LibGuides: Academic Writing: Editing and Proofreading

Editing and Proofreading

What is the editing and proofreading process?

Proofreading involves carefully checking of a piece of writing in search of spelling, grammar and referencing errors.

Editing is generally a more extensive process of reading through the draft of an essay and improving it. It involves three separate checks.

The ‘big picture’ and overall argument.
Paragraph structure.
Looking at the detail.

Each phase requires concentration. Try to move away from noise and other distractions. You’ll identify more errors if you’re focused. Each process requires a different approach, so it’s important to do each separately.

As you check your work, your focus will need to shift from the broad structural level to a more detailed focus at the sentence and word levels. This requires time and attention to detail, so don’t rush this stage. Complete it a section at a time if necessary and allow yourself breaks in between.

Tip: You shouldn’t try to proofread before you have finished editing your assignment. If you’re still editing, you’ll be likely to be adding in new things that will also need to be proofread at some point. Make sure you’re happy with any editing you’ve done before moving on to proofreading for mistakes.

Editing and Proofreading

The big picture and overall argument

Content

Have you answered all parts of the question? Use the marking scheme or any other materials to check you’ve done what’s required.
Look at where the marks have been allocated and check that your answer addresses this.
Is there a clear argument?
Does each paragraph contribute to and support the argument?
Eliminate all the superfluous material before looking for mistakes.
Most of us can benefit from writing more concisely, and our early drafts often contain areas of over-explanation, under-explanation and general waffle, so make sure to trim any unnecessary wording. For example:

Before
Because a great many of the words in this sentence are basically unnecessary, it would really be a very good idea to edit somewhat for conciseness.

After
Because many of the words in this sentence are unnecessary, we should edit it.

Overall structure

Is there a clear introduction and conclusion? Are they consistent and logical? Do your introduction and conclusion agree with the rest of the work? If you contradict yourself, do you explain why?
Is the paragraph order logical? Could you change your paragraph order to make the argument flow better?
Are there clear links and transitions between paragraphs?
Do you have weak sections that have insufficient evidence? Are there any sections you’re happy with but that don’t really answer the brief? Do you really need them?

Different techniques to check effective structure

Use highlighting tools to check for key points and structure.
Make notes in the margins or add comments.
Copy the question or key argument and paste it at the beginning of each paragraph or section. This can help you to check the structure, and that the question is answered throughout the entire assignment. Don’t forget to remove it in the final version.

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear point, topic sentence or idea?
Does the paragraph contribute to the thesis (the main idea, opinion or theory)?
Have you presented relevant evidence for every point, and have you critically analysed it?
Are there any extra or missing ideas in each paragraph?
Check and remove any repetition of ideas.

Clarity

Are all key terms clearly defined for the reader?
Is the meaning of each sentence clear?
If the sentence is unclear, you may need to check the sentence length. Long sentences can easily be separated into shorter sentences, or improved with punctuation.
Have you expressed your ideas succinctly?

Style

Is the tone appropriately formal and objective for the audience?
Avoid slang or abbreviations.
Are there any unnecessary phrases or words such as “due to the fact that”, etc.?

Citations

Are your citations in the correct format?
Have you appropriately cited all paraphrasing and quotations?
Have you provided full details in your end references/bibliography?

Spelling and punctuation check

Use a spell checker (for example, the one in Word) or read backwards word by word. Remember that a spell checker won’t find mistakes with homonyms (e.g., “they’re”, “their” or “there”) or certain kinds of typing error (such as “he” for “the”).

Double check everything:

Proper nouns
Citations
Punctuation
Page numbers
Header and footer material
Consistent use of fonts

Tip: When you use spell checkers, make sure they’re set up for the language you’re writing in.

Tip: Use dictionaries, thesauruses, handbooks and handouts to check anything that you’re unsure of.

Research shows that we should spend between 25-30% of writing time editing. This should be a factor in planning any assignment. Make sure you leave plenty of time.

The Proofreading Process

Allow yourself time away from your work between writing and proofreading. Putting some distance between yourself and your writing helps you spot mistakes more easily. Don’t edit your paper immediately after writing it. Leave it for a day or two and then come back to it. This will give you fresh eyes and allow you to identify more errors.
Have an idea about which common errors to look for. Use your tutors’ feedback on previous assignments to make a list of frequently identified mistakes you need to proofread for. Create your own proofreading checklist consisting of the mistakes you make most frequently. Add any new errors highlighted as you progress. If you tend to make a lot of mistakes, break your proofreading down by checking separately for different kinds of errors. Move from the most important to the least, following whatever technique works best for you to identify each kind of mistake. For example, read through once (backwards, sentence by sentence) to check for fragmented sentences; read through again (forward) to be sure subjects and verbs agree.
Try working from a printout, not your computer screen. Scrolling through pages on a screen can make it easier to miss errors, so use a printed copy and highlight errors as you identify them. If it helps, try using some common proofreading annotations to highlight errors so that you don’t get too distracted with making corrections.

Read your paper out loud to yourself or to a listener. Sometimes writing sounds different in your head than it sounds on paper. This is especially helpful for spotting over-lengthy or incomplete sentences, but you will also hear other problems not always identified when reading silently. As an alternative, have a friend or family member read your paper back to you. Make notes of any places that cause them to pause or stumble.
Use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you are reading. This technique keeps you from moving past mistakes too easily. It’s slower, but this kind of deliberate one-line-at-a-time technique employs exactly the kind of careful discipline that leads to good writing.
Try reading your paper in reverse, working from the end back to the beginning one sentence at a time. Sometimes the brain automatically corrects written mistakes. This strategy helps prevent you from reading for meaning and thus skimming too quickly across what you have written. It’s easy to miss small errors when you read for meaning.
Take your work somewhere new. Sometimes this helps to see the work in a different light.

Before you can edit and proofread your references effectively, you need to know what referencing system you should be using and obtain a style guide for the correct system. If you’re using software to organise your references, ensure you have selected the correct referencing style. Remember you’ll still need to proofread your references to check that the final format is correct and all available information has been included.

Consider which sentences require a reference

Read your essay again.

Is there a sequence of words from a source within your own sentence that you haven’t referenced? Plagiarism software will detect such sequences when not referenced, so take care when paraphrasing or citing others’ work.
Have you used a specific term or phrase associated with a particular source? This is also likely to need referencing, so check if you’re unsure.

Check Your Reference List or Bibliography

Does the referencing system you’re using require a reference list or a bibliography? Have you included one?

A reference list only includes sources you’ve specifically referred to in your essay.

A bibliography includes sources you’ve specifically referred to in your essay, and sources you have read or consulted but not necessarily referred to.

Make sure every source you mention is listed in your reference list or bibliography.
Check that you have provided all the necessary information for each source (author’s name, title of work, place of publication, date of publication, name of publisher, name of journal, volume/issue/number of journal, page numbers for articles or chapters, web URLs and dates accessed, etc.).
Check that you’ve presented all the information in the correct order, using the correct punctuation for your referencing system.

The Library has general referencing guidance and more information about the different referencing styles. Check your module handbook or ask your lecturer if you’re unsure which referencing style you should be using.

Check Your Formatting

Like any skill, editing and proofreading takes time and practice. There’s no alternative to taking time and care over this phase of your writing. Think of it as the crucial finishing touches to a job well done rather than a time-consuming chore!