The revision and editing phase transforms your rough draft into a polished, professional academic paper. Many writers find that the real magic happens during revision, where ideas are refined, arguments strengthened, and clarity improved. This stage requires a critical eye and attention to detail.
Revision means "re-seeing" your work—looking at it with fresh eyes to identify strengths and weaknesses.
Tip: Consider using a reverse outline at this stage. Create an outline from your draft by writing down the main point of each paragraph. This helps you see if your paper is organized logically and if any sections need reorganization.
Editing focuses on improving the language and presentation of your ideas at the sentence level.
Vary sentence structure and length
Example: Instead of "The utilization of methodologies that incorporate participant observation resulted in the obtainment of data that was characterized by increased validity," try "Methods incorporating participant observation yielded more valid data."
Proofreading is the final stage where you check for surface-level errors and formatting issues.
Tip: Try changing the font, size, or color of your text temporarily during proofreading. This makes the text look different, which helps you spot errors you might otherwise miss.
Getting another perspective on your writing can be invaluable for improvement.
Tip: When asking for feedback, be specific about what you want. Instead of "Can you look at my paper?" try "Can you check if my argument in paragraphs 3-5 is clear and well-supported?"
After thorough revision and editing, your paper is ready for submission! For your next writing project, return to Pre-Writing Strategies.
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