PERSUASIVE RESEARCH

ESSAY:
MAJOR REVISIONS
WRD-104: Composition & Rhetoric II
Proof Reading
Addressing Lower
Level Concerns:
Grammar
Spelling
Proper &
Appropriate
Formatting

All elements in
the e-Portfolio
should be
proofread
Print out your
texts
Read them out
loud
Do in chunks in
short periods of
time
Do when all
revisions are
done
Editing
Still addressing
Lower Level
Concerns:
Word Choice
Sentence phrasing
Specifying pronouns

All elements in the
e-Portfolio should
be edited
Separate you
document by
sentence; read each
one out loud slowly.
Is it complete and
clear on its own?
Underline all
pronouns is it clear
which each refers
to?

Revision
Addressing Higher Order Concerns:
Is it answering the prompt?

Is it worth saying?

Does it communicate what you intend?

Is it organized and structured?

Revision
You must conduct a Major Revision of your
Persuasive Research Essay and display it in
your Final e-Portfolio

This will account for 10% of your Overall
WRD104 Grade

On your Curators Note page, you should
explain the strategies, techniques, and
specific revisions you engaged in & why.
Why Revise?
Writing is a process; as we engage in this
process, we discover new connections

Revising lets us see our writing from a
critical perspective
Reconsider your arguments
Refine your purpose
Review your evidence
Reorganize your presentation & structure
Polish your tone
How to revise?
Wait: Give yourself space from your draft to see it
anew

Prioritize: Dont try to do it all in one sitting you are
guaranteed to make more improvements by doing a
little at a time focus on one type of revision at a
time

Try varying the medium print out drafts, change
the font type and size, or make other changes to
help see it anew
How to Revise
Review the Assignment Prompt & Guidelines
Identify the main components of the assignment
(see the guidelines)
Underline where in your essay you accomplish
each element of the assignment
For each element you identify, critically assess
whether this element is strong enough if not,
how can you improve on this element
If elements are missing, begin to develop these
new elements

How to revise
Focus on your thesis statement:
Does it address you claim and call to action?

Does it indicate each of the main reason you provide to
support your claim and call to action?
Try a reverse outline to check!

Does it make a sophisticated point, or is this something
any one could say?
How to revise
Create a Reverse Outline:
On a separate document/sheet of paper, make two
columns and create a bullet point for every
paragraph you have in your essay

In column 1: Identify the main idea of each
paragraph in a short phrase

In column 2: Identify the purpose or function of that
paper as it pertains to the assignment prompt and
guidelines in a short phrase
How is the paragraph working to support your thesis
statement?

How to revise
Focus on your organization:
Highlight all of your topic sentences and transitions

Do all of the topic sentences clearly connect to your
thesis statement?
If not, consider the purpose of the paragraph, and
rework to support your thesis

Do all of your transitions fluidly indicate the
connection between the ideas of the paragraphs
involved?
If not, rework to more clearly connect these concepts
(you might even have to move the paragraphs
altogether)
How to Revise
Focus on your use of sources:
Highlight any sentence that references a
source either directly or by paraphrase
Are you establishing who is saying it before?
Are you explaining how it supports your
claim after?
If not, revise to use the quote as evidence or
support for your claims
Quotes should never make a point for you

How to revise
Focus on the essay as a whole:
After a break of a couple hours, or preferably a day,
read the essay out loud.
Make a mark at any point where you stumbled,
paused, or got confused while reading
Make sure you read all the way through before fixing
anything
Identify the root problem of each instance:
Long sentences can be revised to be more direct by
using Active Verbs or broken down into smaller
sentences
Ambiguous sentences can be revised by identifying
specific nouns (they that he/she)
Polish the integration of quotes to ensure they are
fluid and clear and fit with your words
How to revise
Go over previous feedback
Look at all the feedback youve received this
quarter
Identify patterns in my comments & peer
review partners comments
Identify if you are still making these choices,
and revise them to resolve the issue
How to revise
Get as much feedback as possible!
Have an informal peer review session with your
cohort group

Visit the Writing Center (Extra Credit!)
bring the assignment prompt
www.depaul.edu/writing

Have someone who doesnt know about the topic
identify elements needing more explanation

Have someone who disagrees with your stance
identify ways of improving counterarguments

Revision reminders
Give your self time to revise in several sittings
dont try to do it all at once

Use Save As and make multiple drafts, rather Save
over one draft

Dont be afraid of dramatic or big changes
Writing is a process big changes demonstrate progress in
your thinking

Dont be sad about cutting something you like if it doesnt
relate, doesnt match your tone, or is just confusing
Save it! You might be able to use it some where else