How Many Times Should You Review an Essay

Chapter 12. Peer Review and Final Revisions

12.i Revision

Learning Objectives

• Identify major areas of business organization in the draft essay during revising
• Utilize peer reviews and checklists to aid revising
• Revise your paper to amend organization and cohesion
• Determine an appropriate fashion and tone for your paper
• Revise to ensure that your tone is consistent
• Revise the beginning typhoon of your essay and produce a final draft

Revising and editing are the two tasks you lot undertake to significantly improve your essay. Both are very of import elements of the writing process. Yous may recall that a completed kickoff draft means that little improvement is needed. Still, even experienced writers need to improve their drafts and rely on peers during revising and editing. Yous may know that athletes miss catches, bollix balls, or overshoot goals. Dancers forget steps, turn too slowly, or miss beats. For both athletes and dancers, the more they practice, the stronger their operation will get. Web designers seek better images, a more than clever design, or a more appealing background for their spider web pages. Writing has the same capacity to profit from comeback and revision.

Y'all should revise and edit in stages: practice not expect to catch everything in one go. If each time you review your essay you focus on a dissimilar aspect of structure, y'all volition exist more probable to catch any mistakes or identify any issues. Throughout this chapter, you will see a number of checklists containing specific things to look for with each revision. For example, y'all will first await at how the overall newspaper and your ideas are organized.

In the second department of this chapter, you volition focus more than on editing: correcting the mechanical issues. Also at the end of the chapter, you will run into a comprehensive only more general list of things you should be looking for.

Understanding the Purpose of Revising and Editing

Revising and editing allow y'all to examine two important aspects of your writing separately, then that yous tin can give each job your undivided attention.

When you lot revise , you take a second look at your ideas. You might add, cutting, move, or change information in lodge to make your ideas clearer, more authentic, more than interesting, or more convincing.

When you edit , you accept a second look at how you expressed your ideas. You add or change words. You fix whatsoever bug in grammer, punctuation, and judgement structure. You lot improve your writing mode. Yous make your essay into a polished, mature piece of writing, the end product of your all-time efforts.

Tip

How do you get the best out of your revisions and editing? Hither are some strategies that writers have developed to look at their start drafts from a fresh perspective. Endeavour them throughout the writing process; then keep using the ones that bring results.

Have a intermission. You lot are proud of what y'all wrote, just you might be likewise shut to it to make changes. Ready bated your writing for a few hours or even a day until you can look at it objectively.

Ask someone you trust for feedback and effective criticism.

Pretend you are one of your readers. Are you satisfied or dissatisfied? Why?

For many people, the wordscritic,critical, andcriticism provoke only negative feelings that make them blush, grumble, or shout. However, as a author and a thinker, you need to learn to be critical of yourself in a positive way and have high expectations for your work. Yous also need to train your eye and trust your ability to gear up what needs fixing. To do this, you demand to teach yourself where to look.

Revising Your Paper: Organization , Cohesion , and Unity

When writing a enquiry paper, information technology is easy to become overly focused on editorial details, such as the proper format for bibliographical entries. These details practise matter. Nevertheless, earlier you lot begin to address them, it is important to spend time reviewing and revising the content of the paper.

A practiced inquiry paper is both organized and cohesive.System means that your argument flows logically from one betoken to the next.Cohesion means that the elements of your paper work together smoothly and naturally. In a cohesive research paper, data from research is seamlessly integrated with the writer'southward ideas.

Revise to Improve System

When you revise to improve organization, you lot expect at the period of ideas throughout the essay every bit a whole and within individual paragraphs. You check to see that your essay moves logically from the introduction to the trunk paragraphs to the decision, and that each section reinforces your thesis. Use Checklist 12.1 : Revise for Organization to aid you.

Checklist 12.1 : Revise for Organization

At the essay level

Does my introduction continue clearly from the opening to the thesis?

Does each trunk paragraph have a clear principal idea that relates to the thesis?

Do the primary ideas in the body paragraphs menses in a logical social club? Is each paragraph connected to the one before information technology?

Do I need to add or revise topic sentences or transitions to brand the overall flow of ideas clearer?

Does my conclusion summarize my main ideas and revisit my thesis?

At the paragraph level

Does the topic judgement clearly country the main thought?

Exercise the details in the paragraph chronicle to the main idea?

Do I demand to recast whatsoever sentences or add transitions to improve the flow of sentences?

Jorge reread his typhoon paragraph by paragraph. Every bit he read, he highlighted the primary idea of each paragraph so he could run across whether his ideas proceeded in a logical order. For the most role, the period of ideas was clear. However, he did observe that 1 paragraph did non have a clear main idea. It interrupted the flow of the writing. During revision, Jorge added a topic sentence that clearly connected the paragraph to the 1 that had preceded it. He also added transitions to better the period of ideas from sentence to sentence.

Read the following paragraphs twice, the first time without Jorge's changes, and the second fourth dimension with them.

Self – do Practice 12.ane

Follow these steps to brainstorm revising your paper's overall organization.

Print out a hard copy of your newspaper. (You will apply this for multiple cocky-practice exercises in this affiliate.)

Read your paper paragraph by paragraph. Highlight your thesis and the topic sentence of each paragraph.

Using the thesis and topic sentences as starting points, outline the ideas you presented—only as you would do if you lot were outlining a affiliate in a textbook. Do not look at the outline you created during prewriting. You may write in the margins of your draft or create a formal outline on a separate sheet of paper.

Next, reread your paper more slowly, looking for how ideas catamenia from sentence to judgement. Identify places where adding a transition or recasting a judgement would brand the ideas menstruum more logically.

Review the topics on your outline. Is there a logical menstruum of ideas? Identify any places where you may demand to reorganize ideas.

Begin to revise your paper to improve organization. Start with any major problems, such as needing to move an entire paragraph. Then go on to minor revisions, such as adding a transitional phrase or tweaking a topic sentence so information technology connects ideas more clearly.

