Sohail Ahmed 1

Revision, Proof Reading & Editing

Revision:

It is to re - vision your paper

Writing is a process that goes through many stages and revision is what makes it move

from stage to stage. Revision is re-working and re-writing, it is not merely changing a

few words, adding a sentence here or there, or taking out material that was

unnecessary. To revise a paper is to restructure the paper, eliminate unnecessary details

or information, add details, move paragraphs and sentences around, rewrite

paragraphs and sentences, double-check the accuracy of the supporting evidence,

reword awkward areas, edit, and proofread. We experiment with the organization to

see what clearly conveys the content to the reader and to help us focus on the main

points.

Revision means “re-visioning” your paper. Step back and ask yourself: does the paper

you wrote respond directly to the aim.

Proof Reading:

Definition: Careful reading (and rereading) of a (yet to be finally-printed) document, to

detect any errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. It may also involve checking of

different elements of a layout (such as headlines, paragraphs, illustrations, and colors)

for their correct dimensions, placement, type, etc. Every author knows that (despite the

spelling checking abilities of modern word processors) a human proof reader is

indispensable. Also called proofing.

This is a process whereby the text is being scanned for grammar, syntax and spelling errors.

This process typically involves much the same correction as a secondary school teacher would

perform on a written test. The meaning of words and terminology is irrelevant here, as the job

focuses only on the correctness of the text. Therefore, the use of a dictionary is necessary only to

check spelling and conjugation, not much else. Proofreading is something that is used less and

less, as most software nowadays automatically corrects the errors that would be picked up by

the proofreader.

Sohail Ahmed 2

Editing

Definition: Arranging, revising, and preparing a written, audio, or video material for

final production, usually by a party (called an editor) other than the creator of the

material. The objectives of editing include (1) detection and removal of factual,

grammatical, and typographical errors, (2) clarification of obscure passages, (3)

elimination of parts not suitable for the targeted audience, and (4) proper sequencing to

achieve a smooth, unbroken flow of narrative.

This process concentrates less on the form and more on the terminology. Editing

involves checking to make sure that correct terminology was used. This is achieved by

researching each term that raises a doubt, or even terms that are unknown to the editor,

just to make sure that the right terms were used. This typically involves research -

whether online or in specialized dictionaries - accompanied by recommended

corrections. Usually, when working in Word, the track changes feature is used, and

sometimes only comments are added through the commenting tool of Word. In either

case, the editor only recommends changes and does not implement them. This is

because, when there are errors, it is usually up to the original translator to correct their

own mistakes (many translators have a clause in their contract for this, as well as

agencies). So, the recommendations of the editor are usually sent back to the translator

first so that he/she can correct his/her mistakes, and only then is the text proofread, if it

needs to be at all.

What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your

draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between

paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit

on several levels: content, overall structure, quality of evidence and analysis, clarity,

style and referencing.

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as

misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. Proofreading should only be

undertaken after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.