 The first step to having a cohesive group project is to make sure each group member agrees on the main idea or argument. It's important to all agree on the main point so that one section of the project doesn't have a lot of side tangents in it. You want your paper to be like this. Not like this. So now that all of the parts of the project are drafted, it's time to come back together as a group and check your main idea. If you're with your group right now, go ahead and pause after each of these steps. If you're watching this solo, you can facilitate this activity with your group next time you need. Step one, generate ideas. Have each member of your group write down what they think the main idea, thesis, or argument of your project is. Step two, share and compare. Share what you wrote. Is there a key idea that you all wrote about? Make a note of it so that you can make sure that idea is represented in your final product. Did you all write something different? This would be the time to go back to the assignment description for guidance on the purpose of your project. Step three, check yourselves. Find where you state your main idea or argument and compare what you wrote to what your group just talked about. The main idea is usually in the introduction of your paper or in the overview of your presentation, but not always. If you can't actually find your main idea right now, that's okay. Move on to the next step to create your main idea and then figure out where to put it later. Step four, revise your main idea. Chances are the version of the main idea that you wrote at the start of the project isn't actually what you want to talk about now. Usually the first draft uses really vague language or has an unrealistic scope. You can replace the vague language or you can scrap your first draft entirely and work together to write a new version of your main idea.