An Essay Revision Checklist

Guidelines for Revising a Composition

Revising a paper

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Revision means looking again at what we have written to see how we can improve it. Some of us start revising as soon as we begin a rough draft—restructuring and rearranging sentences as we work out our ideas. Then we return to the draft, perhaps several times, to make further revisions.

Revision as Opportunity

Revising is an opportunity to reconsider our topic, our readers, even our purpose for writing. Taking the time to rethink our approach may encourage us to make major changes in the content and structure of our work.

As a general rule, the best time to revise is not right after you've completed a draft (although at times this is unavoidable). Instead, wait a few hours—even a day or two, if possible—in order to gain some distance from your work. This way you'll be less protective of your writing and better prepared to make changes. 

One last bit of advice: read your work aloud when you revise. You may hear problems in your writing that you can't see.

"Never think that what you've written can't be improved. You should always try to make the sentence that much better and make a scene that much clearer. Go over and over the words and reshape them as many times as is needed," (Tracy Chevalier, "Why I Write." The Guardian, 24 Nov. 2006).

Revision Checklist

  1. Does the essay have a clear and concise main idea? Is this idea made clear to the reader in a thesis statement early in the essay (usually in the introduction)?
  2. Does the essay have a specific purpose (such as to inform, entertain, evaluate, or persuade)? Have you made this purpose clear to the reader?
  3. Does the introduction create interest in the topic and make your audience want to read on?
  4. Is there a clear plan and sense of organization to the essay? Does each paragraph develop logically from the previous one?
  5. Is each paragraph clearly related to the main idea of the essay? Is there enough information in the essay to support the main idea?
  6. Is the main point of each paragraph clear? Is each point adequately and clearly defined in a topic sentence and supported with specific details?
  7. Are there clear transitions from one paragraph to the next? Have key words and ideas been given proper emphasis in the sentences and paragraphs?
  8. Are the sentences clear and direct? Can they be understood on the first reading? Are the sentences varied in length and structure? Could any sentences be improved by combining or restructuring them?
  9. Are the words in the essay clear and precise? Does the essay maintain a consistent tone?
  10. Does the essay have an effective conclusion—one that emphasizes the main idea and provides a sense of completeness?

Once you have finished revising your essay, you can turn your attention to the finer details of editing and proofreading your work.

Line Editing Checklist

  1. Is each sentence clear and complete?
  2. Can any short, choppy sentences be improved by combining them?
  3. Can any long, awkward sentences be improved by breaking them down into shorter units and recombining them?
  4. Can any wordy sentences be made more concise?
  5. Can any run-on sentences be more effectively coordinated or subordinated?
  6. Does each verb agree with its subject?
  7. Are all verb forms correct and consistent?
  8. Do pronouns refer clearly to the appropriate nouns?
  9. Do all modifying words and phrases refer clearly to the words they are intended to modify?
  10. Is each word spelled correctly?
  11. Is the punctuation correct?
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Your Citation
Nordquist, Richard. "An Essay Revision Checklist." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/an-essay-revision-checklist-1690528. Nordquist, Richard. (2023, April 5). An Essay Revision Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/an-essay-revision-checklist-1690528 Nordquist, Richard. "An Essay Revision Checklist." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/an-essay-revision-checklist-1690528 (accessed March 29, 2024).