PROOFREADING, EDITING, AND REVISING
Proofreading, editing, and revising is a necessary part of the writing process, but
unfortunately, it is often overlooked. Going back through your work to correct errors,
clarify ideas, and elaborate your point is often the step that turns rough notes into a
targeted, effective, and efficient document, one that you can be proud of, but also one
that will fulfill the purpose for which you’ve written it. As you proofread, edit, and revise
your work this term, consider the following advice and information:
REVISE: When you revise your work, think about it objectively regarding
audience and purpose. You’ll add or delete pieces and modify sentences,
paragraphs, and sections based on assessing your document’s effectiveness.
Consider the following questions as you revise:
o What is the primary and secondary audience of this document?
What is the main purpose of this document? Does this document serve
other purposes as well?
o Have I used the right kind of evidence for my audience and purpose?
Have I used sufficient evidence?
o Have I appealed to my audience in an effective way? Does my audience
respond best to ethos, logos, or pathos appeals?
o Do my style and tone match the expectations of my audience and the
content of my document?
o Is my document organized and formatted effectively? Do titles, sections,
paragraphs, sentences, and graphics flow naturally and cohesively from
start to finish? Do my headings and captions accurately portray the
content they represent?
o Is my document wordy? Can I say the same thing more directly and with
fewer words?
EDIT: When you edit your work, focus on the grammatical structure of your
writing. Make sure that your words represent your ideas; make sure that your
sentences say only what you mean for them to say. Remember the old English
teacher joke, “I like cooking my family and my pets. I like cooking, my family, and
my pets. Commas save lives!” As you edit, consider the following:
o Edit for fragments, run on-sentences, and comma splices.
o Edit for semicolons.
o Edit for apostrophes.
o Edit for voice. Remember, in technical writing, you should favor the active
voice over the passive.
o Edit for subject-verb agreement.
o Edit for pronoun-antecedent agreement.
PROOFREAD: When you proofread, watch out for typos and other common
mistakes. It’s often helpful to proofread backward through the document,
keeping an eye out for anything that seems out of place. Consider the following
tips as you proofread:
Proofreading, editing, and revising is a necessary part of the writing process, but
unfortunately, it is often overlooked. Going back through your work to correct errors,
clarify ideas, and elaborate your point is often the step that turns rough notes into a
targeted, effective, and efficient document, one that you can be proud of, but also one
that will fulfill the purpose for which you’ve written it. As you proofread, edit, and revise
your work this term, consider the following advice and information:
REVISE: When you revise your work, think about it objectively regarding
audience and purpose. You’ll add or delete pieces and modify sentences,
paragraphs, and sections based on assessing your document’s effectiveness.
Consider the following questions as you revise:
o What is the primary and secondary audience of this document?
What is the main purpose of this document? Does this document serve
other purposes as well?
o Have I used the right kind of evidence for my audience and purpose?
Have I used sufficient evidence?
o Have I appealed to my audience in an effective way? Does my audience
respond best to ethos, logos, or pathos appeals?
o Do my style and tone match the expectations of my audience and the
content of my document?
o Is my document organized and formatted effectively? Do titles, sections,
paragraphs, sentences, and graphics flow naturally and cohesively from
start to finish? Do my headings and captions accurately portray the
content they represent?
o Is my document wordy? Can I say the same thing more directly and with
fewer words?
EDIT: When you edit your work, focus on the grammatical structure of your
writing. Make sure that your words represent your ideas; make sure that your
sentences say only what you mean for them to say. Remember the old English
teacher joke, “I like cooking my family and my pets. I like cooking, my family, and
my pets. Commas save lives!” As you edit, consider the following:
o Edit for fragments, run on-sentences, and comma splices.
o Edit for semicolons.
o Edit for apostrophes.
o Edit for voice. Remember, in technical writing, you should favor the active
voice over the passive.
o Edit for subject-verb agreement.
o Edit for pronoun-antecedent agreement.
PROOFREAD: When you proofread, watch out for typos and other common
mistakes. It’s often helpful to proofread backward through the document,
keeping an eye out for anything that seems out of place. Consider the following
tips as you proofread:
