Revise and Refine Tips

Take a deep breath! You Got This! You’ve made it to the revision stage which means you're almost done. Before we get started, we’ll give you a brief overview of the difference between revision, editing, and proofreading.

• Revision: Larger-scale changes to your paper. At this stage, larger-scale changes like organization and clarity are easiest to make. It’s a time to move paragraphs around, rewrite sentences, and otherwise change the overall form of your essay. 

• Editing: Working with specific word choice and format decisions..

• Proofreading: Your final check, looking for typos and other small fixes before sending the essay into the world.

This can sound like a lot to do, but remember, you can come to the Writing Center at any point in your process. If you’re feeling stuck, but want to keep making changes, come see us in person or online and we can talk about your paper.

Here are some tips for planning revisions after creating your rough draft: 

• Read the rubric/assignment requirements, having the requirements in mind before you start revision will help you notice if you’ve missed any important steps.

• Create a revision plan that works for you and take it, step by step. This can look like reading from the bottom up, reading each paragraph, or making comments on sentences individually.

• Read aloud, this step will help you hear how your paper sounds. Your ears are better at hearing mistakes than your eyes are at seeing them.

  • You can come into the Writing Center if you’d like someone to read you your paper and talk you through revision.

  • There are also apps to assist with this step such as the Verbalize function on Google Drive, Speechify, and Natural Reader.

• Check for consistent grammar choice, and that your sentences are serving their purpose, verbs support each other, and the active voice is clear. This step can be made easier using apps like Grammarly, or the spell check and grammar functions on Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

• Have a friend, classmate, teacher, tutor, or writing specialist also review your writing. Phone a friend! Two heads are better than one and you get the perspective of the reader. 

• A tired mind is not the most productive if your eyes are getting heavy, your thoughts are running together, and you find yourself stuck, take a break and walk away. Give yourself a reward for all the work you’ve put in!

• Do a proofread of your paper, this step can be repeated as many times as you like.

  • Sometimes changing the font for proofreading can make your work seem newer while you're reading it

• Submit and reward yourself!