Revising and Proofreading: Background You’ll Need

  • Differentiate between revising, editing, and proofreading
early stages of a home renovation project
Figure 1. Revising is done during the writing process, similar to the changes and updates made during a home revision process.

As you dive into the revision process, it is important to learn the difference between three key terms: revising, editing, and proofreading. These terms are often used interchangeably to refer to the process of “fixing” a rough draft and turning it into a polished final piece of writing, but they are actually distinct stages in the overall revision process.

Revising

  • Revising is done throughout the writing process, with special emphasis on the first few drafts.
  • Focus = big issues
    • Audience
    • Organization
    • Content
    • Evidence
    • Transitions
      Home renovation project in the middle stages.
      Figure 2. Editing is also done throughout the writing process, but typically in the later stages when the main framework is there and the changes relate to technical issues.

Editing

  • Editing is done throughout the writing process, with special emphasis on the middle and final drafts.
  • Focus = technical issues
    • Flow
    • Word choice
    • Clarity
    • Style
    • Textual inconsistencies

Proofreading

Proofreading is reserved for the final draft and is all about fixing mistakes. Here’s where we want to make sure our sentences and formatting are perfect.

  • Hanging a plant in a house.
    Figure 3. Proofreading is the final stage of review, akin to the last stages of setting up the room after a home renovation.

    Focus = mechanics and presentation

    • Spelling
    • Punctuation
    • Format
    • Typographical errors (“typos”)

You can see from these definitions that there is a logical order to these steps: revision, then editing, then proofreading. It wouldn’t make sense to meticulously edit the grammar, word choice, and style of a sentence if that sentence just got cut in the revision stage.

While you will generally follow the revising > editing > proofreading order, writing is a recursive process. In other words, this order is fluid, and you may return to different stages of the process more than once before you are totally done with an essay. You may fix a grammar error while you’re in the middle of drafting, or you might be struck with inspiration while you’re proofreading and decide to add another full paragraph to your essay! This is one of the fun things about writing. There are general rules, steps, and suggestions, but ultimately, the process is your own.