Chapter 8 Revising and Editing
-McCabe, Larson
Objectives and Outcomes:
· Be able to make a distinction between different types of revising and editing and develop skills required to finish the task.
· Revise and edit to make documents, presentations, and visuals more available, understandable and useable.
· Understand that revising is a global function involving difficult interrelated strategies and decisions.
· Identify and correct errors in a draft.
· Review a draft of a document that has been edited and analyzed.
Revising generally refers to the process of changing overall elements of documents.
Editing generally refers to:
1. Changing specific or local elements of documents and,
2. Managing administrative details necessary for document publication.
Chapter 8 focuses on two different levels of revision:
· Global: Redesigning and reorganizing the overall document.
· Local Revision: Revising sentences or paragraphs.
Types of Revising and editing:
· Revising: Looks at Global aspect such as content, organization, and design.
· Substantive Editing: Focuses on overall Global aspects of the document.
· Design Review: The design of the document.
· Copyediting: Focuses on Global aspects such as logic and formatting and local aspects such as language conventions and consistencies.
· Proofreading: It involves eliminating errors.
· Administrative Editing: Editing to a certain standard of a company.
Revising and Revision Process:
*When revising a paper be sure to read and reread a draft carefully and thoroughly to examine choices in content, structure, organization, coherence, logic, and design.
The 6 steps to Revising a paper:
1. Get feedback-Have an outside source read through document and ask for opinion, making sure you understand their feedback.
2. Assess Feedback-Talk about the feedback, and have the reader explain feedback.
3. Make attribution- Make sure there is a problem with the text.
4. Test Text-Finding the problem in the text.
5. Set Goal-Decide if you want to fix problem within text or if you need to change something else in the text.
6. Select Strategy-Choose a way to solve the problem in the text.
7. Revise
Revision Strategies:
-Among experience writers revision is easier and more effective if you focus on one thing at a time.
· Focus on how well the information is adapted to the audience.
· Focus on how the information is organized.
· Focus on whether or not the information is responsive to the specific situation.
· Get feedback from a peer-reviewer.
· Reading aloud will help you hear problems in the document.
Common Copyediting Problems:
· Concrete Details
· Directness
· Positive phrasing
· Elimination of several kinds of wordiness
Using Concrete Details:
Using concrete words that refer to touchable objects are easier for readers to understand abstract words.
Example: use Jean Thompson, PPI President instead of ,the abstract information, important client
Use of Direct Language:
Using plain and simple language- the language goes straight to the point.
Example: The instructor authorized the approval of the celebration.
The teacher agreed to the party.
Using Positive Phrasing:
Readers and listeners comprehend positively phrased sentences quickly and more accurately than negative phrases.
Examples: instead of using-
Not many use few
Do not accept use reject
Eliminating Wordiness
Wordiness makes your writing hard to understand. The most effective way to avoid wordiness is to avoid redundancy.
Examples: -It has come to my attention that the lights in my office have not been working…
Use: I notice the lights in my office aren’t working…
-McCabe, Larson
Objectives and Outcomes:
· Be able to make a distinction between different types of revising and editing and develop skills required to finish the task.
· Revise and edit to make documents, presentations, and visuals more available, understandable and useable.
· Understand that revising is a global function involving difficult interrelated strategies and decisions.
· Identify and correct errors in a draft.
· Review a draft of a document that has been edited and analyzed.
Revising generally refers to the process of changing overall elements of documents.
Editing generally refers to:
1. Changing specific or local elements of documents and,
2. Managing administrative details necessary for document publication.
Chapter 8 focuses on two different levels of revision:
· Global: Redesigning and reorganizing the overall document.
· Local Revision: Revising sentences or paragraphs.
Types of Revising and editing:
· Revising: Looks at Global aspect such as content, organization, and design.
· Substantive Editing: Focuses on overall Global aspects of the document.
· Design Review: The design of the document.
· Copyediting: Focuses on Global aspects such as logic and formatting and local aspects such as language conventions and consistencies.
· Proofreading: It involves eliminating errors.
· Administrative Editing: Editing to a certain standard of a company.
Revising and Revision Process:
*When revising a paper be sure to read and reread a draft carefully and thoroughly to examine choices in content, structure, organization, coherence, logic, and design.
The 6 steps to Revising a paper:
1. Get feedback-Have an outside source read through document and ask for opinion, making sure you understand their feedback.
2. Assess Feedback-Talk about the feedback, and have the reader explain feedback.
3. Make attribution- Make sure there is a problem with the text.
4. Test Text-Finding the problem in the text.
5. Set Goal-Decide if you want to fix problem within text or if you need to change something else in the text.
6. Select Strategy-Choose a way to solve the problem in the text.
7. Revise
Revision Strategies:
-Among experience writers revision is easier and more effective if you focus on one thing at a time.
· Focus on how well the information is adapted to the audience.
