This document provides strategies for revising essays, including editing and proofreading. Editing involves making deeper changes such as reworking arguments, organization, citations, and tone. Proofreading focuses on surface issues like spelling, grammar, and word choice. Some general revision strategies are having others read drafts, using a printed copy, focusing on one area of improvement per revision, and allowing sufficient time. Specific editing strategies involve checking topic sentences, paragraph flow, paragraph balance, and creating a reverse outline. Proofreading strategies include reading sentences individually, circling punctuation, reading backwards sentence by sentence, and using "Find."

1. Revising Your Essay

2. Editing Versus Proofreading
Editing: Deep changes
• Argument
• Organization
• Citations
• Tone
Proofreading: Surface
changes
• Spelling & typos
• Grammar
• Correct word choice

3. General
Strategies
Have someone read
your draft
U of S Writing
Centre (Murray 142)
Use a printed copy
One area of improvement per revision
Give yourself time

4. Editing
Strategies

5. Topic
Sentence
Paragraph
Add/clarify
Add/clarify topic sentences or add/modify
the transitions as needed.
From Howe Centre for Writing Excellence’s “Revision Strategies: Organization”
Read
Read those sentences one after another to
see if you can follow the essay’s flow.
Copy and
paste
Copy and paste (or underline or highlight)
the first sentence of each paragraph and
the last sentence of each paragraph.

6. Paragraph
Balance
LOOK: Are some paragraphs much longer
or shorter than others?
LONG: Is there more than one idea in the
paragraph? If so, divide into two or more
paragraphs.
SHORT: does the info belong in another
paragraph? Or if it’s an important point of
its own, how can you expand on it?
Adapted from Howe Centre for Writing Excellence’s “Revision Strategies: Organization”

7. Reverse Outline

8. Proofreading
Strategies

9. Focus on
Individual
Sentences
1. Press the return key after every
period so every line is a new
sentence.
2. Read each sentence separately,
looking for errors.
Adapted from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Centre’s “Editing and Proofreading”

10. Circle every
punctuation
mark.
From University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Centre’s “Editing and Proofreading”

11. Read backwards,
sentence by
sentence.

12. Use the Find function

14. Image Sources
• Slide 2 via EssayTigers
• Slide 7 by UNC Writing Center via YouTube
• Slide 10 via Clarity Editorial
• Slide 12 via Lifehacker Australia
• Slide 13 via Steemit