THE INS AND OUTS
OF
EDITING AND REVISING
Dr. Ryan Allen
Assistant Professor of English & Writing
Director, Writing Center
Briar Cliff University
ryan.allen@briarcliff.edu
712-279-5211
Why Editing and Revising? Why Now?
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Editing and revising is important because communication is a
process, whether written, spoken, played, or thought.
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Miles Davis doesn’t produce The Birth of Cool without hitting a
few bad notes in the process.
Ernest Hemingway once noted he had to revise the last page of
one of his novels 60+ times.
Lance Armstrong falls off his bike every now and again, Tony
Hawk wrecks on his skateboard.
Translation: WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES!
Editing and revising is about learning to recognize and
implement successful strategies for effective drafting at the
word, sentence, paragraph, essay, and APA/MLA/Chicago
levels.
Overview
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Editing and revising, in its simplest sense, involves:
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Revision includes the following processes:
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Cutting/Adding /Changing material
take something out
add something
rearrange the order of presenting information
substitute something by taking something out and putting
something in its place
replacing entire sections
starting over
Editing includes the following processes:
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checking for writing conventions such as punctuation, spelling,
usage, and formatting
OWL Resources
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General Proofreading Strategies
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Finding Common Errors
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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/05/
Revising for Cohesion
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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/02/
Steps for Revising your Paper
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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/04/
Reverse Outlining
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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/689/01/
Some Questions to Ask of Your Writing
 Evaluate
 Does
your Draft
the paper or project meet the assignment
requirements?
 Do you have a clear focus?
 Are your main points adequately developed?
 Is your organization effective?
 Do you consider your potential readers’ knowledge and
points of view?
 Do you represent yourself effectively?
Brief Reminders
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Rewriting Strategies
 Keep
audience in mind
 Sharpen focus wherever possible
 Adequately define terms
 Check links between paragraphs
 Consider your title, intro, and conclusion.
Resources to Examine
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Drafting tips:
 http://www.arc.sbc.edu/roughdraft.html
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Sequential strategies for drafting:
 http://www.unc.edu/~twtaylor/success.html
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Knowing the difference between editing and
revising:
 http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/revision.h
tml
Valuable Punctuation Resources
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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/566/0
1/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/566/0
2/
5 Levels of Editing & Revising
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Essay Level
Paragraph Level
Sentence Level
Word Level
Citation Level
Essay Level
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This is the most macro level of editing and revising
Look at the essay in its totality
Does it have a proper title page?
 Is there a proper heading?
 Are the page numbers formatted properly?
 Is every line double-spaced?
 Are paragraphs indented properly?
 Are the margins correct?
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Essentially, ask yourself: does this essay look like it
should?
QUESTIONS?
Paragraph Level
Introductory Paragraphs
Body Paragraphs
Concluding Paragraph
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/606/0/
Introductory Paragraph(s)
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1st Paragraph
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Grab attention
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Paradoxical or intriguing statement
Leading question
Startling fact or statistic
Statement of problem
Popular misconception
2nd paragraph
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Begin to build context
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Historical/Social/Political/Cultural Backdrop
Define key terms
Theoretical framework
Thesis statement
Preview/Forecast of main points
Body Paragraphs
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Are your paragraphs developed properly?
Do you have a topic sentence?
 Do you have a main point?
 Do you make a claim in support or opposition of that main
point?
 Do you offer any evidence to support your previous
assertion?
 Do you have a concluding sentence that ties all of the
paragraph together?
 Do you have a transition that adequately bridges what was
delivered in the previous paragraph with what will be
delivered in the next one?
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Concluding Paragraph
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Re-calibrate material from introduction
Re-enlarge context
Restate thesis and main points
Leave reader with lasting, dominant impression
QUESTIONS?
Sentence Level
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Are all of your sentences grammatically and
mechanically sound?
 Did
you capitalize the first word of the sentence?
 Did you provide the proper punctuation to end the
sentence?
