This document outlines the three main steps in revising and editing an academic paper: 1. Revision focuses on the structure and clarity of the argument, including checking that each paragraph clearly supports the thesis. Major revisions may be needed. 2. Editing addresses grammar, spelling, and syntax issues by reading the paper aloud and making corrections. Spellcheck alone is not sufficient. 3. Proofreading catches any remaining typos or formatting errors like citations, and should be a separate final step from editing. The goal is to produce a clear, well-structured, and error-free paper.

1. Revision,
Editing,
Proofing
K. Shimabukuro

2. Step 1- Revision
 Is your thesis/argument clear?
 Does each topic sentence of each body
paragraph make a clear statement/point
about your topic?
 Use color coding to double check this
 Make sure you haven’t buried the topic of your
body paragraph
 Look within each body paragraph and make
sure that the ideas and argument flows well
and supports the topic sentence.

3. More on Revision
 You might have to make major changes to
your paper.
 I suggest printing out your paper and making
notes on this first.
 Save each revision as a separate document
(v2, v3, etc.) so that you can revisit a previous
draft if you need to.
 Don’t be afraid to cut out portions that aren’t
supporting your argument.
 Look at organization- would this paragraph
be better earlier? Or later?

4. Revise, revise, revise
 Youwill have to revise your paper more
than once.
 Each time you make major revisions, read
the paper out loud, make notes, use color
coding.
 You need to make sure your argument is
clear and supported before you move onto
the next step.
 Be sure that your citations are still correct if
you move pieces of information around.

5. Step 2- Editing
 Once you’ve finished with the revision of your
argument, which has to do with how your
argument is structured, then you’re ready to edit.
 Editing has to do with grammar, spelling and
syntax.
 The best way to make editing corrections to the
paper is to read it out loud.
 DO NOT rely on spell and grammar check. Both
make mistakes, or “misread” items. While you
should spell and grammar check, there is no
replacement for you editing your paper.
 Again, I think a printed out copy helps with this.
 Make corrections as you read aloud.

6. Step 3- Proofreading
 Proofreading is often confused with
editing, as many people complete both
activities at the same time.
 I suggest that you keep it a separate step.
 Proofreading includes:
 Checking for typos and misspellings.
 Checking that the format of your paper is
MLA.
 This includes parenthetical citations

7. Finishing Up
 Use the resources we’ve covered in class.
 Purdue OWL
 The revision checklist
 MLA sites for parenthetical citations and
general paper formatting