To revise is to re-see, and the comments you receive from your reviewers—instructors, peers, and writing center tutors—will help you re-see your draft from your readers’ point of view. As you write for college courses, find reviewers and seek their feedback. When you ask readers for their comments, revision becomes a social experience, connecting you with the questions and concerns of readers who help you shape your work in progress.

Sometimes the comments you’ll receive are written as shorthand commands: “Be specific!” Other times you will receive questions: “What is your main point?” Such comments don’t immediately show you how to revise, but they do identify places where global and sentence-level revisions can improve your draft. Sort through the comments you receive with your purpose and audience in mind. And don’t hesitate to ask your reviewers to explain their comments if you don’t understand them.

You may also want to keep a revising and editing log, a list of the global and sentence-level concerns that come up repeatedly in your reviewers’ comments. For instance, if you frequently receive comments such as “Develop more” or “Avoid run-on sentences,” you can use these comments to help you learn specific lessons and to transfer your learning from one assignment to the next.

The following pages address common types of comments an instructor, a peer, or a tutor might offer and suggest specific strategies for revising.

The comment: Unclear thesis

The comment: Narrow your introduction

The comment: Develop more

The comment: Be specific

The comment: Consider opposing viewpoints

The comment: Summarize less, analyze more

The comment: More than one point in this paragraph

The comment: Cite your sources