Revising
A critical part of the writing process, revision is essential to a successful paper. Ideas may be expanded or eliminated as well as reorganized to aid flow and increase clarity. Changes in ideas may lead to an adjustment of the thesis. Revision should occur several times during the process of writing a paper.
Is your thesis still relevant?
In the process of completing the first draft, ideas often change and evolve. Sometimes the true intent of the paper will not emerge until the end of the first draft, which means that the original thesis no longer matches the new direction of the essay. After you write the first draft, reread the thesis statement and the last couple of paragraphs of your draft. If they do not express the same idea, the thesis and/or conclusion need to be revised. Consult the sections/resources on writing thesis statements and conclusions.
Does your organization work?
While most essays conform to the basic format of introduction, body, and conclusion, the organization of the body paragraphs will be shaped by the development of ideas. As ideas are added, eliminated and/or expanded, the structure of the paper may need to change. If your thesis undergoes a major upheaval, you may want to create a new outline to ensure that only the relevant information is included in your paper.
Are your paragrahs unified and coherent?
Just as the entire essay should be cohesive, so must each paragraph be unified as well as supportive of the thesis. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence, which expresses the main idea, and several supporting sentences, which provide evidence and details that support the main idea. You may need to add a topic sentence to illuminate the main idea, divide paragraphs in order to focus on one idea at a time, and/or add supporting sentences to an unsupported main idea.
Do you have clear, sophisticated transitions?
The purpose of transitions is to move smoothly and logically from one idea to the next. The first sentence in a paragraph should connect the previous paragraph with the current one, establishing the connection between the two main ideas. Difficulty transitioning between paragraphs may indicate issues with ideas and/or organization, requiring paragraphs to be moved, expanded, or deleted.
Do you use clear statements instead of rhetorical questions?
Not directly answered by the writer, the purpose of a rhetorical question is to provoke an obvious answer, thereby influencing the reader. Though it can be effectively used as a rhetorical device, the rhetorical question should generally be avoided in college essays, which are meant to demonstrate the student’s mastery of a subject. The use of rhetorical questions may obscure weak, undeveloped ideas in your essay, so replace the questions with strong statements and evidence. Do not use a rhetorical question as your thesis, which must present a clear position.
Are your meanings clear?
The greatest ideas will be meaningless if they are poorly expressed. Sentences are the vehicles that convey ideas to the reader. In order to communicate your purpose in the clearest, most concise manner, each word should contribute to your meaning. The clarity of your writing may be clouded by vague words (“thing”), misplaced modifiers, excessive adverb use, passive voice, and weak verbs (“to be” verbs).
