Tips for Editing and Revising

This section will present some ideas that might be useful when the time comes to revise an essay's first draft. Opinions vary from editor to editor, but some general proofreading guidelines and suggestions seem to be more common.

First, the author should try reading the written work aloud. This is one of the most reliable methods for discovering problems with one's own writing. Many times, the ears can notice problems that the eyes alone cannot. (Eggenschweiler and Biggs, 2001)

The author might wish to have a trusted friend or colleague read the essay to provide a more objective feedback. It is usually beneficial to have another perspective (or two) on the writing to make sure that everything reads well and makes sense. One might think of this as creating a very small "test audience" for the paper. (Eggenschweiler and Biggs, 2001)

The proofreader or editor should always read from a hard copy. Reading from computer screens is not recommended, as many errors can be missed using this method.



During the revision, recommended or needed changes should be clearly identified with a bright red marker, which makes a good contrast to stark black and white printed documents. Then, with these marked pages, the author should systematically go through the essay and make the changes necessary.

The editor or proofreader should go over the document several times, each time focusing on a different aspect of the writing. One pass could be to find formatting errors, the next for spelling and punctuation, another for content and consistency, and so forth.

It is sometimes helpful to use a piece of paper or straight edge ruler when checking a printed document. This way, the editor is not distracted by something else further down the page and can focus on the sentence that is immediately visible. This also helps to avoid omitting sentences or paragraphs due to fatigue.

It is also helpful to realize that everything, including the thesis, tone, approach, arguments, facts, body, and conclusion, is subject to revision at this stage. Things should not be considered fixed within the essay until the final draft is created. (Eggenschweiler and Biggs, 2001).

Finally, it wise to go over the corrected document again to correct any errors that might have gotten through the first proofread or set of edits. This way, the document can be as clean and mistake free as possible when it is presented for evaluation or for publication.