eliminating errors.