Optional collaboration: P lease share your paper with a classmate. Repeat the half-dozen steps and accept notes on a separate piece of paper. Share and compare notes.

Tip

Writers choose transitions carefully to show the relationships betwixt ideas—for instance, to make a comparing or elaborate on a betoken with examples. Make sure your transitions adjust your purpose and avoid overusing the aforementioned ones.

Creating Coherence

Careful writers use transitions to analyze how the ideas in their sentences and paragraphs are related. These words and phrases aid the writing flow smoothly. Adding transitions is not the only manner to improve coherence, but they are oft useful and give a mature experience to your essays. Before chapters have discussed using transitions for specific purposes in the planning of your writing.Tabular array 12.ane: Mutual Transitional Words and Phrases groups many common transitions according to their purpose.

Table 12.i: Common Transitional Words and Phrases According to Purpose

Transitions That Testify Sequence or Time
afterwards	before	later
afterward	before long	meanwhile
equally soon as	finally	side by side
at first	first, second, tertiary	before long
at last	in the first place	and so
Transitions That Show Position
above	across	at the bottom
at the top	behind	below
abreast	beyond	within
almost	side by side to	opposite
to the left, to the right, to the side	nether	where
Transitions That Show a Conclusion
indeed	hence	in conclusion
in the final assay	therefore	thus
Transitions That Keep a Line of Thought
consequently	furthermore	additionally
because	besides the fact	following this idea further
in add-on	in the aforementioned way	moreover
looking further	considering…, it is articulate that
Transitions That Change a Line of Thought
but	yet	however
nevertheless	on the reverse	on the other hand
Transitions That Show Importance
above all	best	especially
in fact	more important	>most important
virtually	worst
Transitions That Introduce the Terminal Thoughts in a Paragraph or Essay
finally	last	in conclusion
near of all	least of all	last of all
All Purpose Transitions to Open up Paragraphs or to Connect Ideas Within Paragraphs
admittedly	at this point	certainly
granted	it is truthful	generally speaking
in general	in this situation	no doubt
no one denies	manifestly	of course
to be certain	undoubtedly	unquestionably
Transitions that Introduce Examples
for case	for example	such as
Transitions That Clarify the Lodge of Events or Steps
commencement, second, 3rd	generally, furthermore, finally	in the first place, besides, last
in the outset identify, furthermore, finally	in the first place, likewise, lastly

When Mariah (who y'all were introduced to in Capacity five and half-dozen) revised her essay for unity, she examined her paragraph about televisions to bank check for coherence. She looked for places where she needed to add a transition or peradventure reword the text to make the flow of ideas clear. In the version that follows, she has already deleted the sentences that were off topic.

Tip

Many writers make their revisions on a printed copy and so transfer them to the version on screen. They conventionally utilize a small arrow called a caret (^) to show where to insert an addition or correction.

Self – practice EXERCISE 12.2

Answer the following questions about Mariah's revised paragraph.

Do you agree with the transitions and other changes that Mariah fabricated to her paragraph? Which would you proceed and which were unnecessary? Explicate.

What transition words or phrases did Mariah add together to her paragraph? Why did she cull each one?

What consequence does adding boosted sentences have on the coherence of the paragraph? Explain. When you read both versions aloud, which version has a more logical flow of ideas? Explain.

Revise to Improve Cohesion

When yous revise to improve cohesion, you analyze how the parts of your paper work together. You lot await for anything that seems awkward or out of place. Revision may involve deleting unnecessary fabric or rewriting parts of the newspaper so that the out of place material fits in smoothly.

In a inquiry paper, problems with cohesion usually occur when a writer has trouble integrating source material. If facts or quotations have been awkwardly dropped into a paragraph, they distract or misfile the reader instead of working to support the writer'due south point. Overusing paraphrased and quoted material has the same result. Use Checklist 12.2 : Revise for Cohesion to review your essay for cohesion.

Checklist 12.2 : Revise for Cohesion

Does the opening of the paper conspicuously connect to the broader topic and thesis? Brand sure entertaining quotes or anecdotes serve a purpose.

Accept I included back up from research for each main point in the body of my paper?

Have I included introductory fabric before any quotations? Quotations should never stand alone in a paragraph.

Does paraphrased and quoted material clearly serve to develop my ain points?

Do I need to add to or revise parts of the paper to help the reader empathize how certain information from a source is relevant?

Are in that location whatsoever places where I have overused textile from sources?

Does my conclusion make sense based on the rest of the paper? Make certain any new questions or suggestions in the conclusion are clearly linked to earlier textile.

Every bit Jorge reread his draft, he looked to see how the unlike pieces fit together to prove his thesis. He realized that some of his supporting information needed to be integrated more carefully and decided to omit some details entirely. Read the post-obit paragraph, first without Jorge's revisions and then with them.

Jorge decided that his comment about pizza and birthday cake came across as subjective and was not necessary to make his signal, so he deleted it. He also realized that the quotation at the cease of the paragraph was awkward and ineffective. How would his readers know who Kwon was or why her stance should be taken seriously? Adding an introductory phrase helped Jorge integrate this quotation smoothly and establish the credibility of his source.

Cocky – practice EXERCISE 12.3

Follow these steps to begin revising your paper to improve cohesion.

Print out a hard copy of your paper, or work with your printout fromSelf – Practice Exercise 12.1.

Read the body paragraphs of your newspaper first. Each fourth dimension you come to a place that cites information from sources, ask yourself what purpose this information serves. Check that it helps support a point and that it is conspicuously related to the other sentences in the paragraph.

Place unnecessary information from sources that y'all tin can delete.

Identify places where y'all need to revise your writing so that readers empathize the significance of the details cited from sources.

Skim the body paragraphs in one case more than, looking for whatsoever paragraphs that seem packed with citations. Review these paragraphs carefully for cohesion.

Review your introduction and conclusion. Make sure the information presented works with ideas in the torso of the paper.

Revise the places you identified in your paper to amend cohesion.

