How To Edit Your Article (The Editing Checklist)

When editing your article, remove repetitions and passive voice, add examples and details, and shorten your sentences and paragraphs. Better still, look out for professor-like wording and replace it with conversational, simple words and sentences – as if writing to your friend.

Are you looking for a guide to edit your article like a pro? You’re in the right place.

When I started writing, I sucked (big time). Here’s a sample of my first article. It has long sentences, long paragraphs, repetitions, and all manner of amateur mistakes. 

If that sounds like your writing, I get you. It’s time to upgrade your writing.

Editing is my second favorite part of writing. And in this guide, I share with you my editing checklist to edit your writing like a professional. 

I tell you what to look at, what to keep, and what to change. 

Do you have your draft ready? 

Let’s go step-by-step. 

Or, use the table of contents below to jump ahead.

Do this before you edit your article

1. Write a short narrative about your most ideal reader—a simple paragraph 

Give them a name, age, gender, and income level. 

Consider what the reader does every day. Are they employed? Do they have kids? 

And consider what they know about the problem you’re addressing. What does the reader believe about the problem? Why do they want to solve this problem? What expectations do they have when reading your article?   

For example, this is the character I had in mind while writing this article.

22-year-old Jane works at home. She earns about $10 an hour as a freelance writer. Jane wants to increase her rate to $20 an hour to buy whatever she wants. She believes high-quality work equals high pay. In her search to improve her article, she discovered editing. Jane now wants to edit better and faster. So she googles, “how to edit my article quickly.”

Simple, right? 

Maybe not so simple. 

If you can’t create a mental image, do this. Find at least one person on a Facebook group that uses your product or service. Then, explore their profile. 

2. Describe your core message in one sentence

Example. How Jane will edit her article quickly using my practical checklist.

When you have the ideal reader and core message in your mind, it’s easier to spot the weaknesses in your article. 

3. Test your draft on the free editor, Hemingway

Click on “Write.” Then delete the sample text, and paste your article. 

Look at your readability score and the recommendations. (more on this later)

Now let’s edit your article. 

Keep your reader and core message in mind as you edit.

The Article Editing Checklist (How To Edit Your Article)

1. Edit Your Introduction
2. Editing The Body
3. Edit Your Conclusion.
4. Remove Common Writing Mistakes
5. Spice Up Your Article
6. Article Editing Tools
7. Format Your Article

Editing The Introduction

Start by reading your intro out loud. Then, make sure you have done these three things in your introduction.

1. Tell the reader what the article is about.
2. Show the reader that you understand their problem. (for example., mention the reader’s problem. Or tell a story that features their problem).
3. Tell the reader what to expect from reading your article. (i.e., show the reader that you will solve their problem).

Then, do two more things:

• Add your target keywords someplace in the first paragraph. Keep your tone natural.
• Limit your introduction to between 50 to 150 words.

Editing The Body

Like in the intro, start by reading the body out loud. Then, look for these things in your body.

1. Did you solve the reader’s problem? 

• Have you answered their question in every way? 

• Did you answer some related questions the reader may have? Get inspiration in the “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches” sections on Google. 
• Have you shown the reader how to solve their problem with your solution? Make it very clear.

2. Do your paragraphs flow in a logical structure? 

• Scan your subheadings. Do they guide the reader from A to Z?
• Do you have transition words guiding the reader? E.g., then, next, yet, etc.
• Do your paragraphs start with a topic sentence? One study found that most web users only read the first sentence in your paragraphs. I bet you do this often. Heck, you might be skimming through this article at the moment. 

3. Have you backed your arguments with credible sources? 

• Examples of credible sources include:
  •  .gov and .edu sites
  •  Articles on Google Scholar  
  •  Books in Google Books 
  • Major news sites
  • High authority websites (e.g., Mayo Clinic for medical topics)
• When using Wikipedia, cite the source used by the Wikipedia author. If you can’t verify the info with a reference, don’t use it.                

4. Do you have any abbreviations (e.g., NHS)?

If yes, have you mentioned the abbreviation’s meaning in a previous sentence? 

5. If you used jargon, have you explained it?

Finally,

6. Place your target keywords in your title, a subheading, and within the body. 

Editing The Conclusion

The conclusion connects the end to the beginning. Do this in your conclusion.

