By Tara Pauliny, Ph.D, Faculty, General Education

What is the difference between revision and editing?

The difference between revision and editing is a matter of scope: when we edit, we are looking at the so-called “local” aspects of your paper such as grammatical errors, misspellings, formatting concerns, and adherence to citation rules. On the other hand, revision is more “global”; when revising, we are thinking about larger issues in the paper such as the thesis, the evidence we use, how we’ve structured the paper, etc. For more about writing and revision, see this chapter by Ellen Carillo: Writing and Revising the Academic Projects

When should I revise and when should I edit?

While both are essential parts of the writing process, revision should happen before editing. Editing is typically the last stage of the process–edit (also called proofreading) once all the revisions are done. It is also a good idea to let some time pass between revising and editing so you can see the paper with fresh eyes.

How do I revise?

One method of revision is to have someone else read your paper and offer you global comments (not editorial comments such as where you made spelling or grammatical errors) and then use these comments as a guide to help you make changes to your paper.** You might go to a writing tutor for this kind of feedback or ask someone whose writing you admire. Another way to revise is for you to revisit the assignment prompt and then review your paper to see what aspects you might change to address the prompt more clearly. Remember, when you revise, focus on the larger issues of the paper such as how well you are responding to the prompt, if you have a clear purpose or thesis, how you have organized the paper, how well you utilize evidence and analysis, etc. Don’t get bogged down with sentence-level issues–save those for your final step: editing. 

**Also: this is why so many writing classes incorporate peer review–it offers you the opportunity to get feedback on your writing and to then use that feedback to revise your paper. If you are given this opportunity in your classes, take it! For more information about peer review and how to participate in it effectively, see these resources: Peer Review from the WAC Clearinghouse and Making Peer Review More Than a Waste of Time by Jason Roberts.

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I’m still confused–can you say more about revision?

Another way of thinking about revision is as re-seeing. Try to look at your paper as a reader rather than as the writer. Imagine that you are seeing it for the first time–what do you notice? What needs to be clarified? What is working well? Consider the assignment prompt and ask yourself: “Does this paper fulfill this prompt? Are there ways it could do this better or more clearly? To read more about writing as revision, see Chris Blanjenship’s essay Writing is Recursive.

Why do I need to revise? Can’t I just write the paper and be done with it?

Talk to any professional writer or writing teacher, and they will tell you that all writing is revision. Writing is a process that includes planning, drafting, revising, rethinking, rewriting, rethinking, and on and on. Depending on the length and depth of a writing project, the process of writing can take a few hours (an important email, for instance), a few days or even weeks (an academic paper, perhaps), or even a few months or years (a book or a dissertation). There is a saying that “all writing is rewriting”; revision is one way to make your writing as successful as it can be. For more on this, see Lisa Bickmore’s essay Revision IS Writing. That is All.

I’m ready to edit–what are some good strategies?

There are lots of effective ways to edit. Here are a few to try:

  • Read your paper backwards: To catch misspellings, extra words, and other minor errors, read your paper backwards. That is, read the last sentence and then the second-to-last, and so on. This helps you avoid “reading over” mistakes since you are reading the sentence out of context and out of order.
  • Keep a running list of the specific kinds of errors you tend to make and then focus on looking for those. Most writers make the same mistakes repeatedly so if you know what these are for you, you can look for them as you review your paper. You can keep a list on your computer or phone and add to it–this will help you recognize your errors, learn how to correct them, and soon you might stop making them at all!
  • Ask someone you trust–who is a strong writer and good with details–to read the first two paragraphs of your paper looking for sentence-level errors. Then, use their comments as a guide to help you edit the rest of your paper. 
  • Read your paper out loud. If you are a native speaker of the language you are writing in, try reading the paper out loud. This often helps you find mistakes.
  • Use resources* when you have questions and to double-check your work. This is especially true for when you proofread your in-text citations and your references. For example, if you are writing the paper in APA format, don’t rely on memory. Have the guide handy and look up the rules you need to follow. Also, find a resource you like and use it routinely to learn about and check for local errors such as the use of commas, capitalization rules, run-on sentences and sentence fragments, etc. The more you use a guide, the more you will become familiar with it and if you remind yourself of the rules of usage, you will start to use them automatically.
  • You can also see this resource from the WAC Clearinghouse: Editing and Proofreading Strategies
  • * Review these resources, find the one you like the most, and bookmark it: