Revising in investigating

Guidelines for Revision

As you add, delete, substitute, or rearrange materials, keep the following tips in mind:

• Reexamine your purpose and audience: Are you doing what you intended?  You should be reporting your findings;  you should not be arguing for or against any idea.
• Is the form of your essay or report responsive to audience needs and expectations? Use samples of other writing for your audience (from newspapers, magazines, journals, and so on) as models.
• Can you add any of your own observations or experiences to the investigation? Remember that your own perceptions and experiences are also relevant data.
• Review the reporter's "Wh" questions. Are you providing your readers relevant information early in the report and also catching their interest with a key statistic, fact, quotation, example, question, description, or short narrative?
• Recheck your summaries, paraphrases, or direct quotations. Are they accurate, and have you cited these sources in your text?
• Use signals, cues, and transitions to indicate your shaping strategies:
  • Chronological Order: before, then, afterward, next, soon, later, finally, at last
  • Comparison/Contrast: likewise, similarly, however, yet, even so, in contrast
  • Analysis: first, next, third, fourth, finally
• Revise sentences for directness, clarity, and conciseness. Avoid unnecessary passive voice. See your handbook for guidance.
• Edit your report for appropriate word choice, usage, and grammar. Check your writing for problems in spelling and punctuation.