· Focus on how the information is organized.
· Focus on whether or not the information is responsive to the specific situation.
· Get feedback from a peer-reviewer.
· Reading aloud will help you hear problems in the document.
Common Copyediting Problems:
· Concrete Details
· Directness
· Positive phrasing
· Elimination of several kinds of wordiness
Using Concrete Details:
Using concrete words that refer to touchable objects are easier for readers to understand abstract words.
Example: use Jean Thompson, PPI President instead of ,the abstract information, important client
Use of Direct Language:
Using plain and simple language- the language goes straight to the point.
Example: The instructor authorized the approval of the celebration.
The teacher agreed to the party.
Using Positive Phrasing:
Readers and listeners comprehend positively phrased sentences quickly and more accurately than negative phrases.
Examples: instead of using-
Not many use few
Do not accept use reject
Eliminating Wordiness
Wordiness makes your writing hard to understand. The most effective way to avoid wordiness is to avoid redundancy.
Examples: -It has come to my attention that the lights in my office have not been working…
Use: I notice the lights in my office aren’t working…
22 comments:
As I said before, I rarely think about how many steps should go into revising a paper. I usually write my rough draft and come back to it a few days later to revise it and write my final draft. In the past I have been asked by classmates to look over a rough draft they were working on. I always felt uncomfortable doing this because I did not want to seem overly critical. I was reminded in this chapter that having others look over a rough draft is an important part of the revision process. Having fresh eyes look it over is a great way to gain a new perspective. There are also a lot of other great examples on how to make papers even better. Many points were review but important to keep in mind.
Chapter 8 was very well laid out and easy to follow. It was helpful to read the information about revising a paper and the 6 steps to revise a paper. When teachers have given the option of turning in a paper early to get revision before turning in a final draft I usually take advantage of it because it allows me to see the little mistakes I made and not get counted points off for it. I also think it is helpful to get many different people revise my paper because it is different view points. This chapter was very helpful with revising and editing strategies.
I like this chapter because I found it very useful, I am dyslexic and have a hard time with writing and the more revising I do the better. The main type of revising and editing I do is usually just proofreading it quick before I decided it is good enough to be printed off or drop boxed. One thing I found very useful for me is to print a paper off and proofread it then make changes and read it again off the computer screen. I liked the example this chapter gave on reading a document out loud so you can detect errors easier.
Chapter 8 explains pretty much everything people do when writing papers and such. When I'm writing a paper I know I have to constantly revise and edit and word check what I've written. Also most documents that I've had to do needed to have structure and a complete begining, middle and end. I remember back in grade school when teachers would tell us about adding concrete words and sentences to our essays. Now this chapter kinda helped me remember a few things that I forgot when writing and its good to have a refresher every now and then.
Writing is a pretty complicated process if you think about it in terms of all of the steps you take. In the past, I hardly ever took the time to revise the papers I was working on. All I really wanted to do was get done and over with. However, after awhile, the revision process became more and more important. You can’t imagine what a difference it really makes. I can totally see how in the world of technical communication, revision is so important. I like that the chapter provides some ways to revise effectively. That’s something that I can use later.
No one is perfect, revision needs to take place in the writing process. Revision is best done by another person, because sometimes the write becomes accustomed to his/her own writing style and simply misses the error in writing. When I write, I like to have at least two drafts to be sure that all of the kinks have been worked out. The chapter does say some great tips that I could use after this class and even after school. The revision process in my mind is the most important step in the writing process.
Revising papers can be one of the hardest things to do when writing a paper. You need to know what needs to be changed and how to change it. Sometimes you can change something small that might upset the overall flow of the paper. Many times it involves changing a paper when you are in a different mood, not the mood you were in when you wrote the original draft. Having good feedback to your paper is a plus. It also kind of ties back in with collaboration, by having someone explain to you what you need to improve on and fix.
After you write a paper you need to revise it. Revision is just as important as writing the rough draft, after you write the paper you need to revise it to make sure there are no mistakes and that there is no mistakes or any other nonuseful information. you also need to revise to make sure that the whole paper flows smoothly from one paragraph to the next. When revising it is also very helpful to have a couple of other people read and help revise your paper.
When I write a paper, I do not go through nearly as many steps I should to edit it. However, I have never had a seriously significant paper to turn in yet, an I usually get pretty good grades without editing it much. I do realize though that once I enter the work force, I will need to go through these steps in order to submit something that is worthwhile. I usually just write the paper, proofread it, spellcheck it, and have someone I know read it and tell me what they think. Going through different processes of revision ensures the best outcome of your document.
This chapter is very important as writer and as a student. To become a better writer one needs learn to edit and revise his or her work. This chapter gave us steps of revising a paper. Most common steps that I hear from my professors are getting feedback from an outside source and assess that feedback before revising the paper.
