Twelve Steps to Better Revising and Editing - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 21
About This Presentation
Title:

Twelve Steps to Better Revising and Editing

Description:

... checking for typographical errors, spell check mistakes, omitted words, and ... Check style conventions. ... Then, re-read to check for final polish. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:246
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 22
Provided by: hampto
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Twelve Steps to Better Revising and Editing


1
Twelve Steps to Better Revising and Editing
  • presented by
  • Judith M. Davis, Director
  • Writing Technology Laboratory
  • 31 March 2003

2
What is revision?
  • Real revision is re-seeingreading, analyzing,
    and critiquing the paper with fresh eyes.

3
What is not revision?
  • Revision is not reading over, editing, or
    proofreading.

4
Understand how writers work
5
Fluency
6
Fluency
  • Do you understand the assignment?
  •  
  • Have you thoroughly analyzed the primary texts?
  •  
  • Do you have a clear, argumentative thesis?
  •  
  • Have you mapped out strong primary, secondary,
    and tertiary support for your thesis?

7
Form
  • means shaping the ideas to lead the reader
    through a logical progression toward acceptance
    of the thesis.

8
Form
  • Do you have an outline or organizational plan?
  • Does your draft follow that plan?
  •  
  • Can you find the thesis or main claim?
  •  
  • Can you identify the primary support or main
    reasons?

9
Form
  • Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that
    states or develops a supporting idea?
  •  
  • Are all reasons backed by sufficient evidence
    from the text?
  •  
  • Is all source material correctly cited,
    paraphrased, or quoted?

10
Form
  • Are all direct quotations smoothly introduced and
    integrated into the text of the paragraph?
  •  
  • Do any paragraphs have only material from
    sources?
  •  
  • Do any paragraphs have only unsupported ideas?

11
Form
  • Are there any l-o-n-g paragraphs that contain
    more than one focus?
  •  
  • Are there any spaghetti paragraphs that lack
    development?
  •  
  • Does the introduction engage the readers
    interest and set the stage for the argument to
    follow?

12
Form
  • Does the conclusion summarize the foregoing
    discussion and present a strong closing
    statement?
  •  
  • Is the paper correctly formatted according to
    Modern Language Association (MLA) style,
    especially the in-text citations and Works Cited
    page?

13
Correctness
  • means careful attention to both editing and
    proofreading.

14
Editing
  • is a multi-step, proactive process of seeking out
    unclear, awkward, or incorrect passages.

15
Try to edit in a minimum of three stages
  •  
  • Read ALOUD.
  • Read for trouble.
  • Read backwards, one sentence at a time.

16
Proofreading
  • is checking for typographical errors, spell check
    mistakes, omitted words, and dropped word
    endings.

17
(No Transcript)
18
Twelve steps to more effective revision
  • Without looking at the paper, try to create a
    rough outline of your draft.
  • Read through the paper, underlining the thesis
    and each paragraphs topic sentence.
  • Find the primary support for each topic sentence.

19
  • Find secondary support from the text for each
    main idea.
  • Compare your analysis of the draft to your idea
    outline prepared in step 1. Do they match? If
    not, have you deviated from your plan for a
    well-thought-out reason? Rework the draft as
    necessary to ensure clear organization.
  • Examine each paragraph. Are all ideas clearly
    and fully developed by a topic sentence, primary
    support, and secondary support?

20
  • Analyze your use of sources. Are your ideas
    controlling the paragraph? Or have your sources
    taken over? Are all sources cited correctly,
    paraphrased honestly, and integrated smoothly?
  • Consider your word choice and tone. Are all
    words used clearly and effectively? Is the tone
    appropriate to the audience, topic, and purpose
    of the paper?
  • Re-read the beginning and the end. Try writing a
    new opening paragraph. Then try writing a new
    concluding statement.

21
  • Check style conventions. Remember that spacing,
    punctuation, and abbreviation style are specified
    by MLA.
  • Edit carefully. After all organization and
    development revisions are complete, be sure to
    read aloud, read for trouble, and read backwards.
  • Proofread thoroughly. After all editing is
    complete, let the paper rest for a few hours or
    overnight. Then, re-read to check for final
    polish.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com