Revision

Resources for Effective Revision

Revision is a major part of your work in RHE306 as you'll be revising, rewriting, and resubmitting each of your major papers. You'll cover some revision strategies in class, but we've collected some further resources for you here.

For starters, keep in mind that revision doesn't mean just fixing the commas (although proofreading is important!) or simply ticking off the items your instructor highlighted. You'll need to think critically about your work.

Revision can include a lot of different processes, depending on your own challenges and priorities. Purdue OWL offers a good overview of questions to ask yourself as you revise, while this handout from the University of Washington breaks revising down into some big categories.

It's easy to spot errors in other people's work--as you probably noticed during peer review--but editing your own work can be tougher because you're closer to it. The UWC has a great handout with a list of common problems and hints on looking for your own typical mistakes.

Writing is a process with many stages. Here's a list--and remember, you may find yourself looping back through these; for example, you might need to reoutline your paper if you have an exciting new idea, or brainstorm additional material if you get stuck partway through a draft.

If organization is a challenge for you, a reverse outline can help you figure out what belongs where in your paper.

When you feel like your paper is as awesome as you can make it, it's often helpful to get a second set of eyes on it. Consider asking a friend, roommate or peer to look over your work, or meet with a writing consultant at the UWC.