Topic: Editing and Revising Skills

Discussant: Cielito A. Salazar

July 13, 2019

I.AUTHORITY
Grace Fleming earned a Master's of Education (M.Ed) from the University of Georgia, academic adviser.
Publisher of ThoughtCo, a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content, one of the
top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company.

II.THEORIES / PRINCIPLES
It is not always easy to reconcile the publishing market's demand for single, clear reading texts with
genetic criticism's interest in the creative process, with a focus on textual multiplicity or a theory of the fluid
text (Bryant, 2002). But in their edition of Melville's Moby-Dick (2007), John Bryant and Haskell Springer
have shown that it is possible to produce a reading text that does make its readers aware of textual issues
by interrupting the text with 'revision narratives'. ...

III.CONTENT / DISCUSSION

Differences Between Editing & Revising

Editing: Correcting mistakes in writing like spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, incorrect
words, sentence fragments, and other mechanical problems. The editing process focuses on grammar.

Revising: Focusing on flow, organization, focus, fit. The revision process is targeted at making the paper
sound good and make sense. Revision starts once you have a finished first draft of your paper. As you reread
what you have written, you might notice a few places where the wording does not seem to flow quite as
well as the rest of your work. You may decide to change a few words or add a sentence or two. Work
through your arguments and make sure you have evidence to back them up. This is also the time to make
sure you have established a thesis and have kept your focus on that throughout your paper.

Helpful Tips for Revision

Give yourself time between writing the first draft and looking at it again for revision. A few hours can give
you enough time to see it with fresh eyes that are more likely to spot trouble areas.
Read your paper out loud. Sometimes speaking the words helps you get a better feel for the flow of a paper.
Do not worry about the editing yet. Get the big ideas down and leave the detailing for later.
Make sure your paper is organized in a logical way. Make your thesis statement and follow it up with
arguments, quotes, and evidence in a way that makes your purpose clear.

Editing your paper happens once you have a draft you are confident in as a whole. In this process, you are
going to look for the details that may have slipped by you during the writing process. Spelling errors are
often caught by spellcheck, but do not trust this tool to catch everything. Word usage is also a common
problem to catch in editing. Is there a word you use repetitively? Or did you write there when you meant
their? Details like this seem small on an individual basis, but as they pile up they can distract your reader.

Things to Look for When Editing

Look for spelling and capitalization errors that your editing software may have missed.
Punctuation can make a big impact on how your paper flows. It creates a rhythm that can completely make
or break a paper.
Fact-check yourself. Did you cite your quotes and sources properly?
Don’t be afraid to let a friend or colleague look at it with unfamiliar eyes. Sometimes you know your
material so well that your brain automatically fills in blanks or sees what you meant, rather than what you
said. Someone seeing the work for the first time might catch things you didn’t.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
 Revising and editing are the stages of the writing process in which you improve your work before
producing a final draft.
 During revising, you add, cut, move, or change information in order to improve content.
 During editing, you take a second look at the words and sentences you used to express your ideas
and fix any problems in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
 Unity in writing means that all the ideas in each paragraph and in the entire essay clearly belong
together and are arranged in an order that makes logical sense.
 Coherence in writing means that the writer’s wording clearly indicates how one idea leads to
another within a paragraph and between paragraphs.
 Transitional words and phrases effectively make writing more coherent.
 Writing should be clear and concise, with no unnecessary words.
  Effective formal writing uses specific, appropriate words and avoids slang, contractions, clichés, and
overly general words.
 Peer reviews, done properly, can give writers objective feedback about their writing. It is the writer’s
responsibility to evaluate the results of peer reviews and incorporate only useful feedback.
 Remember to budget time for careful editing and proofreading. Use all available resources, including
editing checklists, peer editing, and your institution’s writing lab, to improve your editing skills.

IV. ISSUES

 Too much revision means I didn’t have a good first draft

 I don’t want to lose what I have written
 I don’t have anything more to say
 Revision is going to interfere with the originality of my work
 Revision is basically about what others want to see in my work

V. Implications

Revising and editing are the two tasks you undertake to significantly improve your essay. Both are very
important elements of the writing process. You may think that a completed first draft means little
improvement is needed. However, even experienced writers need to improve their drafts and rely on peers
during revising and editing. You may know that athletes miss catches, fumble balls, or overshoot goals.
Dancers forget steps, turn too slowly, or miss beats. For both athletes and dancers, the more they practice,
the stronger their performance will become. Web designers seek better images, a more clever design, or a
more appealing background for their web pages. Writing has the same capacity to profit from improvement
and revision.

VI. Research

VII. References

Sylvan Barnet, Pat Belanca, and Marcia Stubbs. A Short Guide to College Writing (New York: Pearson
Longman, 2008)

Peter Elbow. Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998)

Diana Hacker. Rules for Writers (Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2008)

Sheila Cooper and Rosemary Patton. Writing Logically, Thinking Critically (New York: Longman, 2001)

Richard Lanham. Revising Prose (New York: Longman, 2006)

Joseph Williams and Gregory Colomb. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (New York: Longman, 2010)