revision and editing checklists

Go through each of these checklists for the essays in your portfolio.

As a general rule, the best time to revise is not immediately after you have completed a draft (although at times this will be necessary). Instead, wait a few hours--even a day or two, if possible--in order to gain some distance from your work. This way you will be less protective of your writing and better prepared to make changes.

One last bit of advice: read your work aloud when you revise. You may hear problems in your writing that you can't see.

Revision Checklist
1. Does the essay have a clear and concise main idea? Is this idea made clear to the reader early in the essay (almost always in the first paragraph)?
2. Does the essay have a specific purpose (such as to explain, entertain, evaluate, or persuade)? Have you made this purpose clear to the reader?
3. Does the opening of the essay create interest in the topic and make your audience want to read on?
4. Is there a clear plan to the essay? Does each paragraph develop logically from the previous one?
5. Is each paragraph clearly related to the main idea of the essay? Is there enough information in the essay to support the main idea?
6. Is the main point of each paragraph clear? Is each point adequately and clearly supported with specific details?
7. Are there clear transitions from one paragraph to the next? Have key words and ideas been given proper emphasis in the sentences and paragraphs?
8. Are the sentences clear and direct? Can they be understood on the first reading? Are the sentences varied in length and structure? Could any sentences be improved by combining or restructuring them?
9. Are the words in the essay clear and precise? Does the essay maintain a consistent tone?
10. Does the essay have an effective conclusion--one that emphasizes the main idea and provides a sense of completeness?


Once you have finished revising your essay, you can turn your attention to the finer details of editing your work.

After revising an essay (perhaps several times) until we are satisfied with its basic content and structure, we still need to edit our work. In other words, we need to examine our sentences to make sure that each one is clear, concise, forceful, and free of mistakes.

The following checklist can serve as a guide when editing paragraphs and essays.

1. Is each sentence clear and complete?
2. Can any short, choppy sentences be improved by combining them?
3. Can any long, awkward sentences be improved by breaking them down into shorter units and recombining them?
4. Can any wordy sentences be made more concise?
5. Can any run-on sentences be more effectively coordinated or subordinated?
6. Does each verb agree with its subject?
7. Are all verb forms correct and consistent?
8. Do pronouns refer clearly to the appropriate nouns?
9. Do all modifying words and phrases refer clearly to the words they are intended to modify?
10. Is each word in the essay appropriate and effective?
11. Is each word spelled correctly?
12. Is the punctuation correct?