Module 10 - Draft
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Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3
Activity 1: Introduction
Once you have completed a successful outline, you are ready to begin drafting your research paper. Use your outline to guide your drafting. If, as you write, you decide to alter the organization set out in the outline--this is considered a revision. Just make sure that deviating from the outline will produce a better, easier to read research paper. Also keep in mind there is not one way to draft a research paper, even though your outline may suggest otherwise. For example, if you want to write the conclusion first, then the introduction, go ahead. Your first draft does not need to follow the order in which the research paper will be read.
If at all possible, share your draft with someone. Let your reader know your intended audience. Ask for your reader(s) comments, questions, and suggestions. Talking with someone else who has read your draft is one of the most useful strategies toward revision. Simply ask your reader, “Does this make sense to you? What are the strengths of my draft? What would improve my writing?”
It is also a good idea to put your draft aside for a day or two so that when you come back to it, you’ll see your draft in a new light. Writers often report that when they come back to a draft after a few days, they see new opportunities for revision.
Generally, working with a draft involves both revising and editing. Either process can take place at any time.. Revision includes the following processes: take something out; add something; rearrange the order of presenting information; substitute something by taking something out and putting something in its place; replacing entire sections; or starting over. Editing, of course, is checking for writing conventions such as punctuation, spelling, usage, and formatting.
