Pass 1: decision and audience
Confirm what the reader must understand or decide. Every section should support that outcome without asking the reader to reconstruct the argument.
- Is the requested decision explicit?
- Does the document distinguish background, evidence, risk, and recommendation?
- Are key terms defined for this audience?
- Can a time-pressed reviewer find the central claim quickly?
Pass 2: evidence and qualification
Mark claims that sound more certain, general, or causal than the evidence allows. Keep each qualification near the claim it changes.
- Can the basis for each consequential claim be named?
- Are samples, periods, assumptions, and limitations visible?
- Does correlation remain distinct from causation?
- Are forecasts clearly separated from observed results?
Pass 3: commitments and constraints
Review promises, eligibility statements, policy language, responsibilities, dates, and thresholds against the source material. Language editing cannot replace subject-matter validation.
Pass 4: wording and flow
Only after the substantive checks should you tighten repetition, clarify references, repair transitions, and shorten sentences. Mark one problem at a time so the requested edit remains inspectable.
Pass 5: approval and handoff
Read the clean result, inspect the diff, and confirm that every accepted change solves the named problem. If the document returns to Word, open the exported DOCX and verify the tracked text changes and any layout-sensitive elements before delivery.
- No unexplained new claim
- No changed commitment or number
- No removed qualification
- No inconsistent terminology
- Tracked changes remain understandable to the next reviewer