When you’re done with your paper and are ready to revise, you might be unclear where to start. Revising isn’t hard, but after you’ve spent hours trying to reach your word count, the last thing you want to do is look it over and decide what stays and what goes. Well, we’ve got good news for you!Writers from a service that helps students asking “take my exam online” called Takemyexamonline let us in on a little secret to revising your paper fast. It’s called reverse outlining. If you’ve never heard about this technique, we’ll tell you what it is and how you can use it to revise your papers faster and better than ever before.
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What Is a Reverse Outline?
You’ve heard of an outline, right? That’s the thing that you should have done before you started to write, planning out the structure of your paper and adding in evidence to make the writing process more manageable. If you took time on your outline, the writing process was likely a breeze, making reverse outlining easier to do.
Reverse outlining is taking your finished essay and creating an outline based on what you read. The idea is to dissect your written paper and make sure that there is a clear thesis statement, paragraphs with ideas and evidence, and a conclusion that ties everything together. If you’ve never created a reverse outline before, we’re here to show you how and, we promise, once you create one, you’ll want to do it for every single writing assignment.
Constructing a Reverse Outline
To start, take out a clean sheet of paper and pen, you probably don’t want to use your computer for this one. Then, write up the structure of your final essay, leaving space in between each paragraph so that you can take notes. Then, follow the outline below to create your reverse outline.
Intro:
Take a look at your introductory paragraph and make sure that it has:
- A clear roundup of the ideas you’re presenting in your paper.
- Gives the reader your position on the topic.
- A clear thesis statement that sums up your paper in one sentence.
First Idea:
Then, move on to each of your supporting paragraphs. When analyzing ideas, check for:
- The appearance of your first point
- A funnel-like structure that goes from very general to specific.
- Support to back up your claims (go for at least two pieces of solid evidence).
- Analysis of what the claims mean and how they tie into your idea.
Other Ideas:
Just like the first idea you’re presenting, you’ll need to do the same for all other ideas throughout your writing assignment. Just like before, make sure each body paragraph has:
- A supporting argument
- Evidence
- Precise analysis of what it means for your paper.
Conclusion:
In the end, check out your conclusion. It should summarize your thoughts and leave your readers with a clear understanding of your stance and the reason behind it. Look for:
- A summarization and a connection to your thesis statement.
- A clear ending that leaves your readers thinking about the ideas you presented.
After you’re done with the structure, it’s time to start analyzing. Because you’ve already written your paper, you can check off each thing on the list as you read through to see if anything is missing.
Things to Check for
Once you have your reverse outline constructed and ready to go, use this to help you find the things you should check for.
Thesis Statements
Writers at a professional assignment writing service know the power of a thesis statement. It’s essential to your paper and tells readers what they are about to read and your thoughts on the topic. If you notice that your intro and supporting paragraphs don’t have a thesis statement, that’s something that you’ll need to change immediately. Add a clear- and thought-out thesis to all your paragraphs and make the one in the introduction the most powerful.
Unclear Statements
Because you’re taking a detailed look at your paper, you’ll be able to identify things that don’t make sense. While looking at each paragraph, ask yourself if you have the necessary elements needed to paint a clear picture of your ideas and thoughts for each idea you present.
Support to Back Up Ideas
Once you know the ideas you’d like to present in each paragraph, check to see that you back up your ideas with solid evidence. Support is key to making your ideas believable and helping readers understand the ideas you’d like to present. With each idea you present, make sure there is clear evidence that makes ideas believable to readers.
Analysis to Tie Ideas Together
Not only do you need evidence to back up your ideas but, you also need to show readers how each idea brings you to your conclusion. What is it about the claims that you’re making that make your final thoughts valid? If you see that there is no analysis for each idea (or some aspects are insufficiently covered), you need to add it in.
Transitions
Putting some order throughout your paper will make it easier to read and amp up the flow. Between each paragraph, check to see that you’ve added transitions that readers can follow along with and know they are changing ideas and thoughts. By organizing your claims in a logical way, your readers will understand your thoughts better.
Essay Writing is a Cyclical Process
From your first outline to research, writing, revising, and reverse outlining, the writing process seems a bit cyclical. The key is to check that your ideas flow and that there is no choppiness throughout your paper. By creating a reverse outline, you can give your readers a cleaned-up version of your paper that’s easier and more interesting to read.
Reverse outlining is part of our process, helping us put the finishing touches on every single essay.
