Editing and Proofreading Strategies for Revisions

Some people use the terms "editing" and "proofreading" interchangeably. Others mean something very different with each term:

Editing - The process of looking at the whole paper to note its overall content, organization, and other major issues that make the paper an effective document. (Section A of this handout offers strategies for editing.)

Proofreading - The process of looking more closely at sentences and word choices to be sure they are effective and grammatically correct. (Section B of this handout offers strategies for proofreading.)

Editing: For working on larger issues

Once a rough draft is finished, you should try to set it aside for at least a day and come back to the paper with a fresh mind and thus more easily catch the errors in it. You’ll bring a fresh mind to the process of polishing a paper and ready to try some of the following strategies.

1. Read the Paper Aloud

If we read the paper aloud slowly, we have two senses--the eyes AND the ears--working for us. Thus, what one sense misses, the other may pick up.

2. Check the Thesis Statement and Organization

Write down your thesis on a piece of paper if it is not directly stated in your paper. Does it accurately state your main idea? Is it in fact supported by the paper? Does it need to be changed in any way? On that piece of paper, list the main idea of each paragraph under the thesis statement. Is each paragraph relevant to the thesis? Are the paragraphs in a logical sequence or order?

3. Remember that you are Writing for Others

No matter how familiar they may be with the material, they cannot "get inside" your head and understand your approach to it unless you express yourself clearly. Therefore, it is useful to read the paper through once as you bear in mind whether or not the student or teacher or friend who will be reading it will understand what you are saying. That is, have you said exactly what you wanted to?

4. Check the Paper's Development

Are there sufficient details? Is the logic valid?

5. Check the Paper's Coherence and Unity

Are the major points connected? Are the relationships between them expressed clearly? Do they all relate to the thesis?

Proofreading

No matter how many times you read through a "finished" paper, you're likely to miss many of your most frequent errors. The following guide will help you proofread more effectively.

1. Begin by taking a break.

Allow yourself some time between writing and proofing. Even a five-minute break is productive because it will help get some distance from what you have written. The goal is to return with a fresh eye and mind.

2. Try to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n as you read through a paper.

That will help you catch mistakes that you might otherwise overlook. As you use these strategies, remember to work slowly. If you read at a normal speed, you won't give your eyes sufficient time to spot errors:

3.Reading aloud.

Reading a paper aloud encourages you to read every little word.

4. Reading with a "cover."

Sliding a blank sheet of paper down the page as you read encourages you to make a detailed, line-by-line review of the paper.


*Adapted from Purdue University Online Writing Lab ©1995-2001






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\s15\qc\widctlpar\adjustright \b\ul\cgrid {\caps Editing and Proofreading Strategies for Revisions \par }\pard\plain \widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par }\pard\plain \s16\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par }\pard\plain \s18\li360\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid {Some people use the terms "editing" and "proofreading" interchangeably. Others mean something very different with each term: \par }\pard\plain \li720\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar\adjustright {\b Editing}{ - The process of looking at the whole paper to note its overall conten t, organization, and other major issues that make the paper an effective document. (Section A of this handout offers strategies for editing.) \par }\pard \widctlpar\adjustright {\b \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar\adjustright {\b Proofreading}{ - The process of looking more closely at sentences and word choices to be sure they are effective and grammatically correct. (Section B of this handout offers strategies for proofreading.) \par }\pard\plain \s16\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard\plain \fi-360\li360\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls3\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnstart1\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls3\adjustright \cgrid {\b\ul Editing: For working on larger issues \par }\pard \widctlpar\adjustright {\b \par }\pard\plain \s18\li360\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid {Once a rough draft is finished, you should try to set it aside for at least a day and come back to the paper with a fresh mind and thus more easily catch the errors in it. You\rquote ll bring a fresh mind to the process of polishing a paper and ready to try some of the following strategies. \par }\pard\plain \widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 1.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li720\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls20\pnrnot0\pndec\pnstart1\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls20\adjustright {\b Read the Paper Aloud \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright { \par If we read the paper aloud slowly, we have two senses--the eyes AND the ears--working for us. Thus, what one sense misses, the other may pick up. \par \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 2.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li720\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls20\pnrnot0\pndec\pnstart1\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls20\adjustright {\b Check the Thesis Statement and Organization \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar\adjustright {\b \par }{Write down your thesis on a piece of paper if it is not directly stated in your paper. Does it accurately state your main idea? Is it in fact supported by the paper? Does it need to be changed in any way? On that piece of paper, list the main idea of each paragraph under the thesis statement. Is each paragraph relevant to the thesis? Are the paragraphs in a logical sequence or ord er? \par }{\b \par 3. Remember that you are Writing for Others}{ \par \par No matter how familiar they may be with the material, they cannot "get inside" your head and understand your approach to it unless you express yourself clearly. Therefore, it is useful to read the paper thr ough once as you bear in mind whether or not the student or teacher or friend who will be reading it will understand what you are saying. That is, have you said exactly what you wanted to? \par }{\b \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 4.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li720\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls21\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart4\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls21\adjustright {\b Check the Paper's Development}{ \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright { \par Are there sufficient details? Is the logic valid? \par \par {\pntext\pard\plain\s1 \b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 5.\tab}}\pard\plain \s1\fi-360\li720\keepn\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls21\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart4\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls21\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\cgrid {Check the Paper's Coherence and Unity \par }\pard\plain \li360\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par Are the major points connected? Are the relationships between them expressed clearly? Do they all relate to the thesis? \par }\pard \widctlpar\adjustright { \par }{\ul \par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls14\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnstart1\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls14\adjustright {\b\ul Proofreading}{ \par }\pard\plain \s16\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par }\pard\plain \s18\li360\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid {No matter how many times you read through a "finished" paper, you're likely to miss many of your most frequent errors. The following guide will help you proofread more effectively. \par }\pard\plain \widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 1.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li720\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls22\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart1\pnindent420\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls22\adjustright {\b Begin by taking a break}{. \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright {\b \par }{Allow yourself some time between writing and proofing. Even a five-minute break is productive because it will help get some distance from what you have written. The goal is to return with a fresh eye and mind. \par }\pard \li660\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright { \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 2.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li720\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx720{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls22\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart1\pnindent420\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls22\adjustright {\b Try to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n as you read through a paper}{. \par }\pard \li360\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright {\b \par }{That will help you catch mistakes that you might otherwise overlook. As you use these strategies, remember to work slowly. If you read at a normal speed, you won't give your eyes sufficient time to spot errors: \par \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 3.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li780\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx780{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls22\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart1\pnindent420\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls22\adjustright { }{\b Reading aloud. }{ \par }\pard \li420\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright { \par Reading a paper aloud encourages you to read every little word. \par }\pard \li660\widctlpar{\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }\adjustright { \par {\pntext\pard\plain\b\cgrid \hich\af0\dbch\af0\loch\f0 4.\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li780\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx780{\*\pn \pnlvlbody\ilvl0\ls22\pnrnot0\pndec\pnb1\pnstart1\pnindent420\pnhang{\pntxta .}}\ls22\adjustright {\b Reading with a "cover."}{ \par }\pard \li420\widctlpar\adjustright { \par Sliding a blank sheet of paper down the page as you read encourages you to make a detailed, line-by-line review of the paper. \par }\pard \widctlpar\adjustright { \par \par }{\b *Adapted from Purdue University Online Writing Lab}{ }{\b \'a91995-2001}{ \par \par \par \par \par }\pard\plain \s16\widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par }\pard\plain \widctlpar\adjustright \cgrid { \par \par \par }}