Revising and Editing an Essay: Checklist for Students

There is no student today who does not have to write an essay. In some cases, the topic is very complex and a student needs the help of specialists. Finding someone online is easy. For example, the site DoMyEssay has many experienced experts who write quality essays quickly and efficiently. You can pay an affordable price and receive the completed paper on time.

Regardless of whether you are writing a paper yourself or seek the help of writers, the preparation of the essay consists of several main stages, in particular:

1. Choosing a topic, justifying its relevance;
2. Compilation of bibliography, search for special literature related to the topic of work;
3. Data collection and accumulation of factual material;
4. Analysis of the received information with application of tools of modern science;
5. Formulation of conclusions;
6. Editing of work in accordance with the established requirements.

Revision and editing an essay are important elements of its implementation and one of the many factors that the teacher takes into account when assessing. First of all, attention is paid to the content of the material: logic and consistency, completeness and representativeness, i.e. the breadth of use of scientific sources, general literacy and compliance with standards and regulations, as well as the text, bibliography, and appendices, the external design of the title page.

General Recommendations for Revision and Editing an Essay

If you want to write a good paper, pay attention to the tips for revising and the specificity of editing:

• It is recommended to write the essay first in draft form. This allows making the necessary changes and additions to the text, both on the initiative of the author and in connection with the comments of the teacher;
• Before submitting a written text to a tutor, it is necessary to reconsider whether the material is logical, whether there is a connection between the paragraphs and sections, whether the whole text highlights the main idea of ​​the work. Schematic representation of the text will reveal illogicalities in its structure and content;
• When drawing up the text of an essay, it is necessary to find time to revisit the original sources. This will help to see something more valuable that may have been missed at first, will give rise to new interesting ideas, will deepen the understanding of the problem;
• It is advisable to postpone the text of the paper and return to it after a while. All this time you should not read anything about the topic of work, but constantly think about it. During this period, when the topic is studied and presented, one’s own thoughts, assessment, and understanding of the problem appear and this is a prerequisite for improving the structure and content of the essay;
• When editing the text, it is desirable to read the work aloud, which will allow to reveal the unconvincingness of the evidence, the clumsiness of the phrases, and correct these shortcomings. You should not be afraid to reduce what is written – the text will only benefit from this. During the preparation of the draft it is necessary to pay attention to the processing of each sentence, to the choice of the necessary wording, which would simply and clearly, concisely and easily express the content of the questions;
• The essay should strive to adhere to accepted terminology, symbols, and abbreviations. It is not recommended to use stamps. Frequent repetition of words or phrases in the text should also be avoided;
• The work must be printed on a computer at 1.5 intervals. Failure to comply with this requirement makes it difficult for the author to make the necessary changes to the text, which can be done in the margins or on the back of the sheet. This is where the teacher can write down comments or suggestions. It is desirable not to postpone the design of the draft version of the work for the last days of the deadline. The student’s task is to submit the essay to the tutor as soon as possible.

Revising and Editing Algorithm

To help you with revising and editing your essay text, below we will provide an effective algorithm that should be followed:

• Check whether all numbered figures, tables, and formulas are referenced in the text;
• Revise whether all figures, tables, and formulas are numbered consecutively within each section;
• Is there are references to all sources from the list of used literature in the work;
• Is the numbering of the Appendices correct;
• Is there a reference to each author’s work in all sections of the work, where it is appropriate;
• Are all the Appendices referenced in the text;
• Do all headings correspond to the text that follows;
• Is the number of points in the Conclusions less than the number of tasks formulated in the Introduction.

Basic Requirements for Text Design

When editing, be sure to check whether the written text meets the following requirements:

• Clarity and logical sequence of presentation of material, the persuasiveness of argumentation;
• Relevance of the research topic, the validity of its choice;
• Independence in the selection and study of basic and additional literature on the problem under study;
• Critical analysis of scientific literature, disclosure of different views on the researched problem and own attitude to them;
• Conciseness and accuracy of wording, excluding the possibility of ambiguous interpretation;
• The competent setting of the experiment and interpretation of the obtained data;
• The practical significance of the research;
• Validity of recommendations and proposals.

Follow the tips above and edit your papers efficiently!