The Editorial Process: Where to Begin?

"The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better." - Robert Cormier

So. You have sorted through all the research, constructed an argument, and even managed to write a first draft of your paper. So now what? Students are often at a loss when it comes to editing their own work, but this is one of the most important steps in the process of writing a solid academic paper. Here are some tips to help you re-organize, reword, and proofread your work to get it just right before subjecting it to the scrutiny of your prof. 

1) Take a break. If it's 3am and you've finally finished your first draft, put down the coffee and head to bed. Editing something that you have already been looking at for 8 hours is useless; your brain will do a much better job with the editing process when it has had a break. Take a nap, watch some TV, go outside, do ANYTHING that does not involve thinking about the assignment. If you give yourself 24 hours without looking at your paper, you can approach it with fresh eyes the next day, and you will pick up on mistakes that you would have missed had your brain been exhausted. You can be more objective in your assessment of your argument, and it will be easier to identify any gaps in your logic. 

2) Read it out loud. Your roommate might think that you've completely lost your mind when he hears you talking to yourself in your bedroom, but reading your work aloud will help you get a sense of the coherence of your writing. Sometimes, sentences might make sense to your eyes, but when you read them aloud, your ears will tell you that they sound awkward or clumsy, which is how the reader will perceive them as well. 

3) Find an audience. Have a friend or family member read your work, and ask yourself this question: does my argument make logical sense to someone with less background in the subject? You need to make clear connections from one point to the next, and your paragraphs should all have transitions; if these things are done well in your paper, even your senile great-aunt Mildred should be able to follow and understand the construction of your argument from start to finish. 

4) Get physical. Rather than editing your work electronically, many writers find it helpful to print out a physical copy of the paper to proofread with a pencil. Your eyes may be tempted to gloss over errors on the computer screen, but you can circle these errors and find a fix if you have a copy in front of you. Don't be afraid to cross things out, scribble in the margins, and fix grammatical errors on your hard copy, and then implement these changes electronically as the next step in the editing process. 

5) Make a list. Unless this is the very first paper you've ever written, you should have an idea of what common mistakes you make as a writer. Every writer has one or two (or ten, in which case you should probably make an appointment at the Writing Centre) blunders that they make consistently in their work. Worrying about these things as you write can hinder the writing process, but that's what editing is for! If you know you have problems with pronouns or complications with comma splices, make a list of these things as you write, and then address the problems later. If you are not sure how fix the problem, consult a grammar website or handbook, talk to your prof, or pop in to the Writing Centre.