1. Summarize your main points and connect them to the reader’s problem. Or repeat the reader’s question and answer it.
2. Use your target keywords one last time in the final paragraph.
3. Tell the reader the next step. Do you want them to leave a comment or share your article? Maybe you want the reader to book an appointment or buy something? Say it.

Your article is almost ready. 

Let’s finish by improving your sentence structure, word choice, and formatting. It’s simple.

Common Mistakes To Avoid In Your Article

1. Passive voice  

Look for  ‘are’ ‘is’ and ‘by’ in your article. Rewrite the sentences without them.

• E.g.,  If the diet requirements are not reached (passive voice). 
• Rewrite to, If you don’t reach the baby’s diet requirements (active voice).

2. Wordiness 

• Do you have any sentences that add no extra meaning? Ask yourself this, would the paragraph’s meaning change if I remove this sentence? If not, remove it.
• Avoid writing obvious things like, if your baby cries, something might be wrong (everybody knows that). 
• Do you have phrases that you could replace with one word? 
  • E.g., leads to, rewrite to causes.
  •  Due to the fact that, rewrite to since.
  • The mark of the devil, rewrite to the devil’s mark.

3. Long sentences

• Put a full stop wherever you have two ideas joined with ‘and’ or ‘because.’ 
• If you have more than two commas in one sentence, break it.
• If you have more than three items to list, use bullet points. 

E.g., Dairy products are a source of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and various B vitamins. (wrong)

(Correct). Dairy products provide minerals like:

• Calcium
• Phosphorous
• Magnesium
• Zinc
• Vitamin Bs

4. Long paragraphs

• Break down long paragraphs into short paragraphs. Have one idea per paragraph.

5. Avoid words like can and may

Such terms make you sound unconfident. Instead of being vague, please find substantial evidence to support your arguments.

6. Don’t write for a “professor”

Write as you speak. When you read your article out loud, do you get tired before you finish a sentence? You know what to do.

7. Don’t copy another blogger’s voice

It happens if you don’t do enough research. Always write from your unique perspective. Whenever you write, follow your creativity. 

8. Gender-biased pronouns

Don’t use ‘he’ to refer to everyone. (here’s a simple guide on gender-inclusive language)

• Either use he/she. But you will notice that this gets old after using it thrice.
• You could alternate between she and he throughout your text. 
• Or, use they and them.
• Or do like I did in this article. Use something like “the reader.”                                     

You have come a long way. 

Let’s wrap this up.

Spicing Up Your Article

Clear and concise writing does not mean bland. Do these things to improve your article.

• Use examples and analogies to explain your point. Consider your reader’s age and interests before using an example.
• Add questions to engage your reader’s brain.
• Use stories to humanize your article. 
• Add a visual aid (images, infographics, screenshots, charts, etc.).

That’s it! 

Now let’s use technology to gauge your article.

Article Editing Tools

Paste your article on the Hemingway app. Did your score lower? Use the recommendations to improve the article. Focus on eliminating the highlighted issues more than lowering the score.

Then, use these other tools to review and improve your article. 

• Grammarly
• Yoast SEO

Congratulations on getting this far. 

But one last thing before you submit your article.

Formatting Your Article

Let’s format your article to read better to users and search engines.

• Add subheadings to your paragraphs. Use heading 2 for subheadings under the title. Then, heading 3 for subheadings under heading 2. Follow that order.
• Highlight main ideas in bold. It will help a skimmer get the message in seconds.
• Have lots of white spaces between texts. Online users hate blocks of text. 

Next Steps

After editing, read your article out loud as you proofread. Then submit, and ask for feedback.

If you can, ask a friend to review your article. Or hire a professional editor.

Conclusion

Online users love scannable, clear, and credible content. 

When editing your article:

• Shorten your sentences and paragraphs
• Remove filler words
• Back up your arguments with credible sources
• And don’t forget subheadings and white spaces

Read your article out loud like an audiobook. How do you sound? Do the necessary.

If you have any questions, ask me in the comments section below. 

As you keep editing, it gets better, easier, and faster. Then, you will charge more because you deserve it!

And hey, let loose. Have fun with your article. Experiment with it, and stay authentic.

Happy writing!

More Writing resources

• Audience Analysis (video).
• Hemingway’s amazing rules for writing(video).
• Editing and Proofreading (handout)
• How to write for the web (study)

• Guide to improve your English writing skills (article).
• How to write the best blog post in 2021