Revising, Proofreading, and Polishing

Revising, Proofreading, and Polishing PowerPoint as a PDF file

When to Revise

  • Revise multiple times during the process. If you notice a problem, don't just keep going. Either try to fix the problem or mark the problem area so that you can come back to it later. Take breaks between revising. Otherwise, you will just read what you expect to see.
  • Leave time to revise after you have a full draft. For essays written at home, take a day's break before revising, proofreading, and polishing.
  • If you are writing a proctored exam essay, give yourself at least 15-20 minutes to revise and proofread. Don't just write until the last minute and submit without rereading the essay.

 

How to Revise

  • Use this order: content, organization, mechanics, and style.
    Can you outline from the draft?
  • Read a hard copy before submitting. (This will not be allowed on proctored exams!)
  • Read beginning to end and end to beginning. Break up the order.
  • Ask someone else to read the draft. (This will not be allowed on proctored exams!)

    grading.png
 
Content refers to the ideas in your essay.
  • Focus: Does your essay have a main point?
  • Interest: Is your paper interesting? Would you want to read your essay? Does it offer your unique perspective, or could anybody have written your paper?
  • Details: Do you have enough specific information to fill the body paragraphs? Have you included examples, explanations, descriptions, facts, etc? Are your details relevant?

Organization refers to the arrangement of ideas and sentences.

  • Unity: Are you sticking to the main point? Do you have topic sentences and details that support the thesis?
  • Coherence: Are you using transitions?
  • Pattern of Development: Are you using chronological order or emphatic order (also called order of importance)?

organization.png

Proofreading

  • Please refer to the Grammar page for an explanation of major and minor errors. Remember that major errors result in a letter grade deduction each. Minor errors can add up to major errors depending on their number and severity.
  • Check your essay for missing and incorrectly used words. Be sure that you are using formal language rather than text writing or slang.
  • Check your basic requirements: Do you have five paragraphs? Have you met the word minimum? Are you using MLA formatting?

Style refers to the manner of expression.