 Did you avoid sentence fragments, run-ons, and comma
splices?
Word Level
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Are you using active, and not passive voice?
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Are you using 3rd person, and not 1st person point of
view?
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Ex. “The participants responded,” not “the participants have
been asked”
Ex. “The study showed that…” not “I found out that…”
Have you used clear, concise, and plain language—it’s
is all about precision.
Be specific in descriptions and explanations
 Condense information when you can
 Avoid flowery language; minimize figurative language
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Word Level (cont.)
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Do you have effective transition words throughout
essay?
For some guidance on writing effective transitions,
see:
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/01/
QUESTIONS?
Citation Level
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Is your reference page formatted properly
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ABC order
Distinctions between book, periodical, and electronic source citations
noted
Capitalization usage
Italicization usage
Are your in-text citations and reference list formatted properly,
whether in APA, MLA, or Chicago style?
Did you provide adequate signal words and lead-ins
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Good lead-ins often include:
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Author’s name
Year of publication
Signal word(s)
Title
Plagiarism Check
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Make sure that all information that is not common
knowledge is properly cited
Quotations and close paraphrases require:
 Author
 Year
of publication
 Page #
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Ex: (Allen, 2009, p.33) for APA
MLA is a bit easier (Allen 33)
Paraphrasing
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For guidance look to:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/
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A paraphrase is:
 your
own rendition of essential information and ideas
expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
 one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate
documentation) to borrow from a source.
 a more detailed restatement than a summary, which
focuses concisely on a single main idea.
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later
how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card,
write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your
paraphrase.
4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version
accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you
have borrowed exactly from the source.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you
can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into
your paper.
Paraphrasing Example
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The following example includes a short quote taken from Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., followed by examples of both unacceptable and
acceptable paraphrases:
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“It is true that the police have exercised a degree of discipline in
handling the demonstrators. In this sense they have conducted themselves
rather ‘nonviolently’ in public. But for what purpose? To preserve the evil
system of segregation.” (King, 1963).
King argues that although the police have exercised some discipline in
controlling the demonstrators, they have exerted control to preserve an
evil system, that of segregation. Unacceptable Paraphrase (borrows too
much original language)
King points out that police who showed restraint in confronting
demonstrators were still upholding segregation (King, 1963). Acceptable
Paraphrase
King, M.L. (1963), Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Retrieved October
20, 2008 from http://www.mlkonline.net/jail.html
Additional Resource for Final Revision
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Sample Final Draft:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/200902
12013008_560.pdf
Peer Review
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In the course of devoting so much time to our own
individual research projects, we often get tunnel
vision in examining our own work
Having a peer or someone whose opinion you trust
read your essay is often a great way to catch
errors or problematic elements you may have
overlooked
Peer Review Suggestions
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12.
Does the title describe the subject of the paper? Does it create interest in the subject?
Are the introductory paragraphs effective and relevant to the paper that follows?
Is the thesis stated in the beginning paragraphs of paper?
Does the writer offer support for the thesis from a variety of valid and reliable
sources?
Does the paper go into enough detail to support the thesis, and are the details relevant
to the thesis?
Do the arguments presented in the paper flow logically? Is the essay well organized?
Is the tone in the essay consistent throughout? Is the word choice varied and
appropriate throughout?
Did you have to read some parts more than once to fully understand them?
Are quotations properly introduced and integrated into the text?
Are all facts and quotations that are not common knowledge documented properly?
Is the documentation in the correct form?
Is the essay free of errors of grammar and punctuation?
QUESTIONS?
FINAL EDITING AND REVISING
SUGGESTION
READ YOUR ESSAY OUT LOUD!!
You may not be an expert in the written English
language, but we hear and speak it all the time.
Errors you can’t see in print you may catch when you
hear them read aloud.
CONCERNS?
COMPLAINTS?
CRITICISMS?
Please contact the Writing Center.
writing.center@briarcliff.edu
712-279-5520
Heelan Hall 050