3c Approach global revision in cycles.

Revision is more effective when you approach it in cycles, rather than attempting to change everything all at once. You may, for example, take one pass through your draft to make sure you are addressing the expectations of a particular audience, and then a second pass to make sure the draft is focused on one central idea or argument. Yet a third pass or cycle may be dedicated to thinking through the logic or the evidence. As you revise, use the following checklist to help you focus on global issues.

Checklist for global revision

Purpose and audience

• Does the draft address a question, a problem, or an issue that readers care about?
• Is the draft appropriate for its audience? Does it address the audience’s knowledge of and attitudes toward the subject?

Focus

• Is the thesis clear? Is it prominently placed?
• Does the thesis answer a reader’s “So what?” question?
• If the draft has no thesis, do you have a good reason for omitting one?

Organization and paragraphing

• Is each paragraph unified around a main point?
• Does each paragraph support and develop the thesis with evidence?
• Have you stated the main point of the paragraph in a topic sentence?
• Have you presented ideas in a logical order?

Content

• Is the supporting material relevant and persuasive?
• Which ideas need further development? Have you left your readers with any unanswered questions?
• Do major ideas receive enough attention?
• Where might you delete redundant or irrelevant material?

Point of view

• Is the dominant point of view—first person (I or we), second person (you), or third person (he, she, it, one, or they)—appropriate for your purpose and audience? (See 13a.)