This worked worksheet shows how to turn a broad draft claim into a statement that its evidence can support. Every record and sentence below is invented for teaching. They are not findings about a real university, published research or evidence of a Turnin product result.
The draft problem: one sentence makes three claims
Draft sentence: “Longer library opening hours improved all students’ grades because more evening study-room bookings were recorded.” Before polishing the wording, separate the claims: bookings increased; every student benefited; longer hours caused higher grades. A booking log alone cannot establish all three.
Fill the evidence worksheet before rewriting
| Draft claim | Available teaching record | What it supports | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| More bookings were recorded. | Fictional booking-log note A says recorded evening reservations increased after the timetable changed. No counts are supplied. | A reported direction of change in reservations, subject to checking comparable periods and definitions. | Attribute the observation to note A; do not invent a number. |
| All students benefited. | Note A contains reservations, with no list of unique students or benefit measures. | No conclusion about all students or their outcomes. | Remove the population-wide claim. |
| Longer hours caused better grades. | No grade records, comparison group or causal analysis is supplied. | No grade effect or causal attribution. | Remove the causal claim; record what evidence is missing. |
Write the replacement paragraph
“In fictional booking-log note A, recorded evening study-room reservations increased after the library changed its opening timetable. Reservations are not a measure of grades, and repeated reservations may belong to the same person. The note therefore does not establish that longer hours improved academic results or benefited every student.”
This replacement preserves the limited observation and makes the missing evidence explicit. “May have improved all grades” would still introduce an unsupported grade claim. Softer wording cannot supply an absent measurement.
Complete the source record
| Field | Completed teaching entry |
|---|---|
| Record identifier | Fictional booking-log note A; created solely for this example. |
| Material actually consulted | The invented note described in this worksheet; no external study was consulted for its fictional result. |
| Measurement | Recorded reservations, not attendance, unique users, satisfaction or grades. |
| Checks still required | Period length, recording method, cancellations, repeat bookings and whether the same spaces were available. |
| Use in a real assignment | Replace the teaching record with a source you actually consulted, check the underlying data, and cite it in the required style. Do not cite note A as research. |
Record the revision decision
Revision log entry: “Removed ‘all students’, ‘grades’ and ‘because’ because the supplied record measures reservations only. Retained the reservation observation with attribution and added limitations. Need independent outcome evidence before discussing grades.” This entry explains a decision, rather than merely listing changed words.
If a real source contradicts the draft, update the claim instead of omitting the inconvenient evidence. If the source cannot be located, keep the claim out of the submitted argument until it can be verified. Keep only records and feedback that your institution permits you to store.
Run a second pass on the paragraph
Underline each measurable claim and identify the source and measurement supporting it. Check that your reference entry describes the source actually read. Label your own interpretation as interpretation, and retain limitations that affect the conclusion. Follow the assignment’s citation style for quotations, paraphrases and source locators.
A similarity report cannot supply the missing grade data or verify this causal argument. If your course allows draft checking, review any matches in context; a percentage does not decide whether the inference is valid. Ask your instructor when access or permitted assistance is unclear.
Reuse the worksheet with your own material
Copy four empty columns into your notes: claim, consulted evidence, supported inference, revision decision. Fill them for one paragraph before checking sentence style. The finished output should be a corrected paragraph and a short decision record, not another general writing checklist.
For an independent pre-submission review, explore the Turnin sample report and trust information before deciding whether to use the service. Turnin is an independent service; this worksheet does not claim affiliation with Turnitin or guarantee any score or institutional outcome.