Revising
The writing process is much more than just getting words on the page; what you do after the words are there is often the most important part of writing. This process of working with the text you already have is called revision.Revision = Re - Vision
The root of the word is important for understanding what revision means. It’s much more than a matter of simple proofreading or copyediting. It’s also a matter of really revisioning or reseeing what you’ve written.These two aspects or phases of revising are frequently discussed in terms of revising both:
- higher order concerns: issues that affect meaning, argument, and the overall effectiveness of the text
- lower order concerns: problems that only compromise a given phrase or section of a text such as grammar concerns, spelling, or awkward phrasing
Global revision describes revisions aimed at improving higher order concerns.
Sentence-level or local revision describes revision that improves lower order concerns.
For specific revision guidelines, see:
- Simple Steps to Successful Revision, by Catherine Coleman
- Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs), from OWL at Purdue
- Revision Guidelines, from David Callon
- Revision Handout, from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Global Revision Page, from University of Virginia Writing Program
