Note 05 · Editing
Revise from the largest decision to the smallest
Editing is easier when each pass has a clear purpose. Check whether the document does the right work before polishing how individual sentences sound.
Review the route through the document
Read the title, introduction and section headings. Ask whether their order follows the task named at the start. Move a section if a later explanation is needed to understand an earlier claim. Structural changes are cheaper before every sentence has been carefully polished.
Review the evidence
Identify the statements that a reader must trust in order to use the conclusion. Place the needed explanation, example or source nearby. Remove a claim that the document cannot support, or qualify it to match the evidence. Precision often shortens a draft more effectively than deleting words at random.
Finish with sentence work
Replace vague verbs, remove repeated qualifications and shorten phrases whose meaning is already clear. Preserve terms that carry a necessary distinction. The aim is an easier reading path, not the smallest possible word count. Stop when further edits no longer improve the reader task.