Revising, editing, and reflecting

2Revising, editing, and reflecting

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR HANDBOOK

Seeking feedback and using it are critical steps in revising a college paper.

image Checklist for global revision: page 64

image Guidelines for peer reviewers: page 58

image Guidelines for using reviewers’ comments: page 59

Revising is rarely a one-step process. Global matters—thesis, purpose, organization, content, and overall strategy—generally receive attention first. Improvements in sentence structure, word choice, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics usually come later. As you ask questions about global matters, you can ask interested readers to help you see what’s working and not working in your draft. You might want to visit your school’s writing center, for instance, to review your draft with a writing tutor. Or you can enlist friends or family to be the audience for your draft. Simple questions such as “Do you understand my main idea?” and “Is my draft focused and organized?” will help you see your draft through readers’ eyes. The checklist for global revision in 2b may help you and your reviewers get started.

Section 2a provides specific strategies to help you revise, using comments from your reviewers. Section 2b provides strategies for revising for global concerns, and section 2c offers strategies for revising and editing sentences.