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Department of English
Level: Master 1 Lit & Civ(LMD)
Module: MoR
Academic Year: 2023-2024
Teacher : Dr. Dib Fatima Zohra

e-mail : dibmaram4@gmail.com
Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting the Rough Draft
The key to having a polished, complete research paper is to revise with logic and clarity.
Conducting a Global Revision
Revision can turn a passable paper into an excellent one and change an excellent one into a
radiant one. First, revise the whole manuscript by performing the tasks in the checklist shown
below.
Revising the Introduction
Examine your opening for the presence of several items:
• Your thesis
• A clear sense of direction or plan of development
• A sense of involvement that invites the reader into your investigation of a problem.
Revising the Body
Use the following bulleted list as a guide for revising each individual paragraph of the body of
your paper.
• Cut out wordiness and irrelevant thoughts, even to the point of deleting entire sentences that
contribute nothing to the dynamics of the paper.
• Combine short paragraphs with others or build one of greater substance.
• Revise long, difficult paragraphs by dividing them or by using transitions effectively (see
“Writing with Unity and Coherence,” page 183).
• For paragraphs that seem short, shallow, or weak, add more commentary and more evidence,
especially quotations from the primary source or critical citations from secondary sources.
• Add your own input to paragraphs that rely too heavily on the source materials.
• Examine your paragraphs for transitions that move the reader effectively from one
paragraph to the next.
Revising the Conclusion
Examine the conclusion to see that it meets these criteria:
• It is drawn from the evidence.
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• It is developed logically from the introduction and the body.

• It expresses your position on the issues.
Checklist : Global Revision
1. Skim through the paper to check its unity. Does the paper maintain a central proposition
from paragraph to paragraph?
2. Transplant paragraphs, moving them to more relevant and effective positions.
3. Delete sentences that do not further your cause.
4. As you cut, copy, and paste, remember to rewrite and blend the words into your text.
5. If your outline must be submitted with your draft, revise it to reflect these global revisions
Participating in Peer Review
Part of the revision process for many writers, both students and professionals, is peer review.
This has two sides. First, it means handing your paper to a friend or classmate, asking for
opinions and suggestions. Second, it means reviewing a classmate’s research paper. You can
learn by reviewing as well as by writing. Since this task asks you to make judgments, you
need a set of criteria. Your instructor may supply a peer review sheet, or you can use the
“Peer Review” checklist provided here. Criticize the paper constructively on each point. If
you can answer each question with a yes, your classmate has performed well. For those
questions you answer no, you owe it to your classmate to explain what seems wrong. Make
suggestions. Offer tips. Try to help!
Outline Print
your outline with the finished manuscript only if your instructor requires it. Place it after the
title page on separate pages and number these pages with small Roman numerals, beginning
with ii (for example, ii, iii, iv, v), at the upper-right corner of the page, just after your last
name (e.g., Spence iii).
Abstract
Include an abstract for a paper in MLA style only if your instructor requires it. An abstract
provides a brief digest of the paper’s essential ideas in about one hundred words. To that end,
borrow from your introduction, use some of the topic sentences from your paragraphs, and
use one or two sentences from your conclusion. In MLA style, place the abstract on the first
page of text one double space below the title and before the first lines of the text. Indent the
abstract one-half inch as a block, and indent the first line an additonal half inch. Use
quadruple spacing at the end of the abstract to set it off from the text, which follows
immediately after. You may also place the abstract on a separate page between the title page
and first page of text. Remember that the abstract is usually read first and may be the only part
read; therefore, make it accurate, specific, objective, and selfcontained (i.e., it makes sense
alone without references to the main text).
The Text of the Paper
Double-space throughout the entire paper except for the title page and the separation of the
abstract from the first line of text. In general, you should not use subtitles or numbered
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divisions for your paper, even if it becomes twenty pages long. Instead, use continuous
paragraphing without subdivisions or headings. However, some scientific and business reports
require subheads If the closing page of your text runs short, leave the remainder of the page
blank. Do not write “The End” or provide artwork as a closing signal. Do not start Notes or
Works Cited on this final page of text.
