It is helpful to think of Rethinking/Revising and Editing/Proofreading as separate processes. Though there is overlap, revision is separate from and comes before editing.

Revising is a continuous process of writing and rewriting to ensure clarity. Revising a draft mostly deals with the content, the clarity, the coherence and the unity of the text. The revision process focuses on readability, logic and clarity.

Revising is making decisions about how you want to improve your writing. Look at your writing from a different point of view, and select places where your writing could be clearer, more interesting, more informative and more convincing.

In summary, revising means:

• to take a deeper look at what you have written
• to focus on the content of your work
• to check what ideas can be changed
• to make sure that you do not deviate from the main idea
• to connect paragraphs to a thesis statement, each supporting and explaining it

To revise effectively, the following suggestions are helpful:

• restructure the paper
• eliminate unnecessary or repetitive details or information
• add details
• move paragraphs and sentences around
• rewrite paragraphs and sentences
• double-check the accuracy of the supporting evidence and reword awkward areas
• make the text more interesting