A Writer

is an Editor
Fourteenth Meeting

BASIC WRITING - UNINDRA

Editing involves a proactive editor making changes and
suggestions that will improve the overall quality of your
writing, particularly in relation to language use and
expression. After editing, your language will be sharp and
consistent, your expression clear and the overall readability
of your writing enhanced. Editing also involves the
‘proofreading’ of your document, with spelling, grammar
and other language errors eliminated. Editing ensures that
your writing gives the impression that the English language
comes naturally to you, even if it does not.
EDITING
Editing is what you begin doing as
soon as you finish your first draft. You
reread your draft to see, for example,
whether the paper is well-organized,
the transitions between paragraphs
are smooth, and your evidence really
backs up your argument. You can
edit on several levels.
CONTENT
Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are
the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so,
does your paper make an argument? Is the argument
complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you
supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of
the information in your paper relevant to the assignment
and/or your overall writing goal?
OVERALL STRUCTURE
Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and
conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your
introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body
of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the
paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you
made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way
to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse
outline of the paper after you have written the first draft.
STRUCTURE WITHIN PARAGRAPHS
Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence?
Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there
any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your
paragraphs?
CLARITY
Have you defined any important terms that might be
unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence
clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your
paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and
working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in
content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each
pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to?
Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas?
Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t
part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.
STYLE
Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal,
persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine
and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman”
that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly
assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people
assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you
varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tend
to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a
lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the
fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a
vivid main verb) unnecessarily?
CITATIONS
Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you
got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format?
As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant
revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye
out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend
to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large
document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a
pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting
future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you
often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can
go through your paper and underline the key words in each
paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one
focuses on just one main idea.
PROOFREADING
Proofreading, on the other hand, has
less ambition than editing and is
therefore a cheaper service, but it still
performs a vital role. Proofreading is the
process of correcting surface errors in
writing, such as grammatical, spelling,
punctuation and other language
mistakes.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient
as you develop and practice a systematic
strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas
of your own writing that need careful attention
and knowing that you have a sound method for
finding errors will help you to focus more on
developing your ideas while you are drafting the
paper.
• Revising is an essential stage in the writing process,
rather than an "optional extra" to be done only
when you have time. It's not easy, but there are
strategies you can use that will help to make your
revising more effective.
STEP BY STEP
1. After writing your draft, leave it for a few days before
revising so you can look at it with "fresh eyes".
2. Get feedback from someone else on the general
clarity and sense of your paper.
3. Don’t try to check for everything at once. Use a
revision checklist to identify and prioritize the features
you want to concentrate on; then read through your
paper for one feature at a time. (Library, Teaching
and Learning has checklists you can use.)
STEP BY STEP
4. Build up your own personal revision checklist,
particularly for editing and proof-reading at the
sentence and word level (i.e. for identifying grammar,
spelling and punctuation errors). To create and use
your own checklist:
v Identify the errors you commonly make. Use the marker's comments on
returned essays or ask for feedback on your writing from a friend or a
Learning Advisor.
v Rank the errors so that you can concentrate on the types that are most
common for you and/or those that are most serious (a Learning Advisor
can help you decide which errors are "serious").
v Find out how to correct the errors. Talk to a Learning Advisor or use a
basic self-help grammar book to do this.
v Find out about specific strategies that you can use to find the errors in
your writing; once again, a Learning Advisor or a grammar book can
help you to do this.
STEP BY STEP
5. Once you are ready to check your paper at the sentence and
word level, use a piece of paper to mask most of the paper so
you are forced to read one line or sentence at a time.
6. Read your paper aloud, slowly.
7. When checking for spelling, point to each word with a pencil,
and start at the end of each line and work back to the
beginning.
8. Get into the habit of using a dictionary, a grammar book, or a
style guide whenever in doubt.
9. Use an editing partner when you can. When you work with a
partner, you not only end up with a more polished paper but
you also improve your editing skills for your next paper.
10.Tell yourself that sense, structure, clarity, and accuracy matter.
They do!
EDITING CHECKLIST
Try to create an editing checklist, so you can revise and edit your
own writing much easier. The following is an example.
STAGE WHAT TO DO DONE

1 Check for punctuation.

2 Check for capitalization.

3 Check for spelling.

4 Check for structures.

5 Check for comprehension.

6 Final check from the lecturer/friend.