2부 · 원고 쌓아 올리기 — 07화

Planning, Drafting, and Revising

Chapter purpose. By the end of this chapter, you should be able to apply the central concepts to a real assignment, research paper, thesis, or article in your own discipline.

Plan the argument

Begin with a working question and a provisional answer. Group evidence by the reasons that support that answer, not merely by the order in which sources were read. An outline should display relationships among claims. It may change as the writer discovers new evidence or identifies a stronger structure.

Draft functional paragraphs

A paragraph should advance one controlling idea. The topic sentence establishes its function; evidence supports the point; analysis explains how the evidence matters; and a transition connects the paragraph to the larger argument. Paragraph length should follow the work required, not a fixed number of sentences.

Revise in layers

Global revision addresses purpose, argument, evidence, and organization. Paragraph revision addresses unity, development, and progression. Sentence editing addresses clarity, precision, grammar, and style. Proofreading comes last. Correcting commas in a section that will later be deleted wastes time.

Use feedback actively

Do not treat feedback as a list of corrections. Categorize comments, identify recurring causes, and decide what revision principle applies across the text. When advice conflicts, return to the assignment, evidence, and decision authority. Keep a revision memo that records substantial changes.

Feedback cycles with instructors and supervisors

Effective feedback begins with a focused request. Sending an entire draft with "Please check my English" transfers an undefined task to the reader. Instead, identify the document stage and two or three priorities: argument structure, methodological alignment, interpretation, or sentence-level editing. If the draft is incomplete, label missing sections and state what kind of response would help at that stage. A respectful academic email in Korea should be concise and explicit. Use a subject line that names the course or project and action, address the instructor with the appropriate title, give necessary context, state the request, propose a realistic date, and attach a clearly named file. Example: "Subject: Request for feedback on thesis proposal methods section—Kim, Applied Linguistics. Dear Professor Park, I have revised the sampling and analysis sections following our July 10 meeting. Could you please comment on whether the proposed analysis answers Research Question 2? Feedback by July 24 would allow me to revise before the departmental deadline on August 2. The revised file and a one-page change summary are attached." After a meeting, send a short decision record when the project is complex: what was agreed, what you will do, what the supervisor will review, and the next date. This is not a legalistic record; it prevents language-related misunderstandings and makes progress visible. In laboratories and seminars, observe local norms about circulation, response time, speaking order, and credit, but request clarification when a norm affects authorship, ethics, safety, or assessment.