If you received a grade on your first essay that you don't like -- or if you just feel like revising to gain further insight into your own thinking or topic -- please follow these directions.

Revision is always allowed. I put no ceiling on the grade a paper can receive, regardless of what its first grade is. That means even if you score a 25% on the first paper, you can revise it up to a 100%. The only points you can't recover are points taken away for a late turn in.

However, to revise, you must commit to the process. I will not regrade papers to which only superficial changes have been made. What does that mean? If you only correct the typos, that's not revision: that's editing that should have happened the first time around.

True revision means re-seeing the paper, recreating it, rewriting it. If you choose to revise, please re-read the pieces on revision and plan to spend several hours running your paper through those processes. Then, complete the following:

1. Thoroughly revise your paper. Use my feedback, the revision readings, and any additional resources you can to do this (for example: visit me in office hours or set up an online conference; use the Writing Center or the Online Writing Lab; consult a librarian for help with sources). 

2. Write at least one page, double spaced, about the revision process that answers the following questions:

a. What did you change? Why?

b. What was challenging about this revision?

c. Given as much time and attention as possible, what would you continue to work on with this paper?

3. Submit your paper and the separate reflection document to the Revisions Dropbox, available under Start Here: Orientation and Resources.

All revisions are due before Friday of Week 10. Revisions received before that may be returned before the end of the course, depending on when they are received.

Last modified: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 4:32 PM