When you have considered your reviewers’ responses and your own analysis, you can turn to revising and editing. See the box below and sections 10d and 11a for more information.
Guidelines for Revising a Research Project
AT A GLANCE
Take responses into account. Look at specific problems that reviewers think you need to solve or strengths you might capitalize on. For example, if they showed great interest in one point but no interest in another, consider expanding the first and deleting the second.
Reconsider your original purpose, audience, and stance. Have you achieved your purpose? If not, consider how you can. How well have you appealed to your readers? Make sure you satisfy any special concerns of your reviewers. If your rhetorical stance toward your topic has changed, does your draft need to change, too?
Assess your research. Think about whether you have investigated the topic thoroughly and consulted materials with more than one point of view. Have you left out any important sources? Are the sources you use reliable and appropriate for your topic? Have you synthesized your research findings and drawn warranted conclusions?
Assess your use of visuals and media, making sure that each one supports your argument, is clearly labeled, and is cited appropriately.
Gather additional material. If you need to strengthen any points, first check your notes to see whether you already have the necessary information. In some instances, you may need to do more research.
Decide what changes you need to make. List everything you must do to perfect your draft. With your deadline in mind, plan your revision.
Rewrite your draft. Many writers prefer to revise first on paper rather than on a computer. However you revise, be sure to save copies of each draft. Begin with the major changes, such as adding content or reorganizing. Then turn to sentence-level problems and word choice. Can you sharpen the work’s dominant impression?
Reevaluate the title, introduction, and conclusion. Is your title specific and engaging? Does the introduction capture readers’ attention and indicate what the work discusses? Does your conclusion help readers see the significance of your argument?
Check your documentation. Make sure you’ve included a citation in your text for every quotation, paraphrase, summary, visual, and media file you incorporated, following your documentation style consistently.
Edit your draft. Check grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics. Consider the advice of computer spell checkers (23e) and grammar checkers carefully before accepting it.