Revision is a chance to re-work your paper at the major levels such as structure, content, and organization. Revision is not the same as editing or proofreading. Do your editing and proofreading after you have considered more global changes (such as structure, content, and organization).
Can I wait at least 24 hours between finishing my draft and going back to revise it?
Can a reader easily identify my “thesis statement?”
Do my thesis, paragraphs, and topic sentences all work together and deal with the same topic?
Do I avoid tangential information that might throw the reader off track?
Have I included all the parts or sections required by the assignment?
Have I used examples, quotes, facts, figures, tables, or other supporting material to document and reinforce the main points in my paper?
Have I properly documented all information borrowed from sources?
Have I followed the organization articulated in the assignment? Does each part of the paper flow logically from the preceding part?
Have I used transitional words and phrases to guide the reader paragraph-by-paragraph and section-by-section?
Is the tone appropriate for my intended audience, neither too formal or informal? Is the tone consistent throughout the paper?
Have I followed the paper format specified in the assignment instructions?
Is the format I've chosen compatible with the genre and content of my paper?