How is revising different from proofreading?
In the Writing Center at Itasca Community College, our main function is to help you to revise your papers. Revising differs from proofreading in that it deals with the paper as a whole, answering questions like: Does it flow? Does it makes sense? Does it fully explain? Does it adequately support the thesis? Editing, on the other hand, deals with comparatively minor problems with the paper, such as punctuation, spelling, and minor grammatical issues.
Revising your work
Always expect to write second, third, fourth, and even more drafts of your original work. Read your paper over aloud to yourself, and get advice from others who you know will be honest and forthright in giving their opinion about your writing, so that you can evaluate not only what you were trying to say, but also what you said and how it sounded to an audience. Ask your readers specific questions about your work so that their advice can be as specific as possible. Always consider who your audience is as well as what your purpose is in writing.
Purdue University's OWL offers advice for revising your papers.
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Plagiarism
One of the most important issues that you will want to eliminate from your writing is plagiarism. Plagiarism, according to Dictionary.com is "using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author."
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab offers advice and information to help you to ensure that you cite sources accurately and avoid charges of plagiarism.
The University of Southern Mississippi has a comprehensive tutorial available online to help you to understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. |