Optional c ollaboration: P lease exchange papers with a classmate. Complete step four . On a carve up piece of paper, note any areas that would benefit from clarification. Return and compare notes.

Writing at Work

Agreement cohesion tin can likewise benefit you in the workplace, especially when you take to write and deliver a presentation. Speakers sometimes rely on cute graphics or funny quotations to hold their audition's attending. If you choose to apply these elements, brand sure they work well with the substantive content of your presentation. For example, if you lot are asked to requite a financial presentation, and the financial report shows that the company lost money, funny illustrations would not be relevant or appropriate for the presentation.

Tip

Reading your writing aloud will often assistance you lot find issues with unity and coherence. Heed for the clarity and flow of your ideas. Identify places where you lot discover yourself confused, and write a note to yourself well-nigh possible fixes.

Creating Unity

Sometimes writers become caught upward in the moment and cannot resist a good digression. Even though you might enjoy such detours when yous chat with friends, unplanned digressions commonly harm a slice of writing.

Post-obit your outline closely offers y'all a reasonable guarantee that your writing will stay on purpose and non drift away from the decision-making idea. However, when writers are rushed, are tired, or cannot discover the correct words, their writing may go less than they want it to exist. Their writing may no longer be articulate and curtailed, and they may add together information that is not needed to develop the main idea.

When a piece of writing hasunity, all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly vest and are arranged in an order that makes logical sense. When the writing hascoherence, the ideas flow smoothly. The wording clearly indicates how i idea leads to another within a paragraph and from paragraph to paragraph.

Mariah stayed close to her outline when she drafted the three body paragraphs of her essay she tentatively titled "Digital Engineering science: The Newest and the Best at What Price?" Only a contempo shopping trip for an HDTV upset her plenty that she digressed from the main topic of her third paragraph and included comments about the sales staff at the electronics store she visited. When she revised her essay, she deleted the off-topic sentences that affected the unity of the paragraph.

Read the following paragraph twice, the start time without Mariah's changes and the 2nd fourth dimension with them.

Self – exercise EXERCISE 12.4

Reply the following two questions most Mariah's paragraph:

Do you lot agree with Mariah's determination to make the deletions she made? Did she cut too much, too little, or just enough? Explain.

Is the explanation of what screen resolution means a digression? Or is it audition friendly and essential to agreement the paragraph? Explain.

Collaboration: P lease share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Now, print out another copy of your essay or use the printed version(s) you used in Self – Practise Exercises 12.1 and 12.3 . Reread it to find any statements that touch the unity of your writing. Determine how best to revise.

Tip

When you reread your writing to find revisions to make, look for each blazon of trouble in a separate sweep. Read it directly through once to locate any problems with unity. Read information technology direct through a second time to find problems with coherence. Y'all may follow this same practice during many stages of the writing process.

Writing at Work

Many companies hire copy editors and proofreaders to help them produce the cleanest possible final drafts of large writing projects. Copy editors are responsible for suggesting revisions and style changes; proofreaders bank check documents for whatsoever errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation that have crept in. Many times, these tasks are done on a freelance basis, with one freelancer working for a variety of clients.

Using a Consequent Style and Tone

In one case you are sure that the content of your paper fulfills your purpose, you can begin revising to improveway andtone. Together, your style and tone create the vocalisation of your paper, or how you lot come up across to readers. Style refers to the way you use language as a author—the sentence structures y'all use and the word choices you make. Tone is the attitude toward your subject and audience that yous convey through your word choice.

Determining an Appropriate Style and Tone

Although accustomed writing styles will vary inside different disciplines, the underlying goal is the same—to come across to your readers as a knowledgeable, authoritative guide. Writing virtually enquiry is like beingness a bout guide who walks readers through a topic. A stuffy, overly formal tour guide tin can make readers feel put off or intimidated. As well much informality or humor can make readers wonder whether the tour guide really knows what he or she is talking about. Extreme or emotionally charged linguistic communication comes across every bit unbalanced.

To help prevent existence overly formal or informal, determine an advisable style and tone at the starting time of the research process. Consider your topic and audition because these can assist dictate style and tone. For example, a newspaper on new breakthroughs in cancer research should be more than formal than a paper on ways to get a good nighttime'southward slumber.

A strong research newspaper comes across as straightforward, appropriately academic, and serious. It is mostly all-time to avoid writing in the offset person, every bit this can make your paper seem overly subjective and stance based. Use Checklist 12.3 : Revise for Style to review your newspaper for other issues that affect way and tone. You can check for consistency at the end of the writing procedure. Checking for consistency is discussed later in this section.

Checklist 12.iii : Revise for Way

My newspaper avoids excessive wordiness.

My sentences are varied in length and structure.

I have avoided using first person pronouns such every bit I and we.

I have used the agile voice whenever possible.

I accept defined specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to readers.

I take used clear, straightforward language whenever possible and avoided unnecessary jargon.

My paper states my point of view using a balanced tone—neither too indecisive nor too forceful.

Word Pick

Annotation that word choice is an specially important aspect of manner. In addition to checking the points noted on Checklist 12.3, review your paper to make sure your language is precise, conveys no unintended connotations, and is free of bias. Here are some of the points to check for:

Vague or imprecise terms

Slang

Repetition of the aforementioned phrases ("Smith states…, Jones states…") to innovate quoted and paraphrased material (For a total list of potent verbs to use with in text citations, seeChapter 9: Citations and Referencing.)

Exclusive use of masculine pronouns or awkward use ofhe or she

Utilize of language with negative connotations, such as haughty or ridiculous

Utilize of outdated or offensive terms to refer to specific ethnic, racial, or religious groups

Tip

Using plural nouns and pronouns or recasting a judgement can assist you keep your language gender neutral while fugitive clumsiness. Consider the post-obit examples.

• Gender biased : When a writer cites a source in the body of his paper, he must list it on his references page.
• Awkward : When a writer cites a source in the trunk of his or her newspaper, he or she must list it on his or her references page.
• Improved : Writers must list whatsoever sources cited in the trunk of a paper on the references page.

