Chapter 23: Strategies for Revising and Editing

Image: proofread.club

Personally, I think revising is one of the most time consuming parts of writing a paper. However, once the revision part is done, I get to edit and proofread, which are some of my favorite things to do when writing a paper. It feels so good to look over my writing and make sure everything looks good and sounds good together, as well as fixing any grammar and spelling mistakes along the way. I would like to be a proofreader for others someday, so it was interesting to read about proofreading.

Professionally, I had never really read much about the definitions of "revising," "editing," and "proofreading." It was interesting to learn how others define these terms. Below are the definitions of the terms from pages 459 and 473:

• Revising: seeing, discovering, conceiving, or shaping again. This happens throughout the process of writing. Macro revising is the term used to describe the kind of revision in which the writer makes large changes that change the entire effect, purpose, direction, or organization of the paper.
• Editing: correcting or fixing grammar, punctuation, and other mechanics
• Proofreading: checking correctness, accuracy, spelling, and other mistakes

While these definitions do give a basic overview of what these terms mean, I would argue that editing is the checking of all technical mistakes, including spelling. I would also argue that proofreading is checking the content or deeper meaning of your writing; making sure it properly conveys the intended message, makes sense to your audience, and has the right tone, feel, and personality. 

Lastly, I had never thought about why it is necessary to revise. The authors explain different reasons why someone would need to revise and how it could be accomplished. 

One can revise for:

• Purpose and Thesis
• Audience
• Structure and Support
• Emphasis, Conciseness, and Clarity

Written by Hayley Leach