1. Check the answer, not just the opening
State the reader’s question in one sentence. Then find where the draft answers it. If the useful answer is buried under a broad introduction, move it forward. Remove sections that repeat the point without adding evidence, context, or a necessary next step.
Read each heading as a promise. The following section should deliver on that promise. This catches outlines that look complete while repeating the same general advice in several places.
2. Verify every detail that could cause a problem
Check names, dates, prices, percentages, units, calculations, and links against their sources. A polished sentence can still contain a fabricated citation or an outdated product detail. Open a cited source and confirm that it supports the precise claim you make.
Pay particular attention to qualifiers. “Up to,” “approximately,” “in this sample,” and “under these conditions” may be essential to accuracy. A rewrite that drops them can turn a limited finding into a misleading general claim.
3. Confirm that the experience belongs to you
Remove invented first-person experiences, test results, customer stories, and opinions you do not hold. If the draft says “we tested,” identify the actual test. If it says “customers prefer,” find the evidence or rewrite the claim.
Keep the level of confidence appropriate to the evidence. Where you are making an editorial judgment, make that clear. Where facts are uncertain or time-sensitive, describe the uncertainty and the date that matters.
4. Read for a real person
Ask what the intended reader already knows. Define unfamiliar terms where they first appear. Break up sentences that make the reader hold too many ideas at once. Retain technical language when it is the clearest, most precise choice for that audience.
A readability measurement can point to dense passages, but it cannot judge the explanation itself. Read the draft aloud or ask someone from the target audience to describe the main point back to you.
5. Compare the final draft with the original
A comparison is especially useful after a large rewrite. Scan additions for unsupported claims and removals for missing conditions. Check quoted passages word for word. Look for negations, dates, and small words that change the relationship between ideas.
Do not accept an edit just because it sounds smoother in isolation. Read it in the paragraph and document around it. Keep a version history so you can explain or undo important changes later.
6. Inspect the published format
Preview the final destination. Check heading order, list numbering, tables, link labels, line breaks, and mobile layout. Remove copied markup or invisible artifacts if they cause a problem, then review the text again.
Follow the disclosure and attribution rules that apply to your work. Respect confidentiality and permissions for material you submit to AI services. When every pass is complete, publish the version you have actually reviewed.
Put it into practice.
Compare your final draft →