Keeping Your Style Consistent

As you revise your paper, brand sure your style is consequent throughout. Look for instances where a discussion, phrase, or judgement does not seem to fit with the balance of the writing. It is all-time to reread for style afterwards you take completed the other revisions so that you are not distracted past whatever larger content problems. Revising strategies you can apply include the post-obit:

Read your paper aloud. Sometimes your ears catch inconsistencies that your eyes miss.

Share your paper with another reader whom you trust to give you honest feedback. It is often hard to evaluate one'southward ain mode objectively—especially in the final phase of a challenging writing project. Another reader may exist more likely to notice instances of wordiness, confusing language, or other problems that touch on way and tone.

E dit your newspaper slowly, sentence by sentence. You may even wish to use a sail of paper to cover upwards everything on the page except the paragraph you are editing. This practice forces y'all to read slowly and carefully. Mark any areas where y'all discover issues in mode or tone, and so have time to rework those sections.

On reviewing his newspaper, Jorge plant that he had generally used an appropriately academic style and tone. However, he noticed one glaring exception—his first paragraph. He realized there were places where his overly informal writing could come across as unserious or, worse, disparaging. Revising his word choice and omitting a humorous aside helped Jorge maintain a consequent tone. Read his revisions.

Self – do Practice 12.v

Using Checklist 12.iii : Revise for Style , revise your paper line by line. You may use either of these techniques:

Print out a hard copy of your paper or piece of work with your printout fromSelf – Exercise Exercise 12.1. Read it line by line. Check for the issues noted on Checklist 12.3, every bit well as whatsoever other aspects of your writing fashion y'all have previously identified as areas for comeback. Marking whatever areas where you notice problems in style or tone, and and then take time to rework those sections.

If you prefer to work with an electronic certificate, use the carte options in your discussion processing program to enlarge the text to 150 or 200 percent of the original size. Brand sure the type is large enough that you can focus on 1 paragraph at a time. Read the paper line by line as described in step 1. Highlight any areas where you discover bug in style or tone, and so have time to rework those sections.

Optional c ollaboration: P lease substitution papers with a classmate. On a split up slice of paper, note places where the essay does not seem to flow or y'all have questions most what was written. Return the essay and compare notes.

Completing a Peer Review

After working so closely with a piece of writing, writers ofttimes need to step dorsum and ask for a more objective reader. What writers demand near is feedback from readers who tin can respond only to the words on the page. When they are ready, writers show their drafts to someone they respect and who can requite an honest response about its strengths and weaknesses.

You, also, can inquire a peer to read your typhoon when it is ready. Later evaluating the feedback and assessing what is well-nigh helpful, the reader's feedback will help you lot when y'all revise your draft. This procedure is calledpeer review.

You can work with a partner in your class and identify specific means to strengthen each other's essays. Although you may be uncomfortable sharing your writing at first, retrieve that each writer is working toward the same goal: a terminal draft that fits the audience and the purpose. Maintaining a positive mental attitude when providing feedback will put y'all and your partner at ease. The box that follows provides a useful framework for the peer review session.

Questions for Peer Review: Organization, Unity, and Coherence

Title of essay: ____________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________

Author's proper name: ____________________________________________

Peer reviewer's proper noun: _________________________________________

This essay is about____________________________________________.

Your main points in this essay are____________________________________________.

What I near liked about this essay is____________________________________________.

These three points struck me as your strongest:

Point: ____________________________________________
Why: ____________________________________________

Point: ____________________________________________
Why: ____________________________________________

Indicate: ____________________________________________
Why: ____________________________________________

These places in your essay are not clear to me:

Where: ____________________________________________
Needs comeback because__________________________________________

Where: ____________________________________________
Needs comeback considering ____________________________________________

Where: ____________________________________________

Needs improvement considering ____________________________________________

The one boosted change you could make that would improve this essay significantly is ____________________________________________.

Writing at Work

Ane of the reasons why give-and-take processing programs build in a reviewing feature is that piece of work groups have become a common feature in many businesses. Writing is often collaborative, and the members of a piece of work group and their supervisors oftentimes critique group members' piece of work and offering feedback that will lead to a better concluding product.

Self – practice EXERCISE 12.half-dozen

Exchange essays with a classmate and complete a peer review of each other's draft in progress. Think to give positive feedback and to be courteous and polite in your responses. Focus on providing i positive comment and i question for more information to the author.

Using Feedback Objectively

The purpose of peer feedback is to receive constructive criticism of your essay. Your peer reviewer is your first real audience, and you have the opportunity to learn what confuses and delights a reader so that you can improve your piece of work before sharing the final draft with a wider audition (or your intended audition).

It may not be necessary to incorporate every recommendation your peer reviewer makes. Nonetheless, if you start to observe a pattern in the responses you receive from peer reviewers, you might want to consider that feedback in time to come assignments. For example, if you read consistent comments about a need for more research, so you may desire to consider including more research in future assignments.

Using Feedback from Multiple Sources

You might become feedback from more than than i reader as you share different stages of your revised draft. In this situation, you may receive feedback from readers who practice not sympathise the assignment or who lack your involvement with and enthusiasm for it.

Y'all demand to evaluate the responses you receive according to two important criteria:

Make up one's mind if the feedback supports the purpose of the assignment.

Decide if the suggested revisions are advisable to the audience.

And so, using these standards, take or decline revision feedback.

Self – practice EXERCISE 12.7

Consider the feedback you received from the peer review and all of the revision exercises throughout this department. Compile a terminal draft of your revisions that you can use in the next section to complete your last edits.

