ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Revision: reconsider what a draft says and how it is arranged
Revision means making changes to an existing piece of work. In this writing example, we look at the message, its order, and what a reader needs—not only spelling or punctuation. Proofreading is a narrower surface check near the end. Both can matter, but they ask different questions.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
A revision does not have to make a draft longer. Removing an unsupported statement, moving an important detail earlier, or replacing a confusing example can be a revision. The reason for the change should be understandable to the person whose work it is.
A before-and-after example
In this invented example, a teen is writing a label for their model of an imaginary town. The draft begins, “Every house has a garden,” then describes the model's shops and streets. On rereading, the teen notices that only the houses on one street have gardens. Correct spelling would not make that opening accurate.
They replace the first sentence with “The houses along the canal have gardens.” They also move the explanation of the colored street labels before the tour of individual buildings, so the label introduces its own key before referring to it. One change narrows a claim; the other changes the order of information.
A parent suggests calling the town “beautiful.” The teen leaves that out because the label explains what is in the model rather than asks the reader to admire it. Adding praise would not address the chosen revision questions. The revisions keep the teen's original topic. This is an ordinary writing example, not an assessment of a student's performance.
Choose one revision question
What this page is trying to do:
Who will read it:
One question that reader still cannot answer:
Part I plan to add, move, shorten, or remove:
Why I am making that change:
A suggestion I am not adopting, and why:
Version or copy I will keep before changing it:
The last field is a practical choice, not a guarantee that software will preserve an earlier version. Check the actual tool before relying on its history or undo behavior.
Give feedback that leaves an author in charge
A parent can describe where they became confused rather than silently rewriting the text. A student can ask an educator which requirement a comment refers to. Partners working on a shared message can distinguish factual corrections from style preferences and decide who will make the agreed changes.
When a fact changes, revisit the sentences that depend on it. In the model label, a later reference to “everyone's garden” would also need reconsideration. If the material summarizes a source, compare the revised wording with that source again rather than assuming an earlier check covers the new version.
Know when to stop this pass
You can finish a revision pass when the particular question you chose has been addressed, then decide whether another pass is needed. Our example does not require endless polishing or guarantee a better grade. For an assignment or shared publication, follow its actual requirements and review arrangements.
Related guides
Updates and corrections
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Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.