College Axia Material
Revising, Peer Reviewing, and Proofreading
For the past few weeks, you have been working on your paper without focusing on revising or fixing
mistakes. Now is the time to focus carefully on what you may improve or correct in your paper. Effective
papers are revised numerous times. Revision takes place through revising, peer review, and
proofreading.
Revising
The easiest way to find mistakes is to read your paper aloud, which may seem awkward at first, but you
become more comfortable the more you do it. In the revision step, you focus on the following:
Assignment requirements: Did you fulfill all the expectations outlined in the assignment
directions? Reread the directions to make certain.
Content: As you read through your paper, revise content where necessary. Move sentences and
words around so that they make sense. Rewrite areas that may not be clear.
Tone: Check to see that your voice and tone are consistent and academic throughout the paper.
Replace word choices as necessary.
Unity: Does every paragraph have a topic sentence? Do all the supporting paragraphs relate to
this one main idea?
Organization: Be sure that the overall organization of the paper makes sense. Look at your
outline again, if necessary, to review the structure of the paper.
Coherence: Does the writing make sense?
Supporting details: Is each topic sentence thoroughly explained through the use of examples,
reasons, facts, data, or stories? Add more details as needed to help your reader see your points
completely.
Transitions: Be sure that you have smooth transitions from paragraph to paragraph, from
sentence to sentence, and from your own writing to quotations.
Introduction and conclusion: Confirm the introduction catches the readers attention and the
conclusion neatly wraps up the paper while impacting the reader.
Title: Write a title that is effective and makes the reader want to read your paper.
Sentence Structure: Correct any fragments or run-ons.
Editing
Editing is the final step in revising. Editing involves looking for technical errors in your paper such as the
following:
Punctuation and capitalization: Are capital letters, periods, commas, apostrophes, and other
punctuation marks used correctly?
Spelling and word usage: Always use the spell-check tool on your computer; however, the spellchecker does not pick up every misspelled or misused word, so your review paper thoroughly for
spelling errors.
Bias in language: Be sure that your writing refers to sex, race, gender, and religion equally and
fairly.
Paper formatting: Check that the papers font size, margins, and references meet the standards
required at Axia College. Refer to the Writing Style Handbook if you are unsure about guidelines.
The best time for a revision is a day or two after you have finished the draft. In other words, do not look at
the draft for a couple of days and then revise. Distancing yourself from the draft in this way allows for
more objectivity. Read your paper at least two or three times over a period of a few days to a week to find
errors.
Peer Reviewing
After you are finished revising, ask one or two other people to provide feedback. In this course, you
complete at least one peer review with another student.
Providing Constructive Feedback
Use the Peer Review Checklist so you know what to look for as you review your classmates paper. As
you read the other paper, mark the errors, but also note things you like about the writing to provide
positive feedback. If you see areas that need improvement, mark those areas and kindly suggest ways for
the writer to improve. When peer-editing, do not simply read through and say, Good job. Just as you
would want to receive substantive and constructive feedback, so should you give the other person
substantive feedback.
Receiving Constructive Feedback
Welcome the feedback as an opportunity to become a better writer. When you receive your peer
feedback, make the punctuation, grammar, and spelling corrections first. Then, go back and rewrite
content where necessary.
Review the Constructive Feedback Tutorial for more information about both providing and receiving
constructive feedback.
Proofreading
After you revise your paper, based on the peer review, proofread your paper. Reread your writing one
last time to find any overlooked errors. After you do so, you are ready to submit your writing.
Wrap-Up
Revising, peer reviewing, and proofreading may make a significant difference in how well your audience
receives your paper. If the paper is overwhelmed with errors, the reader may have a hard time
comprehending the content. Revising, peer reviewing, and proofreading may also make a significant
difference in the grade you receive. Utilize this step in the writing process a number of times as you write
your papers.