How to Edit or Proofread an Essay or Paper

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Editing papers and essays can often be a daunting task. With these steps, a much clearer and well-written piece can certainly be formed.

Steps

1. Look over your writing from the past. Identify frequent critical errors and rank them by severity of the error or mistake. By doing this, you may be able to recognize where you frequently have trouble in your writing.
   
2. Visit the Chicago Manual of Style and Strunk and White's "Elements of Style at the links below. Both websites include a search feature. Depending on what your common mistakes may be, you can type them into the search field and a number of results will be displayed. The "Chicago Manual of Style" may ask you to register, however, the registration is free and relatively quick and easy to do.
   
3. Write as you normally would, then apply some of the tips and ideas from the two previously mentioned online style guides to your writing after you finish the first draft.
   
4. Take a break from the work you have just completed before you begin editing. The break can be anywhere from five minutes to a day or two. Editing and proofreading is a pretty important step in the process, and taking a slow and steady approach will allow you to find as many mistakes as you can. Once again read over the paper, looking for mistakes in all areas from grammar ensuring that there is a coherent thesis.
   
5. Read it by sliding a blank piece of paper down the page, doing a line-by-line analysis of what you are reading. Try to put yourself in the place of the reader and see things from their perspective.
   
6. Allow someone else to read over your paper and have them point out the areas of your essay that may have confused them and the statements that could have been worded better. Since they are not the writer, they may catch errors that you may never have noticed.
   
7. Divide the parts of your paper into two categories: high order concerns (HOC) and low order concerns (LOCs).
   
8. HOCs include:
   • Thesis or focus: Make sure the paper has a central thesis. Ask someone to read the first paragraph or two and tell you what he or she thinks the paper will discuss.
   • Audience and purpose: Who is the audience for this paper? What is the purpose or intention behind the paper? Why should anyone read your paper?
   • Organization: Is the language and structure of the paper smooth? Make a brief outline and decide if the organization makes sense and if any parts should be moved.
   • Development: Find places where more details, examples, or specifics could be used. Do any paragraphs seem much shorter and in need of more material than others? Have someone read the paper and let you know if something is unclear and needs more explanation or support.
   
   
9. LOCs include sentence structure, punctuation, word choice, and spelling. Keep a list of problems that recur and check for those.
   
10. Read the paper aloud, watching and listening for anything that sounds incorrect. Know why punctuation marks were placed in certain places. Check any punctuation rules if you’re unsure.
    

Tips

• Allow someone else to read your paper.
  
• Most of the time constant writing and erasing can make you miss obvious mistakes, because you get used to seeing them.
  
• Reading your work aloud will help you to identify syntax errors, confusing phrases and repeated words. Reading aloud to another person will amplify this benefit.
  
• If you are using a computer, resist the urge to delete entire sentences or passages. Instead, cut them (highlight and CTRL-X) and paste them (CTRL-V) to the end of the document or to another document. This will help you to avoid the regret of forgetting potentially useful content, and it will be easy to undo hasty edits.
  

Warnings

• Give yourself enough time to edit and re-edit.Try to condense as much as you can.
  
• Review your notes for quotations, statistics and paraphrases that are not properly cited. No matter how perfect your grammar, plagiarism can still destroy your grade.
  
• These guidelines are not flawless or perfect and they do not guarantee students an A or a first place prize in the essay contest.
  
• If you are in need of professional help, try easyessayedit.com
  

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Sources and Citations

• Strunk and White’s Elements of Style
  
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online
  
• OWL at Purdue University Proofreading Strategies
  

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