Editing and revising involves looking at various aspects of your essay including:

• Content - how logical and well supported your ideas are.
• Organization- the method used to present your ideas to your audience. See the Methods of Organization List in Writer's, INC. page 52.
• Punctuation - your use of periods, commas, semi-colons, etc. Not using correct punctuation can lead to run-ons and fragments making your essay diffucult to read and understand.
• Grammar - your use of sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, etc. Check Writer's, INC. pages 518 - 531 for help.
• Spelling - DO NOT RELY on SPELL CHECK. A word may be spelled correctly but not used in the right context. These words are snown as Sudden Death Infractions. Making even one mistake with an SDI will immediately let the reader know that you didn't take the time to edit or revise your writing!

*Click here for a list of SDI's (PDF document) and an SDI Worksheet (document) that can help you practice using them correctly.

*Purdue OWL also offers extensive help with grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Tips for Revising:

• Read your work aloud.
• Read your work backgrounds. This forces you to read each word individually and can help you catch grammar and spelling errors.
• Ask someone to read your work. You can use this Elbow Peer Response Sheet (PDF document) to help your reader offer constructive criticism.

Also check the Purdue OWL for Editing and Proofreading Strategies for Revision.