Revision means to see again, so the idea of revision is to look carefully at all aspects of your paper so that you see it anew and can make significant and helpful revisions.

When to revise:
To really see a paper again, you will need to take a break between the drafting of the paper and the revising. That means you cannot expect to dash off a paper in an hour the hour before it is due and expect to have a good finished project. Instead you need to start the paper several days or even a week before it is due so you can leave yourself time between the drafting phase and the revision phase. This time allows you to really see the paper anew when you come to revise it.

How to revise:
To revise an essay, you need to focus your attention on various aspects of the essay. If you try to reorganize ideas, add details, craft a thesis, create complex sentences, and fix the spelling and comma errors all at one time, you will not do a good job of revising and you will wear your brain out doing it, as well. So follow the suggested steps to do a good job of revising your essay.
 

1. Does the writing fulfill the assignment?
1. Look back at the assignment sheet provided by the instructor or the notes provided in class. Have you done what was intended?
2. If you do not understand the assignment, ask the teacher or other students in your class for further explanation.
3. If your writing has not fulfilled the assignment, you will need to put this draft aside and do what you should have--or-- you can revise to meet the assignment.
2. Is there a recognizable thesis statement that accurately reflects what has been said in the paper?
1. Most college essays should contain a thesis statement that can be proven, is limited to what you can adequately develop in the essay, and is focused. The thesis statement should prepare the readers for the facts and details you will use in the essay to prove your limited, focused point.
1. Do have a thesis statement that is appropriate for the length of the assignment.
2. Do have a thesis statement that is supported by a rational basis.
3. Don't have a thesis statement that asks a question.
4. Don't have a thesis statement that is so obvious that few people would take issue with it.
5. Don't have a thesis statement that is confusing.
6. Don't have a thesis statement that includes a signpost or announcement.
2. One way to craft a thesis statement is to look at the paragraphs of your paper to establish what point you have made in each paragraph. Then use these statements to craft a thesis that reflects your paper.
3. Another way to craft a thesis statement is to decide what points you want to make in the paper and use these points to write the thesis. Then you can use the thesis statement to guide you in drafting the rest of the paper.
3. Is there an inviting introduction?
1. The introduction should open with a few sentences that engage the reader's attention. The paragraph should be at least 4 sentences and 50-100 words long and usually concludes with the thesis statement.
2. To engage the reader's attention you can begin with the following:
1. A startling statistic or fact
2. A vivid example
3. A description
4. A paradoxical statement
5. A quotation or bit of dialogue
6. A question
7. An analogy
8. A joke or anecdote
3. No matter how you choose to engage the reader's attention, the introduction should forecast for the reader what you will discuss in the essay, so the material used there needs to be relevant to the topic you are discussing.
4. Is the conclusion satisfying?
1. A good conclusion will echo your main idea without dully repeating it. In the conclusion you can
1. Summarize the main point
2. Pose a question for future study
3. Offer advice
4. Propose a course of action
5. Include a detail, example, or image from the introduction to wrap up the idea
2. A conclusion should not
1. Introduce a new idea
2. Offer an apology
3. Leave the reader hanging
3. Once you have looked at the larger global issues, move your attention to the paragraphs. Look at each paragraph individually and revise as needed.
5. Does the paragraph do what was promised by the thesis?
1. If you have established in the thesis statement, for example, that you will deal with three issues, have you covered each issue adequately, each in its own paragraph?
2. If you have not, reorganize the ideas or draft a new paragraph so that all issues you have announced you will deal with are, in fact, properly dealt with.
3. Or, go back and revise the thesis so that the paragraphs and thesis match.
6. Do the paragraphs begin with a topic sentence that announces what part of the larger issue will be covered in that paragraph?
1. f you have developed an idea but not made clear to the reader what idea you are going to develop in the paragraph, go back and craft a sentence that does forecast for the reader what part of the larger issue you will be addressing in this paragraph.
2. If your paragraph has a topic sentence, does the rest of the paragraph fulfill the promise of that topic sentence? Have you really proved the point you set out to prove or have you wandered off into another idea? Refocus the paragraph so that the topic sentence reflects the content of the paragraph, and vice versa.
7. Have you given adequate examples, illustrations, etc., to support the point this paragraph is trying to make?
1. Could someone who had very little information about what you are addressing understand what you are trying to say?
2. This is the time to carefully define your words, especially vague pronouns, provide vivid examples, sketch out clear illustrations, etc. so that you leave no doubt in the reader's mind as to your intentions.
3. A well developed paragraph is at least 5 sentences and 100-200 words long. If your paragraph does not meet those standards, you have probably not provided enough explanation.
8. Does the paragraph end with a summarizing sentence?
1. If a paragraph is well developed, you will need to remind your reader of the point you are trying to make. A good summarizing sentence reinforces the point you are making in the paragraph for your reader.
2. Now focus your attention on the transition sentences, words, or phrases that allow your reader to understand not only what to think about your ideas but how think about your ideas.
9. Have you provided transition sentences, words, or phrases that lead the reader from paragraph to paragraph?
1. The transition can be part of the concluding sentence. As you wrap up one idea, forecast where you will go next with your ideas.
2. The transition can be part of the topic sentence. Revisit what you have just established before stating the new topic.
3. The transitions should indicate the relationship between the ideas being developed in the two paragraphs they join.
10. Within each paragraph are there transition sentences, words or phrases that lead the reader from idea to idea?
1. Just as the transitions between paragraphs indicate the relationship between the ideas in the individual paragraphs, transitions within the paragraphs tell the reader the relationship between the sentences in the paragraph.
2. Is the new information in your paragraph an example of what you just stated? Use the phrase, "for example,"
3. Is the new information contrary to what you have just stated? Use "however," or "but".
4. Consult your transitions sheet for more transition words and phrases.
11. Finally, after you have the information in the paper well presented, check your paper for sentence level concerns.
1. Prepare an individualized proofreading sheet.
2. Look at the papers your instructor has returned. What problems has your instructor marked on your paper? Look those up in your handbook or ask your instructor for an explanation.
3. Think about the problems you have had in writing before. Look those up in your handbook or ask your instructor for an explanation.
4. On your proofreading sheet indicate how you would identify your particular problem and how you would fix that problem.
5. Add the correct spelling of any words or homonyms that might cause you trouble.
6. Cover your paper with your proofreading sheet and pull the sheet slowly down over your paper so that you reveal your writing one sentence at a time. Check the sentence for possible problems. Fix those problems you find. Then continue on slowly through the paper until you have corrected all errors you see.
12. If there are errors that you know you just won't see--even when you read your paper slowly--ask a trusted friend or a tutor to read your paper, pointing out the errors you have missed. Then fix those errors yourself.