Editing and proofreading are critical aspects of any writing process. If you wish to create any write-up, then thorough editing and proper proofing are a must. These are systematic processes that involve following specific rules and techniques for the best results. Whether it’s a website service page or a high-school essay, following and implementing the rules of editing/proofreading is the only way to make your content pitch-perfect.
What does it take to edit and proofread an essay perfectly? What are the different rules and techniques to follow? This write-up provides all such details in a concise but intuitive manner. It comes to you straight from the professional essay helper teams of MyAssignment.Live, a global essay and assignment help service, so give it a good read.
How to Edit & Proofread Your Essays The Right Way?
Editing is what you do once you complete the final draft. The process is nothing too complicated – you re-read the draft, paying particular attention to major characteristics such as cohesion, organization of ideas, flow, transitions, sentence variations, narrative, logic, nature of arguments & associated evidence, etc., and refining them as necessary. Additionally, one must also pay attention to the mechanical aspects of the content, that is, the voice, verbs, tenses, pronouns, parallelism, etc.
Editing is primarily about improving a text right from the sentence level. And while many use both terms interchangeably, proofreading is not the same as editing. Proofreading is done after editing. Both demand careful and minute reading, but they focus on different aspects of a text and use different techniques.
Let’s first examine the key aspects of editing an essay (or any other kind of writing).
How & What to Edit in Your Essays?
- Plan carefully. Editing and proofreading are essential in any writing process, so you have to set aside a fixed amount of time for them and plan accordingly.
- DO NOT start editing and proofreading right after finishing writing. You won’t be able to identify any minute flaws unless you get some distance from the text.
- Read it aloud. This can help you pay closer attention to each paragraph, sentence, and word, as well as to common sentence-level mistakes such as run-on sentences, fragments, and vague, unclear, or poorly worded sentences.
- Vary the sentence structure & nature if you find too many of the same type. Mix simple, complex, compound, and complex-compound sentences. Use synonyms to vary the diction. Check if sentences are too wordy or too short.
- Is the content of the essay OK? Did you follow the essay topic, question, or prompt accurately? Is there smooth cohesion and flow among all the ideas, claims, and/or arguments presented? Are arguments clear and logical? Have you provided enough solid arguments and evidence to back up all claims successfully?
- Take a close look at the semantic macro-structure. Pay close attention to the introduction & conclusion. Is the thesis statement clear? Are there seamless transitions between paragraphs? Do all body paragraphs support the thesis statement of your essay?
Does every paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Are they tight and cohesive? Is all information relevant? Does every paragraph link seamlessly to the next so that there is a logical train of thoughts and ideas throughout the essay?
- Style and clarity are other vital factors that may require close edits. Have you defined terms that may seem unclear to the average reader? Is the meaning of every sentence clear? Will your audience clearly understand the overall idea, claim, information, and/or argument that you wish to convey?
structure, and voice of sentences as necessary to improve style and clarity. Watch out for using the passive voice too often, verbosity, unnecessary phrases, too many technical terms, irrelevant elaborations, and/or going off on a tangent.
- Finally, look at the citations and references. Add citations wherever you have borrowed substantially from other sources. Make sure to paraphrase more than you quote. Make sure to use verified, credible, and updated sources of information.
And, those were some expert pointers on essay editing. Did you know that there are different kinds of editing employed across different kinds of writing tasks? Learn more about them here. Then, go on to the following section that wraps up this write-up with some top-notch tips on proofreading. Set aside a dedicated amount of time for editing & proofreading for every essay & academic writing task, and if need be, get essay help online from MyAssignment.Live.
How to Proofread Your Essay Effectively?
Proofreading focuses more on the mechanical aspects and surface errors of a piece of content. You will be looking for errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, checking the word count, and identifying stylistic deviations from the instructions and guidelines presented.
- Pore through everything closely to identify spelling mistakes. Use a dictionary to check and ensure the correct usage of words.
- Check tenses. Look at the subjects of sentences and find out whether they match their corresponding verbs. Is there consistency in tense usage throughout the essay?
- Is the tone and language of the essay appropriate in an academic context? Check the contractions and abbreviations & avoid using too many. Replace frequently used words with the right synonyms. Make sure to avoid colloquialisms and an overall formal, academic tone.
- Typos, incorrect word usage, punctuation & grammatical errors, and inconsistent formatting – are some of the most common surface errors one can find in essays or any other kind of write-ups.
- Is the referencing consistent? Are all quotations referenced properly? Do line spacing and all margins adhere to the requirements and guidelines? Also, check font style and size.
- Look out for common and recurring errors that you tend to make. If need be, create a list and make a conscious effort to identify & eliminate them.
- Find someone else to go through your work. They might locate mistakes and flaws better.
- Check for one issue at a time if you are proofreading for the first time. Read just one line at a time, as that will help you concentrate better.
- Do not rely solely on spelling/grammar checkers for detecting spelling errors.
- Read the text backward, slowly, and carefully. That might help the brain detect errors automatically.
And that brings us to the end of this write-up. Hope all the information in this guide comes in handy when you edit & proofread your essay to perfection. Set aside a dedicated amount of time for editing & proofreading for every essay & academic writing task, and if need be, get essay help online from MyAssignment.Live.
