REVISION STRATEGIESCOM/156

Overview of a paper

Introductory Paragraph

Body Paragraphs

Concluding Paragraph

Revision

Revision includes reviewing, changing, and adjusting

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Revision Strategies - Balance• Is my writing balanced? • Are all of the paragraphs proportionate to others? • Have I spent too much time on any one topic? • Have I shared enough details about all areas? • Have I neglected an obvious point? • Have I spent too much time on one trivial point? • Do my arguments thin out toward the end of the work?

Revision Strategies - Delivery• Did I deliver? • In my introductory paragraph, I promised my reader

certain information about my topic in my thesis statement. Does the paper or writing deliver on this promise?

• Have I used the proper language and academic tone in my delivery?

Revision Strategies - Tone• All first person singular and plural references need to be

eliminated, including words like: I, me, mine, my, we, us, our, ours, ourselves

• All second person singular and plural references need to be eliminated, including words like: you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves

Revision Strategies - Tone

• Eliminate all contractions.

• It’s necessary to fully understand the financial benefits of online learning.

• It is necessary to fully understand the financial benefits of online learning.

Revision Strategies - Organization• Is my essay or writing organized?

Organization– Intro Paragraph

o 1. Does my introductory paragraph begin with a hook?

o 2. Does my introductory paragraph preview upcoming points, expand upon the hook, or build up to the thesis statement?

o Does my introductory paragraph end with my approved thesis statement?

Organization – Body Paragraphso 1. Does each body paragraph focus on a specific

sub-topic that supports my thesis statement?

o 2. Is there a clear topic sentence present?

o 3. Are supporting details used to support the topic sentence? Is at least one example, reason, fact, statistic, or direct quote used to support the topic sentence?

o 4. Is there a concluding sentence present that summarizes the main point of the paragraph or that otherwise provides closure?

Organization- Concluding Paragraph

o 1. Does my concluding paragraph begin with my freshly rephrased thesis statement?

o 2. Have I summarized key points made in the essay?

o 3. Does my final sentence leave the audience with a call to action, recommendation, or thought-provoking quote or statement?

Organization, cont.

o Have I used an organizational method (chronological, most important point to least important point, least important point to most important point, spatial, compare/contrast)?

o Have I used transitions within and between paragraphs?

o How would my paper or writing look if I rearranged some paragraphs?

Revision Strategies - Clarity

• Is my essay clear?

• Have I defined all important terms that might be unclear?

• Does each sentence have a clear meaning?

• Does each pronoun clearly refer to its noun?

• Have I used clear adjectives and words that I know?

Revision Strategies - Accuracy• Is my information accurate?

• Have I qualified all assertions and suppositions with research?

• Have I cited all information properly?

• Have I eliminated all generalizations from my writing?

• Have I thoroughly covered this topic?

Revision Strategies – Qualifying Assertions

• Assertion: Online learning provides for more flexible learning, which benefits many learners.

• How to support it using an illustrative example:

For instance, with online learning each learner sets his or her own schedule each week.

Revision Strategies – Eliminating Generalizations

• Generalization: Many students prefer online learning.

• Instead, report facts: Online learning is becoming more popular for a variety of reasons. In fact, based on a survey conducted by Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board, in 2012 the percentage of online college students increased by 570,000 students moving up from the 6.7 million students who took at least one online course during the fall of 2011 term (Sloan Consortium, 2013).

Review

o What are the three parts of an introductory paragraph?

o What should be present in each body paragraph?

o What are the three parts of a conclusion paragraph?

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https://www.boundless.com/writing/paper-execution/revising-your-paper/revising-your-paper/• Sloan Consortium. (2013). New Study: Over 6.7 million Students Learning Online. Retrieved from

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