Cardinal Takeaways

• Revising and editing are the stages of the writing process in which you lot improve your work before producing a final draft.
• Unity in writing ways that all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly belong together and are arranged in an club that makes logical sense.
• Coherence in writing ways that the writer'south diction clearly indicates how one idea leads to some other inside a paragraph and betwixt paragraphs.
• Transitional words and phrases finer make writing more coherent.
• Writing should be articulate and curtailed, with no unnecessary words.
• Effective formal writing uses specific, appropriate words and avoids slang, contractions, clichés, and overly general words.
• Peer reviews, done properly, tin can give writers objective feedback near their writing. Information technology is the writer's responsibility to evaluate the results of peer reviews and comprise only useful feedback.

12.2 Editing and Developing a Final Draft of a Inquiry Paper

Learning Objectives

• Edit your paper to ensure that language, citations, and formatting are correct

Given all the time and effort you have put into your research paper, you volition desire to make sure that your last typhoon represents your best work. This requires taking the fourth dimension to revise and edit your paper advisedly.

You may experience like you lot need a break from your paper earlier you edit it. That feeling is understandable, so you want to be sure to leave yourself enough time to complete this important stage of the writing procedure. This section presents a number of opportunities for yous to focus on different aspects of the editing process; as with revising a draft, you should approach editing in different stages.

Some of the content in this section may seem repetitive, but again, it provides y'all with a chance to double-check whatever revisions you have fabricated at a detailed level.

Editing Your Draft

If you take been incorporating each prepare of revisions as Mariah and Jorge take, you have produced multiple drafts of your writing. So far, all your changes have been content changes. Perhaps with the aid of peer feedback, you have made certain that you sufficiently supported your ideas. Yous have checked for problems with unity and coherence. You accept examined your essay for word option, revising to cutting unnecessary words and to replace weak wording with specific and appropriate wording.

The next pace after revising the content is editing. When you edit, you examine the surface features of your text. Y'all examine your spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation. Yous also make sure you utilize the proper format when creating your finished assignment.

Tip

Editing takes time. Be sure to budget time into the writing process to complete additional edits subsequently revising. Editing and proofreading your writing helps yous create a finished work that represents your best efforts. Hither are a few more tips to remember almost your readers:

Readers do not notice correct spelling, but theydo notice misspellings.

Readers look by your sentences to get to your ideas—unless the sentences are awkward, poorly constructed, and frustrating to read.

Readers notice when every sentence has the aforementioned rhythm as every other judgement, with no variety.

Readers practice non cheer when y'all usethere,their, andthey're correctly, but they find when yous practise non.

Readers will notice the care with which you handled your assignment and your attention to item in the delivery of an fault-free document.

Existence Articulate and Concise

Some writers are very methodical and painstaking when they write a beginning draft. Other writers unleash a lot of words in order to go out all that they feel they need to say. Do either of these methods match your style? Or is your composing style somewhere in between? No matter which description best fits you, the first typhoon of about every piece of writing, no thing its author, can be made clearer and more than concise.

If you have a tendency to write too much, you will need to look for unnecessary words. If you have a tendency to be vague or imprecise in your wording, you will need to find specific words to supplant any overly general language.

Identifying Wordiness

Sometimes writers use as well many words when fewer words will appeal more to their audience and better fit their purpose. Here are some mutual examples of wordiness to look for in your draft. Eliminating wordiness helps all readers, because it makes your ideas clear, direct, and straightforward.

• Sentences that begin withThere isorThere are
• Wordy . There are two major experiments that the Biology Department sponsors.
• Revised . The Biology Section sponsors two major experiments.
• Sentences with unnecessary modifiers
• Wordy . Two extremely famous and well-known consumer advocates spoke eloquently in favour of the proposed important legislation.
• Revised . Two well-known consumer advocates spoke in favour of the proposed legislation.

Sentences with deadwood phrases that add little to the meaning. Exist judicious when you apply phrases such asin terms of,with a mind to,on the field of study of,every bit to whether or not,more or less,every bit far as…is concerned, and like expressions. You can normally detect a more straightforward manner to country your point.

• Wordy . As a earth leader in the field of dark-green technology, the company plans to focus its efforts in the area of geothermal energy. A report as to whether or not to employ geysers as an energy source is in the procedure of preparation.
• Revised . As a earth leader in greenish technology, the visitor plans to focus on geothermal energy. Researchers are preparing a report about using geysers as an energy source.

Sentences in the passive voice or with forms of the verbto be : Sentences with passive voice verbs often create confusion because the subject area of the sentence does non perform an action. Sentences are clearer when the subject performs the action and is followed by a strong verb. Use strong agile voice verbs in identify of forms ofto be, which tin atomic number 82 to wordiness. Avoid passive vocalization when you can.

• Wordy . It might mayhap be said that using a GPS device is something that is a do good to drivers who take a poor sense of direction.
• Revised . Using a GPS device benefits drivers who have a poor sense of direction.

Sentences with constructions that can exist shortened

• Wordy . The e-volume reader, which is a recent invention, may become as commonplace as the cell phone. My over-60 uncle bought an e-book reader, and his married woman bought an e-book reader, also.
• Revised . The e-book reader, a recent invention, may become as commonplace every bit the cell telephone. My over-60 uncle and his wife both bought e-book readers.

Choosing Specific, Appropriate Words

Well-nigh essays at the post-secondary level should be written in formal English suitable for an bookish situation. Follow these principles to be sure that your word pick is appropriate. For more information about word option, seeAffiliate 2: Working with Words: Which Word Is Right?

Avoid slang . Find alternatives tobummer,kewl, andrad.

Avert language that is overly casual . Write about "men and women" rather than "girls and guys" unless yous are trying to create a specific issue. A formal tone calls for formal language.

Avoid contractions . Usepractice not in place ofdon't,I am in place ofI'thou,have not in place ofhaven't, and and so on. Contractions are considered casual speech.

Avoid clichés . Overused expressions such asdark-green with envy,face up the music,better late than never, and similar expressions are empty of meaning and may not appeal to your audition.

Be careful when y'all use words that sound alike just accept dissimilar meanings . Some examples areallusion/illusion; complement/compliment; council/counsel; concurrent/consecutive; founder/flounder; and historic/historical. When in dubiety, bank check a dictionary.

