Fact · Dictation
In Kellogg's 1988 experiments, composing a rough first draft instead of a polished draft did not improve the quality of the writing.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Composing a rough draft, as opposed to a polished draft, had no beneficial effect on writing quality.”
Attentional Overload and Writing Performance: Effects of Rough Draft and Outline Strategies, Ronald T. Kellogg, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1988, Abstract.
Open the original- What it measures
- Quality was rated by judges. The two strategies tested were a written outline and a rough draft, each aimed at reducing attentional overload while writing.
- What it does not show
- Laboratory writing by hand or on paper, judged by raters. It does not test spoken drafts.