Writing revising text

Our discussion thus far might suggest that one writes the text of the poster first and then simply cuts and pastes it into the appropriate layout. In fact, the text evolves in an iterative way. One drafts the text first, capturing the key ideas that will be shared, but then the text is altered (numerous times) until it fits into the allotted space. Typically, you have less space than you first imagined, requiring that you reduce the number of lines and words in the text. The final texts presented in chapter 9 went through just such an iterative process. We wrote the text first, realized (all too often) that the text would not fit, and then revised it to make it more concise. 

The word processor has facilitated writing because of the ease of revising text. Word processing is a transferable skill valuable beyond the immediate requirements of your chemistry course. Using a word processor should improve your writing skills and speed because you can create, check and change your text on the screen before printing it as hard copy on paper. Once entered and saved, multiple uses can be made of a piece of text with little effort. 

In a supportive group, critiquing each other s writing then revising text based on the group s suggestions... 

Wholesale revision of your first draft is strongly advised for all writing apart from in exams. If a word processor is available, this can be a simple process. Where possible, schedule your writing so you can leave the first draft to settle for at least a couple of days. When you return to it fresh, you will see more easily where improvements can be made. Try the following structured revision process, each stage being covered in a separate scan of your text ... 

The second edition of this book has been made possible by the enthusiasm with which the first edition was received. Many people have taken the trouble to write to me, care of Taylor Francis, and all their comments have been most useful in revising the text. Apart from revisiting the whole text, I have taken the opportunity to include in this edition a full index and comprehensive running heads in order to help the reader locate the exact position of the information that is sought. Furthermore, I have also included a summary at the end of each chapter that is designed to crystallise the points made in each chapter. I hope that each of these changes will increase the value of the work, and the ease with which it can be used. 

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