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Revising your Proposal: good advice. See chapter 6 in Introduction to Engineering Communication. The three stages of rewriting: Revising . . Editing . . Proofing. Revising : reorganizing, moving text around, rewriting paragraphs and sections Editing : making sentence-level corrections
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Revising your Proposal:good advice See chapter 6 in Introduction to Engineering Communication.
The three stages of rewriting:Revising . . Editing . . Proofing • Revising: reorganizing, moving text around, rewriting paragraphs and sections • Editing: making sentence-level corrections • Proofing: making final corrections for word-choice, punctuation, spacing, format consistency
Revising: Start with the big picture. • Is Executive Summary complete? • Have you reorganized each section according to evaluators’ comments? • Are any paragraphs more than 1/3 page? • If so, then check topic sentence. • Use print preview to check paragraph lengths.
Introduce all major sections: tell the reader what to expect. Major heading Evaluation of Preventative Measures The technical staff evaluated the following measures on the basis of two criteria: 1) how well they address particular problems with management of such disasters and 2) compatibility with existing infrastructure. • Enhanced training for contractors • New legislation requiring stricter stairwell codes for public buildings • Public education in local evacuation plans This section describes these measures, defines the evaluation criteria, evaluates the measures for local application, and suggests a method for prioritizing them. Sub- heading Enhanced Training for Contractors
Customize your headings. Be kind to the reader! • Consider using subheadings in the larger major sections. • Do not use a generic heading such as Analysis. Analysis of what? • Ask yourself: Do section headings make sense for my proposal? • Do you need a section called “Schedule” or are you discussing the schedule as you describe tasks? • In that case the various tasks could be the subheadings, with a schedule graphic at end.
Editing Strategies • Decide whether you are more successful and comfortable editing online or in hard copy. • Get someone else to read particularly troublesome sections. Focus their attention. • Read out loud. • Follow the style sheet you created! • Use grammar checkers for what they can do. • Use the spell checker but also proofread.
Proof Reading with Power • Allow time after editing. • Check whatever comes in pairs (quotation marks, etc.). • Remember that mistakes tend to cluster. • Turn document upside down to check spacing. • Consider reading backwards.
Most Important Tip • Allow time in between revising, editing, and proofreading. Take breaks!