Revision
Revision is where weak drafts become stronger. This page focuses on meaningful improvement, not just surface-level proofreading.
Revise in layers
- First, revise for ideas and argument: does the paper actually say something clear and meaningful?
- Second, revise for structure: are paragraphs ordered well and connected logically?
- Third, revise for sentence clarity, style, and correctness.
Questions to ask during revision
- Is the thesis clear, specific, and worth proving?
- Does every paragraph have a clear job in the paper?
- Does evidence get explained, or is it just dropped in?
- Does the conclusion leave the reader with something beyond repetition?
What revision is not
- Revision is not changing a few words and hoping the paper is better.
- Revision is not reading only the first sentence of each paragraph and assuming the paper flows.
- Revision is not proofreading too early while larger structure problems remain.