Re-Vision literally means "to see again." An important part of preparing the final draft of your paper is to look at your paper with a new set of eyes, to see it again as if for the first time. After you've made a good, solid, rough draft, put the paper aside for a while. Then come back to the paper with new eyes--try to put yourself in the shoes of a reader who has never seen your paper before. It's a bit tricky, but if you learn to see your paper as a reader would, you'll be able to tell if the ideas you've worked so hard on are coming across in the writing. Here are some tips to help you revise:
- Don't try to revise until you've taken a break from the paper. Putting the paper aside for at least a day is best. You need some time away from the paper to come back to it with a fresh perspective. Don't try to revise when you are tired--you just won't be able to do a good job. Also, if you work on a computer, you may want to make a hard copy to help give you a new perspective on your paper.
- Try these steps to make a thorough revision.
*Get your readers and purpose clearly in mind.
*Mark what seem to be the important parts of your draft.
*Find your main points.
*Reorder your points so they most effectively support your thesis.
*Write a new draft.
- Try the sentence test to check your paper. Make a short, one-sentence summary of each paragraph. If your essay is organized carefully and logically, the sentences should flow together like one well-developed paragraph. If the paragraph doesn't flow, however, you'll need to find the problem paragraph and revise it. You may need to change a paragraph internally or perhaps reorder some paragraphs.
- Read your instructor's comments. This may seem obvious, but your instructor's comments really are there to help you improve your writing. Take the time to read them carefully. Your Writing Center tutor can help you prioritise, categorize, and better understand your instructor's comments.
- Here are some questions to help you revise.
*Does your essay satisfy the requirements of the assignment?
*Do you have an interesting lead-in?
*Is the necessary background information provided?
*Are unfamiliar terms defined?
*Is your thesis clear? Specific? Significant?
*After reading the intro, will a reader know what the paper is about?
*Do all of your supporting points relate to the thesis directly?
*Is each paragraph unified, discussing just one idea?
*When making a claim, do you provide evidence to support that claim?
*Do you analyze your evidence to show how it supports your claim?
*Are there any ideas/sentences that are off-track, that don't relate directly to your thesis?
*Do the ideas in your paper flow logically from one to the next? Would reordering them improve the flow of the paper?
*Are the transitions clear and obvious? Can the reader anticipate your next logical point?
*Look at the size of your paragraphs. Are there any that seem too long or too Short? DO you give each point equal treatment?
*Does your conclusion summarize your main points without bringing up new ideas that are not discussed in the paper?
- Remember, revision is not editing!!! Although it is absolutely necessary to present a grammatically sound paper in proper form, cosmetic changes such as spelling and punctuation are not the most effective way to change your paper substantially. Bigger changes such as structure and organization are usually needed in the revision of early drafts. You'll get "more bang for your buck" if you focus on a thorough revision first, then edit the other concerns. Keep in mind that the most important aspect of your paper is to communicate clearly and logically your ideas to your readers!
GOOD LUCK REVISING!!!
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