Global revisions can be quite dramatic. You are focused on the content and organization of your text, and you are trying to improve your argument or exposition.

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: engaging the audience, sharpening the focus, improving the organization, and strengthening the content.

Engaging the audience

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 (the thesis) 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.