Cull words with the connotations you want . Choosing a discussion for its connotations is equally important in formal essay writing equally it is in all kinds of writing. Compare the positive connotations of the wordproud and the negative connotations ofarrogant andconceited.

Use specific words rather than overly full general words . Find synonyms forthing,people,nice,good,bad,interesting, and other vague words. Or use specific details to make your verbal meaning clear.

Now read the revisions Mariah made to make her third paragraph clearer and more than curtailed. She has already incorporated the changes she made to better unity and coherence.

Self – do Practice 12.8

Answer the following questions about Mariah's revised paragraph:

Read the unrevised and the revised paragraphs aloud. Explicate in your own words how changes in give-and-take choice accept affected Mariah's writing.

Exercise you lot concur with the changes that Mariah made to her paragraph? Which changes would yous go on and which were unnecessary? Explain. What other changes would you lot have made?

What effect does removing contractions and the pronoun ^you have on the tone of the paragraph? How would you characterize the tone now? Why?

Now return once more to your essay in progress. Read carefully for problems with word selection. Be sure that your draft is written in formal language and that your word option is specific and advisable.

Self – exercise Do 12.9

R eturn once again to the first draft of the essay you have been revising. Bank check information technology for unnecessary words.

Endeavour making your sentences every bit concise as they can be.

Cursory Punctuation Review

Throughout this volume, you have been presented with a number of tables containing transitional words. Table 12.ii: Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases shows many of the transition words yous accept seen organized into different categories to assistance you know how to punctuate with each one.

Table 12.two: Punctuating Transitional Words and Phrases

Joining Independent Clauses (coordination)
2 IND	Coordinating conjunctions: FANBOYS		Conjunctive adverbs and other transitional expressions
IND ; IND	IND , ____ IND		IND . _____, IND or IND ; _____, IND
	for		accordingly		after all
	and		after a while		also
	nor		anyhow		every bit a result
	but		at any charge per unit		at the aforementioned time
	or		likewise		consequently
	yet		for instance		for instance
	so		furthermore		hence
			henceforth		still
			in addition		indeed
			in fact		in other words
			in particular		instead
			in the first place		likewise
			meanwhile		moreover
			yet		nonetheless
			on the contrary		on the other hand
			otherwise		withal
			then		therefore
			thus
Forming Dependent Clauses (subordination)
IND + DEP or DEP , IND
after	although	as		as if		as though
considering	before	if		in order that		since
so that	that	though		unless		until
when	whenever	where		wherever
*which	while	who		whom		whose

* This row contains relative pronouns, which may be punctuated differently.

Joining Independent Clauses

At that place are iii means to bring together contained clauses. By using a mix of all three methods and varying your transition words, you will add complexity to your writing and improve the flow. You volition also be emphasizing to your reader which ideas you desire to connect or to show things like crusade and issue or dissimilarity. For a more detailed review of contained clauses, await back at Chapter 3: Putting Ideas into Your Ain Words and Paragraphs. Pick one By simply using a semicolon (;), you tin can make the ideas connect more than if you were to use a period. If you are trying to reinforce that connection, use a semicolon because it is not as stiff of a pause equally a catamenia and reinforces the link. Option 2 When you lot want to link 2 independent sentences and increment the period between ideas, you can add a comma and a analogous conjunction between them. With coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), yous do not use a comma every fourth dimension: yous would only do and then if what is on either side of the conjunction is a complete judgement not but a phrase. You would not put a comma if you are only giving a list of two items. For case:

Comma:Information technology is cold outside, and then I wore an extra warm coat.

No comma: It is cold outside. I wore an extra warm glaze and gloves.

The first example contains a consummate sentence (independent clause) on either side of the conjunction and so. Just the conjunction by itself or just a comma by itself is not strong enough to join two independent clauses. Nevertheless, if you put the two together with and so, you tin can link the two. In the second instance, and is but connecting two noun phrases: warm glaze and gloves. What comes after the conjunction is not a consummate sentence, and then you lot would not add a comma. To check if there is a complete, independent clause, ask yourself, "Can that part stand past itself every bit a complete sentence?" In the instance of the no comma example, gloves is what comes after the comma. That is not a complete sentence, only a noun: that ways it is office of a list and is not a consummate sentence = no comma. The point of these examples was to show you lot that you accept to be careful how you use commas and conjunctions. As easy every bit information technology would be to just always toss in a comma, doing so would confuse your reader as what is and is non office of a list and what ideas are joined. Option iii Your third pick is to bring together two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb or another transition word. These words are very useful because they clearly show your reader how you would similar your ideas to connect. If you wanted to emphasize contrasting ideas, you would utilize on the other manus or still. If you lot wanted to show crusade and effect, yous could utilize every bit a result. Refer to the tables you have seen in other chapters to make sure you lot are using the transitions you actually mean to exist using; then, check Table 12.2 to confirm how you lot should punctuate it. After your first contained clause, you lot tin can choose to either employ a period or a semicolon, again depending on how much of a link yous want to bear witness. You may also want to consider how many long sentences you lot take used prior to this. If you utilize a lot of complicated sentences, y'all should probably apply a period to allow your reader to take a intermission. You must as well remember to include a comma subsequently the transition word.

Menstruum:It is cold exterior. Therefore, I wore an extra warm coat.

Semicolon: Information technology is cold outside; therefore, I wore an actress warm coat.

Joining Dependent Clauses

If one of the clauses in a sentence is independent and can stand up on its own, but the other is not, you lot have to construct the sentence a little differently. Whenever you add a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun to an independent sentence, you create a dependent clause—i that can never stand alone. In the examples below, notice that when the contained clause comes showtime, it is strong enough to carry the dependent clause at the terminate without any helping punctuation. However, if you lot want the dependent clause beginning, you must add together a comma between information technology and the independent clause: the dependent clause is non stiff plenty to back up the independent clause afterward without a fiddling help. In the examples below, the independent clauses are double underlined and the dependent clause has a single underline.

