The two activities you can perform to enhance your articles effectively are revising and rewriting.
Some sources observe a fine distinction between revising and rewriting(1).
However, other sources put revising and rewriting in the same category, most likely because there are no significant differences between the two steps(2).
In this article, you may think of revising and rewriting as two similar activities.
Usually, rewriting and revising entail more work. However, these additional steps in your writing process can help you accurately deliver the message you want to promote.
By dedicating time and effort to revising, you can invariably improve the quality of your work many times over(3).
Revising is a crucial tool for marketing in today’s digital economy. For example, search engine optimization (SEO) content writing may require you to perform several revisions to ensure that your content is ready to rank on the first page of search results. Check out this page for their digital marketing service.
One of the essential practices that impactful writers incorporate to boost their writing careers is revising(4)
. No matter how long your career is in writing, the revision phase must be a part of the process.
Revision is more than proofreading, though it does include some detail checking in the final editing stage.
Revision is the task of going back over your writing (or the writing of someone else) and attempting to make adjustments to enhance it. A good revision and editing process can turn a mediocre first draft into an outstanding final paper.
Revising also allows you to preview your work on behalf of the intended audience(5).
Revision is not merely proofreading for typing errors or misspelled words or using your spell check. While these are essential steps to take before submitting a piece of writing, they do not encompass revision.
Please continue reading to learn more about revision and when and how to revise.
Revisions Can Improve Thinking Habits
A study examining the impact of revisions on students showed that revision could equip writers with precise writing directions based on better quality thinking(6).
Revising and editing are essential because writing involves thinking and generating new ideas before presenting them.
If you have a first draft that you fancy and want to share with others, you may overlook some things. This flaw may be because you were writing quickly or are an expert in the field, so you overlooked details others may require.
Revision may help train your mind to think thoroughly and spot inconsistencies in your piece of writing.
Revisions Can Develop Writers’ Confidence
As a form of feedback, revision can play a vital role in developing your articulation and phrasing. Moreover, this editing process can also help build your confidence in writing.
One study indicated that writing feedback on students’ works could positively impact students’ overall language confidence(7).
Furthermore, the study showed that self-feedback may contribute less to the students’ confidence in writing. Instead, peer feedback has resulted in higher overall confidence in writing among the students(8).
Revisions can provide writers with additional insights regarding their subject matter and writing techniques. Writers who understand the value of constructive criticism may be able to grow faster in their field.
Revisions Can Improve the Quality of Your Work
Several studies indicated that revisions can improve the quality of composition among high school and older or more skilled writers(9).
Accepting and applying evaluative feedback may help accelerate your learning curve and develop writing skills faster. This effect is probably due to the nature of revision as instructional.
When writing on various topics, the input of editors and other individual writers is a necessary resource.
During your writing process, you may encounter subject matters that require unfamiliar structures or styles of delivery. Revisions can augment other writing strategies that you already practice.
Revisions Can Improve the Flow of Your Writing
Another purpose of revising is to improve the flow of ideas in your writing.
Organization in writing means that the passages flow logically from the introduction to the body to the conclusion. Each statement must follow a logical progression from one point to the next.
When revising a research paper, consider both the overall organization of the paper and the organization of each paragraph.
How Writers Revise
Revision is a multi-step process that occurs at different stages of the writing process.
However, the following activities summarize the basic things you can do when revising:
- Add new data, quotes, words, or punctuation that you believe can assist your reader in understanding your piece better.
- Remove any information, quotes, or words you believe do not contribute anything to your writing or may confuse your reader.
- Move any information, quotes, words, or even whole paragraphs or passages you believe would be more appropriate elsewhere.
- Replace words with other words, quotes with other quotes, or less relevant data with more pertinent information to make your reading more straightforward, coherent, or descriptive.
