POLS1009 Chap.14 Self-Editing, Proofreading and Concise Writing
Self-Editing, Proofreading and Concise Writing
This chapter covers the second, writing-focused half of the Week 9 material: what to do once a full draft exists. The course treats writing as a process of understanding the task, planning, writing and polishing, and it insists that revising and proofreading are different jobs done in a set order.
You first check that the draft answers every part of the question, that the introduction and conclusion argue the same thing, and that each paragraph earns its place under the need-to-know test. Only then do you tighten sentences and hunt for typing errors.
The chapter measures sentence bloat directly, showing three invented sentences losing roughly half their words without losing an idea, and names the habits behind most cuts: empty adverbs, long connectors with short equivalents, and redundant pairs.
A worked edit applies the same thinking to a whole paragraph, removing a rhetorical question, a semicolon chain and an anecdote the reader does not need, before a final practice sentence lets you try the same moves yourself on fresh material.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Writing as understanding, planning, writing and polishing
- 02
Why revising comes before proofreading
- 03
Checking the question, the plan and the matching bookends
- 04
Three proofreading methods: aloud, another reader, software
- 05
The need-to-know test for paragraphs, examples, tables and figures
- 06
Sentence bloat and the two-line test
- 07
Wordiness, empty adverbs, short connectors and redundancies
- 08
Semicolons, dashes and rhetorical questions
Worked example · free
Tightening three sentences: word counts before editing and after tightening
- 1Sentence A, 33 to 16 words. Swap the long connector for "to", turn the noun phrase about a decision into the verb "held", drop the counting padding and the repeated location, and shorten the time phrase: "To gather residents' views, the council held six consultation meetings in different suburbs over one month."
- 1Sentence B, 34 to 12 words. Delete the throat-clearing opener and both adverbs, and replace the drawn-out comparison with one adverb: "The survey shows younger and older renters supported the rent cap equally."
- 1Sentence C, 24 to 15 words. Use "although" for the long concessive opener, cut "in size", and remove the doubled ideas in "past experience" and "repeated again": "Although the trial was small, other councils' experience suggests the scheme could be repeated elsewhere."
- 1Meaning check. Compare each pair: the facts each sentence reports survive, and only padding goes.
- 1Totals. The three sentences fall from 91 words to 43, a cut of a little over half, and each is now easier to read in one pass.
Key terms
- Proofreading
- The last stage of polishing, which catches errors of typing, grammar and clarity by reading aloud, asking another reader or using editing software, after structural revision is complete.
- Wordiness
- The use of words that contribute nothing to meaning, such as empty intensifiers or long phrases with a one-word equivalent.
- Redundancy
- A phrase that states the same idea twice, as when a word already implies what its partner adds, so one of the two can be deleted.
- Sentence bloat
- The excess of surplus words and overlong sentences typical of a first draft, removed by cutting phrases and splitting sentences that run past two lines.
- Need-to-know principle
- An editing test that keeps a paragraph, example, table or figure only if the reader actually needs it to follow the argument.
Self-Editing, Proofreading and Concise Writing FAQ
What is the difference between revising and proofreading?
Revising changes the substance: structure, organisation and how clearly ideas come across, and it may mean rewriting or deleting whole paragraphs. Proofreading comes afterwards and fixes surface errors such as typos and grammar. Doing them in that order saves effort, because there is no point perfecting a paragraph that revision later removes.
How do I proofread my own essay effectively?
Use more than one method. Reading aloud exposes sentences that are too complicated, because you trip over them. A second reader can tell you whether the point, the structure and each sentence make sense to someone who did not write them. Proofreading or editing software then catches remaining slips, but it should not be the only check.
How long should a sentence be in academic writing?
The lecture gives a practical test rather than a word count: if a sentence runs beyond two lines, consider splitting it. Ask too whether the idea could be expressed in fewer words. Shorter sentences are easier to follow and leave less room for grammatical slips, so splitting is a safe default.
What are common redundant phrases to avoid?
Redundancies pair words that repeat each other, so one can go. Familiar examples include "revert back", "repeat again", "new innovation" and "the reason why", along with opening a sentence with "in my opinion" and then "I think". Removing them tightens prose without changing what it says.
Should I use rhetorical questions in an essay?
The lecture advises caution. A rhetorical question makes the reader work out your position when you could simply state it, and in academic writing a clear claim is usually stronger. Replace the question with the answer you intend, then support it with evidence in the sentences that follow.
Exam move
Treat editing as a routine with fixed steps rather than a final skim. Take an old assignment and work through the polishing checklist in order: task coverage, matching introduction and conclusion, topic sentences, the need-to-know test, and only then sentence work. For the sentence pass, count the words in five long sentences, tighten them, and count again; aim to cut a third without losing meaning.
Keep a short personal list of the redundancies and padding phrases you catch yourself using. Practise under time pressure too, by editing a single paragraph in five minutes, because written exam answers need the same discipline and leave no time for a slow second draft.
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