Business Communication for

Career Readiness
High Impact Business Writing
Module 4

with Sue Robins, M.S.

 Revising

Editing

Proofreading
 Lesson 1: Revising, Editing
and Proofreading
Learning Objectives
• Students will be able to revise, edit and
proofread documents understanding the
differences between those activities
• Students will use guidelines for
effective editing, revising and
proofreading
 Editing
• Done as soon as draft
completed
• Sentence level
• Spelling, grammar,
punctuation, word
choice
• One sided: making
corrections
Adapted from: http://slctest.berkeley.edu/writing/EditingvRevision.htm
and http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/editing-and-proofreading/
 Revising
• Document as a whole
• Discussion of questions and observations

Adapted from: http://slctest.berkeley.edu/writing/EditingvRevision.htm

and http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/editing-and-proofreading/
 Proofreading

• Final stage after editing

and revising
• Seeking spelling, spacing,
punctuation and grammar
corrections

Adapted from: http://slctest.berkeley.edu/writing/EditingvRevision.htm

and http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/editing-and-proofreading/
Hints for Revising

• Ratio of writing to
revising time of 1:3

• Look at wording, sentence

structure, word choice, formality,
complexity, and definitions
Hints for Revising
• Look out for sentences beginning
with “there are”
• Use active voice
• Use forceful words, precise meanings
• Consider brevity vs. clarity
• Eliminate elaborate endings
 Hints for Editing
• Is content complete?
• Is the structure logical?
• Is your message clear?
• Are your arguments presented clearly?
• Do your arguments support your
premise/proposal/request?
• Are there any likely counterarguments
that should be addressed?
• Is your tone positive?
Tips for Peer Review
• Can be done blindly
• Encourage changes
• Don’t be defensive
• Thank them for the help
 Can you Read This?
“fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid
too. Cna yuo raed tihs? i cdnuolt blveiee taht I
cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the
ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is
taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.”

From: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060621123427AATFJ3N
Hints for Proofreading
• Take a break from the
document first
• Take your time – go slowly
• Look for one error at a time
• Start in a different place every time
• Read it backwards
• Run grammar check in “explain” mode
• Read it aloud