This chapter is very important as for me whose English is a second language. Practicing the steps of revising a paper would be helpful in my future writing.
As said before in the previous chapters editing and revising are part of writing correctly. English 101, and some high school writing used and reused revising as a means of correction. The author brings a good point up in regards to making writing simple and readable. A writer really should make his or her paper simple not adding extra wording. Stay simple and to the point, and your paper will bring greater meaning. My high school english teacher stressed this to me, and has made my writing better.
I am currently in my Media Writing class for Mass Communications majors and I never knew that there was a certain style of revising and editing for different careers. This chapter also went into explaining different types of editing; it will be helpful for the different careers we are all going into. There are different ways to revise a paper and I think the summary of chapter 8 went over the steps very well.
Revisions can be one of the most important things for a writer to do when making a document or a presentation. We have all been in classes where we have been presented something that was poorly put together. It may be other students or our own but you definitely know when something is poorly organized. If for instance a presentation is put together well you can snag the attention of the listener much better than one that is poorly constructed and the whole point of a presentation is to bring your information to the listener.
Revising is an important part in the writing process. By revising your paper, you can point out the mistakes you because when you're writing a draft you can't see the mistakes. Also, peer revising another important revising technique. A peer can easily see a mistake that you can't see. This chapter reminds of my senior year when I was writing a paper for a scholarship offered at my school. I remember the head of the scholarship committee make us revised our paper many times. One girl had her paper revised about ten times. I had my revised about five times. The average was about six to eight.
Revising and editing your paper or report is key to turning in a polished finished product. No matter how good you feel about your report when you turn it in, if you decide not to have it peer-edited or revised, there will still be ugly, glaring errors all over the paper. When you get your rough draft back from editing, don't be ashamed or discouraged if the paper is bleeding with the ink of red marking pen. It's only going to make you a better writer. Now, make the revisions and turn the report in.
This chapter does a good job following up chapter 7. It talks about the importance of revision. Everyone knows that if you are in college you need to have your papers or at least the important ones revised. When you have the opportunity to have your paper revised from a professor if you turn it in early, you definitely should take up that offer. From my experience it has turned some “C” papers into “A” papers. Also, you may have missed some mistakes and it just might take another set of eyes to see it. Maybe you just did not think of a good point and they advise you to speak about it.
Like I mention in the previous chapter, revising and editing can make the difference of making worth while reading papers and there some that are not. One of the problems that I have when writing paper is that I would repeat myself making the same point at the end when I had to revise it I would delete almost one half of my paper of things that weren’t important. The information in this chapter was very helpful because it gives me some strategies to avoid my mistakes. Dietitians have to have good writing skills because they are constantly writing research papers and even publishing them in magazines, journals, newspapers...for order to do this obviously the writing needs to be revise not only once probably twice to make sure that the document has that nice flow and clearness so when the reader reads it he/she can understand without any confusion.
Editing is great in helping what your trying to say and do come across much more clearly. I think organization is great in helping in make sense and not skip around and having somebody read it over after you think your done to edit and revise it is a great way to help you learn what mistakes you have. The six steps are great in teaching a person the way to correct what is wrong and learn from it. Like chapter before making sure, that the info relates to the audience and makes sense to each level is very important and having a variety of people might benefit you to get this across. I know later in my profession or major making sure to edit what your saying will benefit you so the client or patient will have faith and know that you have knowledge in what you are doing, otherwise they might not come back again.
I have a very bad habit of not editing my papers. Type it out and hand it in, thats usually how it works out. I hate editing other people's papers as I usually find myself trying to rewrite their paper! When I edited friends papers that were miles away from me, we had a little system that we set up where we used Word's highlighting features to highlight the changes that were made. This chapter is useful in the way it lays out different ways to edit a paper.
I really liked the way this chapter explained the reviewing and editing process and told you how to improve your writing skills in general. It feels to me that a lot of college level textbooks ignore the reviewing and editing process because they assume that the the reader should already know it. Editing has always been really hard for me on my own papers but i can look at someone else and maybe not find the grammer mistakes but i can see little things that need to be changed. When i write a paper i like to have at least 2 if not 3 other people read the paper and tell me of any changes. That way my paper is neater and cleaner but it also helps me with my writing later on.
I usually never take many steps in revising my papers. Most of the time I'm excited enough to finish the paper that I don't really want to do anything else to it. I also don't think I'm the best writer so I don't really like people reading what I have to say or how I write. The only person I usually let revise my papers is my mother because she's really good with that sort of thing. I really should start having her read some of my material before I submit it because I could really use her feedback.
I think that revisions to anything that you write up are a must. You can almost always find a sentence that you can make more understandable, or another sencence that you can describe your thought better. The best way I have found so far is by letting one of your peers read through your paper and have them point out unclear things to you so you can rewrite them. A good paper will hold onto the person reading it a lot better then a poorly written one
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