Purdue University North Central Writing Center Handout

Rewriting

            Since there are many different kinds of errors to look for while editing, it is a good idea to read the paper thoroughly several times, focusing on a different aspect each time.  Below are suggestions for editing your paper.

First Reading--

Global Revision

·        Have you done what the assignment asked, i.e. analyze, compare and contrast, explicate, etc.?

·        Is your thesis clearly stated?

·        Does your opening paragraph spark interest in the topic?

·        Is there a logical progression of ideas?

·        Does each paragraph have a main idea?

·        Should one paragraph be divided into two, or do two paragraphs need to be combined?

·        Are any paragraphs unrelated to the topic?

·        Does your concluding paragraph summarize the paper?

Second Reading--

Focus on Sentences and Language

·        Is there continuity between sentences?

·        Is every sentence a complete sentence with a subject and verb?

·        Is there enough variety in sentence structure?

·        Are sentences in the active voice?

·        Is each sentence to the point?  Have you avoided wordiness?

·        Have you eliminated clichés?

·        Are there original phrases?

·        Are words repeated too often?

Third Reading--

Focus on Mechanics

·        Have you used proper punctuation, i.e. commas, semicolons, etc.?

·        Have you spell-checked the paper?

·        Have you used the correct homonym/s?

Adopted from The Newsweek Language Arts Program