Part 5: Reviewing, Revising, and Editing
Revision literally means to re-see or re-envision a piece of writing. This process may involve adding, rearranging, removing, and replacing (ARRR) words, sentences, and ideas. Since writing is recursive, revising may require revisiting the prewriting stage.
Adding
What else does the reader need to know? If the essay doesn’t meet the required word or page count, what areas can be expanded? Where would further explanation help key points to be more clear? This is a good time to go back to the prewriting notes and look for ideas that weren’t included in the draft.
Rearranging
Even when writers carefully plan their writing, they may need to rearrange sections for their essays to flow better.
Removing
Some ideas just don’t work or don’t contribute enough to the overall goal of the essay. Often when writers delete excess words or paragraphs, the ideas become clearer.
Replacing
Vivid details help bring writing to life. Writers need to look for strong examples and quotable passages from outside sources to support their arguments. If particular paragraphs aren’t working well, writers need to try rewriting them.
Watch the video “ARMS Revising” to see examples of how to revise an essay.
Reviewing Sample Work
Sometimes, reviewing the work of others can help us revise our own writing. Read the following sample “This I Believe” essays written by college students. Consider these questions while reading these samples:
- Does the writer clearly identify their belief in the first paragraph of the essay? Which sentence identifies the author’s belief or value?
- Do the first few sentences grab the reader’s attention? Why or why not?
- Does each body paragraph focus on a specific topic, or are there places where the author should separate paragraphs or organize ideas differently?
- Are any parts repetitive, and should these parts be removed?
- How does the conclusion restate the main idea and provide a sense of closure?
- What did you like best about the narrative? Which examples and details stood out to you?
- What could the author add, remove, or change to strengthen their work?
Revise Your “This I Believe” Essay
Now that you have reviewed two student examples, open your “This I Believe Essay.” Complete the following process to revise your writing.
- Use the questions above to revise your own assignment.
- Read your writing aloud. (You can mark any misspelled words or errors you notice while reading.)
- Read your draft multiple times, each time focusing on a specific issue. Revise your writing in steps. Begin with the main idea. Did you develop a main idea for this writing? Does your writing fully describe your idea or does it seem incomplete? Is there anything you can add as a final thought about the issue?
- Read your writing again to look at the support you included. Did you include information (or main points) to support your idea? Do you need to provide more examples?
- Read your writing again to look at the organization. Typically, writers separate their paragraphs so that they each focus on a topic; the topic could be a specific idea, time, place, or person. Are there any places where you might separate paragraphs or reorder paragraphs?
- Read your writing and focus on the purpose, audience, and tone. What is your purpose for writing (to inform, reflect, persuade/convince, or entertain)? How did you accomplish your purpose? Who is your audience (or intended readers)? Who will connect to your ideas or benefit by reading your writing?
- Read your writing to look for errors. Did you notice any errors while reading your writing (such as misspelled words, incomplete sentences, or missing punctuation)?
After following this revision process, reflect on your personal revision process and write a paragraph or two explaining the process. Which steps (above) did you find most helpful? Why? Which steps were least helpful? Why? Note any questions or concerns you have about this writing.
Then, submit your work to your instructor following the steps your instructor provides you.
Licenses and Attribution
- Content on this page was adapted from Developmental Writing authored by Elisabeth Ellington and Ronda Dorsey Neugebauer, provided by: Chadron State College. Project: Kaleidoscope Open Course Initiative, license: CC BY: Attribution
- Sample student essays from The Lion’s Pride, Volume 14 edited by Grace Marilyn Deisher, license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Video Content (linked)
- “ARMS Revising” authored by Audra Kahne. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
