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The key to revising your own work is to be able to step away from the product, ‘get out of your head’ and approach your own writing as if it was the work of another person. This is not always an easy process, but the following tips will help you to edit your work as objectively and productively as possible:
· Allow enough time to revise
· Break your work down and review it in stages
· Reverse outline to assess structural issues (see below)
· Do not rely on spelling and grammar checkers
· Read aloud
· Work from a printed copy
You must always keep your audience in mind while you are writing. What do you want them to learn from your assignment?
1) What is the main idea in your paper?
2) What is your position on this idea?
3) What evidence (subtopics) do you provide to support this position? Does it provide adequate justification for the position?
Adapted from Shelagh Crooks’ “Critical Reading/ Structured Writing,” presented at the Connections Across the Curriculum conference at Dalhousie University, May 4, 2005.