IND get-go:I wore an extra warm glaze as it is cold exterior.

DEP kickoff: As it is common cold outside, I wore an extra warm glaze.

Tip

If you desire to starting time a sentence with Considering, yous demand to make sure in that location is a 2d half to that sentence that is independent. A Considering (dependent) clause can never stand up by itself.

At the lesser on Table 12.2, y'all tin can see a list of five dependent markers that can be used a little differently. These are relative pronouns, and when you lot apply them, y'all need to ask yourself if the information is 100 pct necessary for the reader to empathise what yous are describing. If it is optional, you can include a comma earlier the relative clause even if it comes after the contained clause.

Not – essential:Every bit it is cold outside, I wore an actress warm coat, which was bluish.

Essential: My glaze which is blue is the one I wearable when it is really cold outside.

In the non – essential example, the fact that the coat was warm was probably more important than that the coat was blue. The information that the coat is bluish probably would non brand a deviation in keeping the person warm, so the information in that relative clause is non terribly important. Adding the comma before the clause tells the reader it is extra information. In the essential example, the use of the aforementioned clause without a preceding comma shows that this information is important. The author is implying he has other coats that are not as warm and are not blue, so he is emphasizing the importance of the blue coat. These are the just five subordinators, or relative pronouns, for which you can exercise this; every other one needs to follow the previous explanation of how to use these dependent transition words. If you do decide to add together a comma with one of the relative pronouns, you need to call back critically about whether or not that description is completely essential.

Using any of these sentence joining strategies is helpful in providing sentence variety to assistance your reader stay engaged and reading attentively. Past following these punctuation rules, you volition also avert creating sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices, all of which improves your end production.

Given how much work you accept put into your research paper, you volition want to check for any errors that could distract or confuse your readers. Using the spell checking feature in your give-and-take processing plan can exist helpful, it should not replace a total, careful review of your document. Be certain to bank check for any errors that may accept come upward frequently for yous in the by. Use Checklist 12.four: Editing Your Writing to help you as you edit.

Checklist 12.iv : Editing Your Writing

Grammar

Are some sentences actually sentence fragments?

Are some sentences run-on? How can I right them?

Do some sentences demand conjunctions between independent clauses?

Does every verb concord with its subject?

Is every verb in the correct tense?

Are tense forms, peculiarly for irregular verbs, written correctly?

Take I used subject area, object, and possessive personal pronouns correctly?

Have I usedwho andwhom correctly?

Is the antecedent of every pronoun clear?

Do all personal pronouns hold with their antecedents?

Have I used the correct comparative and acme forms of adjectives and adverbs?

Is it clear which word a participial phrase modifies, or is it a dangling modifier?

Sentence Structure

Are all my sentences uncomplicated sentences, or exercise I vary my sentence structure?

Accept I chosen the best coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to join clauses?

Have I created long, overpacked sentences that should be shortened for clarity?

Do I encounter any mistakes in parallel construction?

Punctuation

Does every sentence end with the correct end punctuation?

Tin I justify the employ of every assertion point?

Accept I used apostrophes correctly to write all atypical and plural possessive forms?

Have I used quotation marks correctly?

Mechanics and Usage

Tin can I notice any spelling errors? How can I correct them?

Have I used capital letters where they are needed?

Take I written abbreviations, where allowed, correctly?

Can I discover whatever errors in the utilize of commonly confused words, such as to/too/2?

Tip

Be careful about relying as well much on spelling checkers and grammer checkers. A spelling checker cannot recognize that you lot meant to write principle but wroteprincipal instead. A grammar checker often queries constructions that are perfectly correct. The plan does not understand your meaning; it makes its cheque against a general prepare of formulas that might not utilise in each instance. If you use a grammar checker, have the suggestions that brand sense, simply consider why the suggestions came up.

Tip

Proofreading requires patience; it is very easy to read by a error. Set up your paper aside for at least a few hours, if not a day or more, then your mind volition residuum. Some professional proofreaders read a text backward and then they tin can concentrate on spelling and punctuation. Another helpful technique is to slowly read a paper aloud, paying attention to every word, letter, and punctuation marker.

If you need additional proofreading assistance, inquire a reliable friend, classmate, or peer tutor to make a final pass on your paper to await for anything you missed.

Formatting

Your finished assignment should exist properly formatted, following the style required of you lot. Formatting includes the style of the title, margin size, folio number placement, location of the writer's name, and other factors. Your teacher or department may require a specific style to be used. The requirements may be more detailed and rigid for research projects and term papers, which ofttimes observe the American Psychological Association (APA) way guide, particularly when citations of sources are included.

To ensure the format is right and follows any specific instructions, brand a final check earlier you submit an assignment.

Self- practice EXERCISE 12.10

With the help of Checklist 12.4, edit and proofread your essay.

Checking Citations and Formatting

When editing a inquiry paper, it is also important to bank check that you have cited sources properly and formatted your document co-ordinate to the specified guidelines. At that place are two reasons for this. First, citing sources correctly ensures that you lot give proper credit to other people for ideas and information that helped you in your work. Second, using right formatting establishes your paper as one student's contribution to the work developed by and for a larger bookish community. Increasingly, American Psychological Association (APA) mode guidelines are the standard for many academic fields. Use Checklist 12.5: Citations and Formatting to help.

Checklist 12.5 : Citations and Formatting

Within the body of my paper, each fact or thought taken from a source is credited to the correct source.

Each in-text citation includes the source author's name (or, where applicable, the organisation name or source title) and year of publication. I have used the correct format of in text and parenthetical citations.

Each source cited in the body of my newspaper has a corresponding entry in the references section of my paper.

My references section includes a heading and double-spaced alphabetized entries.

Each entry in my references section is indented on the second line and all subsequent lines.

Each entry in my references section includes all the necessary data for that source type, in the correct sequence and format.

