Do you want to get a single tip for academic writing that works for all types of assignments and every single student? Give yourself enough time! Time is an essential ingredient to successful college papers. When you have enough of it, you can focus on the research process and you won’t be stressed during the writing stages. Most important of all, you’ll be able to bring the paper to perfection through the revising and proofreading stages.

Let’s focus on those final stages of academic writing. Students tend to skip them. They usually start working on their essays late, so they rush through the writing process and submit the paper in its first draft. That’s a big mistake. Revisions won’t take too much of your time. If you stay focused, you can go through that stage in a couple of hours.

How to Revise College Papers: Main Steps

1. Understand What Editing Means

Many students mistake the editing (revisions) stage for proofreading. They read the paper once and fix a few grammar, spelling, and syntax issues. They may even use an online proofreading tool (such as Grammarly) to do this. But that’s not what editing is.

This is a thorough stage of evaluation. It addresses the core elements of writing, such as the thesis statement, argumentation, logical flow, gaps in information, correct use of words, and overall quality of writing. 

That’s why this stage takes more time than mere proofreading. You’ll still proofread that paper. But you’ll do it on the final draft, after the revisions process is completed.

• Focus on the Main Point

When revising a paper, you start by focusing on its main aspect: the thesis statement. Check: can you easily identify it at the end of the introduction? Is its format adequate regarding your professor’s requirements? Does the thesis statement clearly convey your idea, without any potential for misunderstandings?

If you’re sure that the thesis statement is fine, you’ll have other things to check:

• The introductory paragraph should naturally lead to that statement
• Each argument from the body paragraphs must be directly related to it
• The conclusion should restate this thesis and explain how you proved it

• Check the Arguments

An essay’s body usually consists of three paragraphs. Each of them has one main argument in the first sentence. The remainder of the paragraph is reserved for an explanation of that argument and its association with the thesis statement. At the end of this section, you should include a transition that would naturally lead to the next argument. 

Students often forget to ensure this logical flow during the stage of revisions. This is the part that takes the most time, but make sure to go through it!

• Writing of a college paper for money.

Many students rely on a writing service when they cannot complete a paper. They collaborate with professional authors, who write college papers for money and guarantee to deliver top-notch essays by a pre-set deadline. Don’t forget: the services that offer writing help can also edit your content. They will accept papers that you have written, and they will improve them in all aspects for an affordable price.

It is understandable why students struggle with editing. Even professional writers rely on expert editors. A stage requires a view from an independent party. The editor is not biased to your point of view, so they will see if you expressed in a way that is easy to understand. The editor will pay attention to all elements of writing. They will deliver a flawless paper before your deadline, so you will still have time to run the final check.   

The Main Rule of Editing: Don’t Be Afraid to Cut

After spending so many hours on the paper, you do not feel like losing any parts of it. You spent a lot of energy on research, and you feel like all the information in the content is important. This is why students often end up with essays that are longer than required. They even use tricks to make the paper look longer. 

Your professors gave you strict instructions. If a 500-word essay is required, several pages of content that exceed 1000 words will not impress them. You are only taking their time that way. During the editing stage, make sure to remove fillers. Leave only the strong arguments that make sense. Your paper will be much more impressive when you lose unnecessary parts.

BIO: Vendy Adams has a strategy in life: read something every day, and write something every week. Reading and writing helped her to overcome the most difficult challenges in her life. Vendy loves sharing tips on writing, since she wants everyone to fall in love with that activity.