Editing and revising are important steps in the writing process. Editing involves reviewing an entire paper to check its overall content, organization, and other major issues to ensure it is effective. Revising means rewriting or altering parts of the work. There are five essential steps to editing and revising: 1) print the paper and mark errors, 2) check sentence structure, 3) avoid unnecessary information, 4) write convincingly, and 5) do a final proofread. Strategies like reading aloud, walking away and returning with fresh eyes, and asking others to review the work can help strengthen the editing and revising process.

1. Editing and Revision
1
What does editing mean?
What does revising mean?
Editing is the process of looking at the whole paper in order to
note its overall content, organization, and other major issues
that make the paper an effective one.
Revising is when you rewrite or alter your work.
What’s Involved in Editing and Revising?
Looking at grammar and the overall content of your work.
Ensures that the final draft is suited appropriately for the
audience and assignment.
Helps correct grammar and organize sentences in an essay.

2. Helps organize and improve the final draft of your essay
Allows the writer to go back and make sure all of their ideas are
correctly explained in the correct context.
Steps to take when editing and revising:
The steps taken in editing and revising may take some time, but
will greatly benefit your quality of work in the long run. These
steps will help to make sure that your work is being read how it
is intended to be. These steps will make your work more
presentable and better fit its purpose.
There are five essential steps when editing and revising
Step one: Print out your paper
After printing out your paper, go through it with a colored pen.
This will allow you to find punctuation errors and misspelled
words on your own so that you are not simply relying on your
spell check, because even the computer does not always correct
these things on its own. Making marks with your pen will make
it easier for you to go back and change these issues.
Step two: Check your sentence structure
Make sure that every sentence in your paper has a subject and a
verb in it. Start reading your paper out loud to yourself, and
make sure there are no run-on sentences. Sometimes long
sentences need to be broken up into shorter ones to make your
idea more clear.
Check the beginning of your sentences and make sure you are

3. not repeating yourself with “I”, “you”, or “the”. This step
allows you to realize if you need to switch your wording or
sentence structure to better get your point across and keep a
good rhythm throughout the entire essay.
Step three: Avoid too much clutter
If there is too much clutter (unnecessary information) in your
writing the reader will become confused and lose track of what
the purpose of the work is. Get to the point of what you are
trying to say.
Step four: Make sure you are writing convincingly and
compellingly
Try and avoid using passive sentences in your writing. If your
writing is too passive the reader will find it weak and
unconvincing.
Example: The television that was located in the classroom was
tuned to MTV all day.
Revision: The classroom television was always tuned to MTV.
Step five: Proofreading
Now that you have made edits and revisions your writing will
be more clear. This step is where you want to check for typos,
misspelled words, and misplaced commas. This is your final
pass through of your essay to catch any last things that need to
be fixed.

4. Strategies involved in Editing and Revising.
Reading aloud.
Walking away from the reading and returning with fresh eyes
and thoughts.
Asking others to read the material and give an objective
opinion.
Works Cited
"Editing and Proofreading." The Writing Center at University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012.
URL: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-
demos/citation/editing-and-proofreading
"Reading Aloud." The Writing Center at University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012. URL:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-
the-paper/reading-aloud
"Revising Drafts." The Writing Center at University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. 14 March 2012. URL:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-
the-paper/revising-drafts
Dutwin, M.A., Phyllis & Diamond, M.A., Harriet. (2000)
“Writing: The Easy Way.” Edit and Rewrite: Chapter 11 (180-
191). Westfield, New Jersey.
Sorenson, S. (2002) “How to Write Research Papers: Easy-to-
follow, practical instruction for high school and college

5. students.” Drafting the Paper: Chapter 6 Step 11: Revising-
Polishing the Content (41-45). Arco, Thomas Learning, Inc. 3rd
ed., Lawrenceville, NJ.