Editing and Revision

What does revising mean? Revising is the process of looking at the whole paper in order to note its overall content, organization, and other major issues that make the paper an effective one. What does editing mean? Editing is when you check the paper for sentence level errors, Including grammar and punctuation.

What’s Involved in Editing and Revising? Looking at grammar and the overall content of your work. Ensuring that the final draft is appropriate for the audience and assignment (purpose). Correcting grammar and organizing sentences Organizing and improving the final draft of your essay Allows the writer to go back and make sure all of their ideas are explained in the correct context.

Steps to take when editing and revising: The steps taken in editing and revising may take some time, but will greatly benefit your quality of work in the long run. These steps will help to make sure that your work is being read how it is intended to be. These steps will make your work more presentable and better fit its purpose. There are five essential steps when editing and revising

Step one: Print out your paper After printing out your paper, go through it with a colored pen. This will allow you to find punctuation errors and misspelled words on your own, so that you are not simply relying on your spell. Making marks with your pen will make it easier for you to go back and change these issues. Try looking at ONE issue at a time, for example, circle every comma to make sure it is placed correctly and is necessary. Check each sentence to make sure it is not a run-on sentence or a sentence fragment. Check verb tense consistency, subject verb agreement, pronoun agreement, etc.

Step two: Check your sentence structure Make sure that every sentence in your paper has a subject and a verb in it. Start reading your paper out loud to yourself, and make sure there are no run-on sentences. Sometimes long sentences need to be broken up into shorter ones to make your idea more clear, and sometimes short choppy sentences can be combined to create longer, smooth sentences that avoid repetition. Check the beginning of your sentences and make sure you are not repeating yourself with “I think that…”. This step allows you delete unnecessary words to clarify your ideas and write more concisely.

Step three: Avoid too much clutter If there is too much clutter (unnecessary information) in your writing the reader will become confused and lose track of what the purpose of the work is. Get to the point of what you are trying to say. Delete wordy and unnecessary phrases and words

Step four: Make sure you are writing convincingly and compellingly Try and avoid using passive sentences in your writing. If your writing is too passive the reader will find it weak and unconvincing. Example: The television that was located in the classroom was tuned to MTV all day. Revision: The classroom television was always tuned to MTV.

Step five: Proofreading Now that you have made edits and revisions your writing will be more clear. This step is where you want to check for typos, misspelled words, and misplaced commas. This is your final pass through of your essay to catch any last things that need to be fixed.

Strategies involved in Editing and Revising. Reading aloud. Hearing your paper read aloud by someone else. Walking away from the reading and returning with fresh eyes and thoughts. Asking others to read the material and give an objective opinion. MOST important: get to know your own grammatical issues and learn to fix them yourself.

Works Cited "Editing and Proofreading." The Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012. URL: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/citation/editing-and-proofreading "Reading Aloud." The Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012. URL: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/reading-aloud "Revising Drafts." The Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012. URL: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/revising-drafts Dutwin, M.A., Phyllis & Diamond, M.A., Harriet. (2000) “Writing: The Easy Way.” Edit and Rewrite: Chapter 11 (180-191). Westfield, New Jersey. Sorenson, S. (2002) “How to Write Research Papers: Easy-to-follow, practical instruction for high school and college students.” Drafting the Paper: Chapter 6 Step 11: Revising-Polishing the Content (41-45). Arco, Thomas Learning, Inc. 3rd ed., Lawrenceville, NJ.