Questions to Ask When Revising a Paper
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Here are some questions to help you get started on revising a paper. Under each question are some suggested revision activities to assist you in this process.
Full descriptions of the recommended activities can be found on our Revision resource page.
Questions and Corresponding Revision Strategies
Does the writing have a clear sense of purpose?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Underline Your Main Point, Memory Draft. See also: Reverse Outline, 3×5 Note Card, Cubing
Is my paper’s main idea, or thesis, clearly stated early on (within the first paragraph, ideally)?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Reverse Outline, Talk Your Paper, Underline Your Main Point
Could I organize my ideas more logically (within a paragraph or among paragraphs)?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Reverse Outline and 3×5 Note Card. See also: Memory Draft, Read Out Loud
Are the topic sentences clearly connected to my paper’s main idea and do (most) topic sentences appear at the beginning of each paragraph?
Put differently: could someone read only the first sentence of each paragraph and thereby get a good sense of what the paper is about?
Suggested Revision Strategies: 3×5 Note Card. See also: Reverse Outline, Unpacking an Idea
Do the sentences in each paragraph relate to that paragraph’s topic sentence?
Suggested Revision Strategies: 3×5 Note Card. See also: Unpacking an Idea
Is there unnecessary repetition of certain points (an indication that the paper’s organization should be tinkered with, overhauled, etc.)?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Reverse Outline, Cubing, Read Out Loud
Is there sufficient (but not excessive) use of texts, evidence, or data?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Unpacking an Idea, Cubing, Talk Your Paper, Outside Reader
Does my paper employ effective transitional words, phrases, and sentences?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Outside Reader, Read Out Loud
Are the sentences well-worded and well-constructed?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Read Out Loud
Should some sentences be combined (for the sake of clarity, to avoid choppiness, etc.)? Should others be broken into two or more sentences, so that distinct—even if also related—ideas receive proper emphasis?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Read Out Loud, Outside Reader
Is the language precise and appropriate to the writing context?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Writing Between the Lines, Read Out Loud
Is the style authentic and engaging?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Talk Your Paper, Read Out Loud
Have I rewritten the introduction in order to remove sentences that are not essential to the set-up of my argument?
We strongly suggest removing, for instance, any “since the dawn of time” statements and others of its type that do not help to introduce your topic.
Suggested Revision Strategies: Talk Your Paper, Underline Your Main Point, Memory Draft
Have I addressed all of the questions (or parts of questions) in the assignment?
Suggested Revision Strategies: Return to the Prompt
Last revised: 07/2008| Adapted for web delivery: 05/2021
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