C3-b: Approaching global revision in cycles
Revising is more effective when you approach it in cycles, rather than attempting to change everything all at once. Keep in mind these four common cycles of global revision: engage the audience, sharpen the focus, improve the organization, and strengthen the content.
Engaging the audience
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Seeking and using feedback are critical steps in revising a college paper.
Guidelines for peer reviewers: C3-a
Revising with comments: C3-a
Sometimes a rough draft needs an overhaul because it is directed at no particular audience. A good question to ask yourself and your reviewers is the toughest question a reader might ask: “So what?” If your draft can’t pass the “So what?” test, you may need to rethink your entire approach.
Sharpening the focus
A clearly focused draft fixes readers’ attention on one central idea and does not stray from that idea. You can often sharpen the focus of a draft by clarifying the introduction (especially the thesis) and by deleting any text that is off the point.
Improving the organization
A draft is well organized when its major divisions are logical and easy to follow. To improve the organization of your draft, you may need to take one or more of the following actions: adding or sharpening topic sentences, moving blocks of text, and inserting headings.
Strengthening the content
In reviewing the content of a draft, first consider whether your argument is sound. Second, consider whether you should add or delete any text (sentences or paragraphs). If your purpose is to argue a point, consider how persuasively you have supported your point to an intelligent audience. If your purpose is to inform, be sure that you have presented your ideas clearly and with enough detail to meet your readers’ expectations.
Checklist for global revision
Purpose and audience
- Does the draft address a question, a problem, or an issue that readers care about?
- Is the draft appropriate for its audience? Does it account for the audience’s knowledge of and possible attitudes toward the subject?
Focus
- Is the thesis clear? Is it prominently placed?
- Does the thesis answer a reader’s “So what?” question? (See C1-c.)
- If the draft has no thesis, do you have a good reason for omitting one?
Organization and paragraphing
- Is each paragraph unified around a main point?
- Does each paragraph support and develop the thesis?
- Have you provided enough organizational cues for readers (such as topic sentences or headings)?
- Have you presented ideas in a logical order?
Content
- Is the supporting material relevant and persuasive?
- Which ideas need further development? Have you left your readers with any unanswered questions?
- Are the parts proportioned sensibly? Do major ideas receive enough attention?
- Should you delete any material? Look for redundant or irrelevant information.
Point of view
- Is the dominant point of view—first person (I or we), second person (you), or third person (he, she, it, one, or they)—appropriate for your purpose and audience? (See S4-a.)