Revising and Editing
What should I focus on as I revise my document?
Consider my writing situation.
Will my readers trust what I have to say? Have I established credibility?
Will my readers have other ideas about how to address this issue? How can I convince them?
Will my readers find my evidence appropriate and accurate? Is my selection of evidence consistent with their values and beliefs?
Consider my argument and ideas. Consider how well I am conveying my ideas. Check clarity of thesis statement. Determine whether my argument helps readers understand my thesis.
Consider my use and integration of sources. Review the amount of support I have provided for my points. Determine whether I have identified and addressed reasonable opposing viewpoints. Integrate sources effectively, and cite and distinguish all sources.
Consider the structure and organization of my document. Readers should be able to locate information easily. Ideas should be clearly expressed and the document should be easy to read. Effective paragraph structure is important too.
Consider genre and design. Ask whether the choices I have made about content and style are consistent with readers expectations for this type of document.
What strategies should I use to revise?
Save multiple drafts. Have multiple drafts saved before and after revisions in case I don't like the revisions I have made after all.
Highlight my main point, reasons, and evidence. Identify and examine each element in my draft, both individually and as a group of related points to decide which should be emphasized.
Challenge my assumptions.
Put myself in the place of my readers
Play devil's advocate
Play the "so what?" game.
Scan, outline, and map my document.
Scan headings and subheadings
Scan the first sentence of each paragraph
Ask for feedback. Friends, relatives, and colleagues can give frank and supportive advice and see things I may have grown blind to.
What should I focus on as I edit my document?
Focus on accuracy
Check my facts and figures
Check every quotation
Check the spelling of every name
Focus on economy. Reduce the number of words needed to express an idea or convey information to my readers.
Focus on consistency.
Treat concepts consistently
Use numbers consistently
Treat my sources consistently
Format my documents consistently
Focus on style. Choose the right words, use active and passive voice effectively, adopt a consistent point of view, rewrite complex sentences, vary sentence length and structure, provide transitions, and avoid using sexist language.
Focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
What strategies should I use to edit?
Read carefully.
Set my document aside before I edit it.
Pause between sentences for a quick check
Read aloud
Read in reverse order
Mark and search my document. Use a highlighter or pen to mark errors or information to be double checked.
Use spelling, grammar, and style tools with caution. Use with an awareness of their limitations, these cannot identify words spelled correctly but misused. They are also ineffective when they come across a word they do not recognize.
Ask for feedback. I am likely to overlook things after I have made final edits I should have someone proofread my paper.
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