Revising

Strategies for Revising

Here is a summary checklist of questions to keep in mind as you review and revise your paper.

Purpose and Audience

What is the overall purpose of your draft? Is it clearly stated in the thesis?
Where might readers think that you have drifted away from this purpose?
Does your draft fulfill all your teacher’s requirements? (Check the written assignment and the grading rubric, if these were given to you.)

Thesis and Organization

Is there an introduction that includes the thesis? Are all paragraphs tied to the thesis?
What is the purpose of each paragraph? Do paragraphs ramble, or does each have a controlling idea that will be clear to your readers?
Have you made the connections between sentences and paragraphs clear by using transitions?
Is there a memorable conclusion that relates to the thesis statement but doesn’t simply repeat it?

Support

What specific details can you add to help readers fully understand what your draft is saying?
What additional logic or evidence can you add to persuade readers to accept anything you have said that might be debatable?
Have you eliminated any details that don’t relate to the main point?

Help and Feedback

Have you incorporated the advice from your instructor about improving previous drafts of the paper?
Have you reviewed the grading rubric or criteria to make sure you have done your best to meet all the expectations of the paper?
Have you worked with peer reviewers and used their feedback to improve your draft?
Have you gotten help from a writing center tutor to strengthen your draft?