Appendix
Place additional material, if necessary, in an appendix preceding the Works Cited page. This
is the logical location for numerous tables and illustrations, computer data, questionnaire
results, complicated statistics, mathematical proofs, and detailed descriptions of special
equipment.
Double-space appendixes and begin each appendix on a new sheet. Continue your page
numbering sequence in the upper-right corner of the sheet. Label the page Appendix, centered
at the top of the sheet. If you have more than one appendix, use Appendix A, Appendix B,
and so forth.
Works Cited
Center the heading Works Cited 1 inch from the top edge of the sheet. Continue the
pagenumbering sequence in the upper-right corner. Double-space throughout. Set the first line
of each entry flush left and indent subsequent lines five spaces. If your software supports it,
use the hanging indent.
Editing before Typing or Printing the Final Manuscript
The cut-and-paste revision period is complemented by careful editing of paragraphs,
sentences, and individual words. Travel through the paper to study your sentences and word
choice. Look for ways to tighten and condense. Use the checklist provided here to guide your
editing. As shown, this writer conscientiously deleted unnecessary material, added supporting
statements, related facts to one another, rearranged data, added new ideas, and rewrote for
clarity.
Using the Computer to Edit Your Text
Remember to click on Tools and use the spelling and grammar checkers to spot spelling errors
and to perform several tasks related to grammar and mechanics—for example, looking for
parentheses you have opened but not closed, unpaired quotation marks, passive verbs, and
other items. Pay attention to these caution flags. Caution: The spellchecker will not discern
incorrest usage of “its” and “it’s.” However, you must edit and adjust your paper by your
standards with due respect to the computer analysis. Remember, it is your paper, not the
computer’s. You may need to use some long words and write some long sentences, or you
may prefer the passive voice to emphasize the receiver of the action, not the actor.
Editing the Manuscript
1. Cut phrases and sentences that do not advance your main ideas or that merely repeat what
your sources have already stated.
2. Determine that coordinated, balanced ideas are appropriately expressed and that minor
ideas are properly subordinated.
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3. Change most of your to be verbs (is, are, was) to stronger, active verbs.
4. Maintain the present tense in most verbs.
5. Convert passive structures to active if possible.
6. Confirm that you have introduced paraphrases and quotations so that they flow smoothly
into your text. Use a variety of verbs for the instructions (Winston argues, Thomas reminds,
Morganfield offers).
7. Use formal, academic style, and guard against clusters of monosyllabic words that fail to
advance ideas. Examine your wording for its effectiveness within the context of your subject.
Proofreading on the Screen and on the Printed Manuscript
First, proofread your paper on the screen with a program that will check your spelling,
grammar, and style, as mentioned previously. Check your formatting for double spacing, 1-
inch margins, running heads, page numbers, and so forth. Check the entries in your Works
Cited section for precision and completeness in the citations. Also, be sure that each is
formatted with a hanging indention. After editing the text on screen to your satisfaction, print
out a hard copy of the manuscript. You should proofread this final paper version with great
care because the software will not have caught every error. Be sure your in-text citations are
correct and confirm that you have a corresponding bibliography entry for each
Proofreading the Final Draft
1. Check for errors in sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation.
2. Check for correct hyphenation and word division. Remember that no words should be
hyphenated at the ends of lines. If you are using a computer, turn off the automatic
hyphenation option.
3. Read each quotation for the accuracy of your own wording and of the words within your
quoted materials. Look, too, for your correct use of quotation marks.
4. Be certain that in-text citations are correct and that each corresponding source is listed on
your Works Cited page.
5. Double-check the format—the title page, margins, spacing, content notes, and many other
elements,.
As an example check page 246 in Writing Research Papers A Complete Guide fifteenth
edition by James D. Lester James D. Lester, Jr.