Editing help.

This post has some guidelines for editing.

Here are the editing exercises we looked at in class. Editing exercises

Editing Exercises

Here’s a link to the handout from class today, in case you lose it.

Editing exercises

Suggestions for editing.

As an editor of your own work or someone else’s, there are a number of questions you need to ask yourself as you read. These questions will help you evaluate and improve on the written draft.

You need to edit at least twice, one for structure and argument, and once for expression. Ideally you should edit several times, looking for something specific each time.

Editing for structure

Ask these questions:

• What is the argument or thesis?
• Does the entire paper follow your thesis statement?
• Has the paper changed direction at any point?
• Is the essay as a whole presenting a consistent message?
• Is the connection between each paragraph clear?
• Are the paragraphs linked together?
• Is the essay balanced, or is any one section too long or too short?
• Are there examples and evidence to back up the ideas presented?

Improving the paragraphs

Ask these questions:

• Does each paragraph have one clear idea?
• Is there a good topic sentence?
• Are all the sentences in the paragraph relevant to the main idea?
• Are the paragraphs varied in length and complexity?
• Is the length of the paragraph appropriate for the importance of the idea?
• Is there enough information to explain each idea?

Improving the sentences

Ask these questions:

• Is there variety and interest in the sentences? Or are they all the same?
• Are the sentences in the active, rather than the passive voice?
• Are the pronouns clearly referring to a particular noun?
• Are the ideas clearly expressed without wordiness?
• Are there any words that can be cut out?
• Is the language academic, not slang?
• Are commas and semicolons used correctly?
• Are there any spelling errors?