My newspaper includes a title page.

My paper includes a running head.

The margins of my newspaper are set at 1 inch. Text is double spaced and fix in a standard 12-signal font.

For detailed guidelines on APA commendation and formatting, come acrossChapter nine: Citations and Referencing.

Writing at Work

Following APA citation and formatting guidelines may crave time and effort. Even so, it is good practice for learning how to follow accepted conventions in any professional person field. Many large corporations create a style transmission with guidelines for editing and formatting documents produced by that corporation. Employees follow the style transmission when creating internal documents and documents for publication.

During the procedure of revising and editing, Jorge made changes in the content and way of his paper. He also gave the newspaper a final review to bank check for overall correctness and, especially, correct APA citations and formatting. Read the concluding draft of his paper.

With the aid of Checklist 12.5, edit and proofread your essay.

Although you probably do not want to expect at your paper again earlier you lot submit information technology to your instructor, take the time to practise a concluding cheque. Since you have already worked through all of the checklists above focusing on sure aspects at 1 time, working through 1 last checklist should ostend you have written a strong, persuasive essay and that everything is the style you want it to be. As extra insurance you accept produced a potent paper, you may even want someone else to double-check your essay using C hecklist 12.6: Final Revision. Then y'all tin compare to see how your perceptions of your paper lucifer those of someone else, essentially having that person deed as the one who will be grading your paper.

Checklist 12.half dozen: Concluding Revision

Showtime Revision 1 : Organization
___	Do yous show you understand the consignment: purpose, audience, and genre?
___	Focus: Have you lot conspicuously stated your thesis (your decision-making thought) in the first paragraph?
___	Does your thesis statement take hold of the reader's attention?
___	Unity: Write your opening and closing paragraphs and place each topic judgement in betwixt. You should have a "mini essay" with several different main points supporting your thesis.
___	Are your paragraphs organized in a logical manner?
___ ___	Does each topic sentence (per paragraph) logically follow the one preceding it?
	Do y'all have several points to support your thesis?
___ ___ ___	Bank check whether your paragraphs are organized co-ordinate to a specific pattern.
	Would rearranging your paragraphs support your thesis better?
	Have yous provided a comprehensive conclusion to your essay? Does it summarize your main points (using different words)?
First Revision 2 : Paragraphs and Sentences
___ ___ ___ ___ ___   ___ ___ ___   ___   ___	Does each paragraph have main points and supporting details?
	Does each paragraph have but one main bespeak?
	Is your approach or design used to develop your paragraph'southward main point followed?
	Cheque that each sentence is relevant to the master point of the paragraph.
	Are there several sentences giving details, facts, quotes, reasons, and arguments in each paragraph?
	Is each supporting item specific, concrete, and relevant to the topic sentence?
	Does each judgement logically follow the preceding one?
	Take you used transitional words to help the reader follow your thoughts? If non, add them.
	Paragraph length: If also brusk, develop further. If too long, pause into smaller paragraphs or consolidate some sentences.
	Cheque your essay for tone and bespeak of view.
2nd Revision one : Sentences and Usage
___ ___ ___ ___	Confirm that each sentence has a subject and a verb.
	Revise fragments, splices, and run-on sentences.
	Cheque modifiers to see if they have been put in unclear places.
	Do you take a variety of sentence structures? (unproblematic and complex)
___ ___   ___ ___ ___	Browse for subject field-verb agreement in each judgement.
	Are you consistent with your verb tenses? Check to make sure there are not any disruptive or irrelevant tense changes.
	Make certain that words in lists are in parallel forms.
	Think through your pronouns; what is each 1 referring to?
	Check for disruptive "person" shifts inside paragraphs. Go on the subjects consistent.
___ ___ ___ ___   ___	Identify all verbs and change whatsoever that are passive to active.
	Use stiff verbs not weak adverbs. Say something "is" not that it "may be."
	Check for wordiness.
	Browse to brand sure you have not used the same give-and-take repeatedly in the aforementioned judgement and paragraph. Use a thesaurus.
	Look for and eliminate clichés.
2nd Revision ii : Documentation
___ ___ ___ ___	Have you documented all your references?
	Accept you used in text citations every fourth dimension they were needed? Have y'all formatted all your citations correctly?
	Is your references' section complete and correct according to the JIBC APA Way Guide.
Second Revision iii : Mechanics
___ ___	Check that all words and sentences are punctuated according to standard usage.
	Bank check for spelling and typographical errors.
Third Revision: Content
___ ___ ___ ___	Read your essay aloud. Do y'all believe what you take written?
	At this point do you develop your controlling thought in a way that makes sense?
	Have you provided enough background information? Is it relevant/necessary?
	Have you primarily used paraphrasing as opposed to straight quotations?

Y'all should at present be confident yous accept produced a stiff argument that is wonderfully constructed and that you will be able to persuade your audience that your points and betoken of view are valid.

Key Takeaways

• During revising, you lot add, cut, motility, or change information in lodge to improve content.
• During editing, y'all take a second look at the words and sentences you used to express your ideas and fix whatsoever issues in grammer, punctuation, and sentence structure.
• Remember to budget time for careful editing and proofreading. Use all bachelor resources, including editing checklists, peer editing, and your institution's writing lab, to meliorate your editing skills.
• System in a research newspaper ways that the argument proceeds logically from the introduction to the body to the decision. It flows logically from 1 indicate to the next. When revising a research newspaper, evaluate the organization of the paper equally a whole and the organization of individual paragraphs.
• In a cohesive research paper, the elements of the paper work together smoothly and naturally. When revising a research paper, evaluate its cohesion. In particular, cheque that information from research is smoothly integrated with your ideas.
• An effective enquiry newspaper uses a style and tone that are accordingly academic and serious. When revising a research newspaper, cheque that the manner and tone are consistent throughout.
• Editing a research paper involves checking for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, usage, spelling, citations, and formatting.

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Source: https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-12-peer-review-and-final-revisions/

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