Order Description
1-The objectives for this week are to define and apply the processes of revising, editing, and proofreading to our writing project.
The purpose for this week is to create a completed, polish draft that reflects all of the stages of the writing process.
At this point, it will be important to review the essay from several different perspectives. ?It is also an excellent time to use the campus resources we discussed during the first week for help, including the writing center. ?
2-The Three Phases of Revision :
-Global Revision
*Structural revision
*Stylistic Revision
Now that we have our rough draft, it’s important to focus on?revising. When we say ‘revising,’ what we mean is focusing our attention on big picture (or higher order) concerns:
Is your essay well organized? ?do the points follow each other in way that’s easy to understand?
Is your essay grounded in evidence? do you provide details and descriptions that support your claims?
Is your essay easy to understand? do you use language and word choice appropriate for your audience?
Revision is the most important final step you apply to a writing assignment, because if you do not address these concerns, then it will not matter how much you edit and proofread.
To help you as your revise your essay, please review this brief video tutorial on revision and refer to it at the end of the drafting process:
3- Editing Tips and Tricks
Attached Files:
?Click here to access the presentation. (1.88 MB)
Editing is the second to last phase of the writing process. ?As such, it focuses on the delivery of the ideas rather than the ‘big picture’ issues that we talked about with revision.
For a brief overview, download the attached presentation by clicking on the link above.? Use it as you work through the editing of your final essay :
A well-edited essay will demonstrate to your reader that you are careful, deliberate writer.As we draft, we are focused on moving ideas from our heads to the page. Editing gives us the opportunity to shape those ideas and control our delivery of information.
Like revising, editing depends on close, critical reading skills.
As you read closely and critically, focus on clarity and conciseness:
Clarity:being specific with word choice.
Conciseness:being efficient with word choice.
Try changing the format of your essay (font, text size, margins) to ?trick? your eye into seeing the essay as something new and unfamiliar, which in turn will help you be more objective.
To help achieve conciseness, remove ?flowery? or ?poetic? language and divide overly long sentences:
This writing adage refers to sentences that may sound impressive, but do not further your meaning or progress your argument.
Self-editing can be difficult, it?s possible if you use the effective techniques:
Ask: why do I use this word/phrase?
Use a thesaurus to locate precise terms.
Look for often-recycled words and phrases
Match your delivery with writing purpose.
It?s helpful to approach what can be a tedious process with a positive mindset:
Take on one section at a time
Use a writing manual or guide .
Find a quiet, comfortable place.
Give it (and yourself!) a rest.
Proofreading Tips and Tricks:
All proofreading techniques have one thing in common: slowing down the reading process.
As we become familiar with our essay throughout the drafting process, we tend to ?fill in the gaps? of information and read what is supposed to be on the page rather than what is.
There are several techniques that will help you slow down the reading process:
Start at the end:Begin with the conclusion and read each sentence until you get to the first sentence of the introduction.
Read out loud:Read the essay out loud to yourself or possibly to a friend, making sure not to be too quiet or too quick.
Give it a rest:Let the paper sit long enough that you can proofread it with a fresh eye on the writing
Once you have a technique in mind, you should also determine how you are going to use it:
Late at night or early in the morning?
Short blocks of time or in one sitting?
Read on the screen or on the page?
During the proofreading process, you will also want to check your citations.
You will want to review your in-text citations and reference page using the newest edition of the citation manual.
And while it is important to look for misspellings in your work, spell checking is not the same as proofreading.
When righting you?re essay, it mite be tempting to use tulles to do yore spell checking fore you, but yule bee sorry if you do since spell check doesn?t catch awl you?re mistakes.
?Before you upload your definition argument final draft make sure:
You have revised your draft using the three phases of revision
You have edited and proofread your draft, including using spelling and style checks.
