Self-Assessment/Revision

Self-Assessment Part One: Revision

Take a break between writing the first draft of your paper before you start to revise it, and make sure this break is at least 24 hours. It will help to tackle the revision process with a clear mind and a fresh perspective.

To assess the strengths (and weaknesses) of your paper as a whole, try to follow the steps below:

1. Focus only on the meaning and structure (don’t worry about editing at this stage).
2. If you did not create a writing outline before writing this first draft, create one now from the draft that you have written to help you see the areas that are lacking in content or logical development.
3. Make sure you read aloud from a hard copy (not from a computer screen), so that you can hear what you have written down. If possible, have someone else read your work back to you because this will help you interpret how others will understand your work.
4. Always save successive drafts for future comparison.
5. Get feedback from others when revising (relating to the content and logical development). Have a look at the ‘How to Give and Receive Effective Feedback’ part of our site for more tips here.

You might find it helpful to use the following checklist (Table 1) as you revise your work. Doing so should help you decide whether your writing is saying what you mean it to say and taking the reader in the direction you desire.

Table 1: Checklist for the Revision Process

Checklist Questions	Questions to Ask Yourself	‘Yes’ or ‘No’
Purpose - What is the purpose?	Is my writing consistent? Does it follow the purpose of the assignment?
Thesis – What is my thesis?	Does my paper follow the thesis and commit to it?
Audience – Who is in my audience?	Does this paper address the appropriate audience? Do I have the proper background information?
Structure – What are the main points?	Do I use my main points to support my thesis?
Development – Which examples do I use?	Do my examples support my main points?
Tone – What is the tone of my paper?	Is my tone appropriate for my audience? Which words or phrases create the tone?
Unity – How do all the sentences fit together?	Does each sentence contribute to the thesis and purpose of my paper? Should anything be taken out or rewritten?
Coherence – Does each point link with others?	Does my paper flow? Does it include transitions or phrases to keep it smooth and easy to read? Can I improve the flow by changing or eliminating certain words or sentences?
Title, Introduction, Conclusion – How interesting are these?	Is my title interesting and accurate? Do I engage my audience and provoke interest with my introduction? Do I take a cohesive position with my conclusion?