Essay Proofreading- Make your Words Wonderful!

Essay Proofreading- Make your Words Wonderful! Essay Proofreading- Make your Words Wonderful! Many of us dread the idea of having an essay assigned. As the teacher or professor explains why the assignment is important and how your thesis statement should be constructed, thoughts often turn to the length of the essay and how long it will take to meet the minimum word count. After that, some students start thinking of ways to stretch the essay: Maybe extra line spaces between paragraphs will help. Which font is the largest? How many lines should the heading be? Once the writing begins and the pages are filled, these writers exhale and forget about the assignment. However, to earn a high grade on that essay you’ll need master proofreading. Here are some tips to help that happen! 1. Take a break If you don’t leave a paper until the last minute, set aside your writing and give the assignment time to decompress in your mind. Depending upon the deadline, a couple days will be fine. Proofreading the paper immediately after drafting it will cause the brain to incorrectly fix mistakes in the paper. Time is needed to allow your brain to forget the intended product and focus on what is actually on the page. 2. Focus on one issue before moving on to the next Break up proofreading into several passes. On the first pass, look to make sure words arent repeated excessively. On the next pass, make sure your sentences dont all start the same way. The third pass is for fixing any spelling errors. Attempts to fix all of the problems at once will only lead to overlooking mistakes and missing important corrections. 3. Pay attention to hard facts and proper nouns Ensure that all of your references have been cited properly and that information from sources hasnt been misinterpreted. Placing false information into a graded paper is a recipe for poor performance. Make sure names are spelled correctly and properly capitalized. Sloppy work is always a disappointment. 4. Read a printed version before turning it in! The computer screen can be deceptive. People are used to scanning websites quickly on a computer screen instead of reading slowly for comprehension (like we do with textbooks). Having a printed copy in hand allows you to mark it up with a pen or highlighter. This makes it easier to see and correct the mistakes and guarantee you dont miss anything. 5. Call the professionals! When in doubt, call in people who edit and proofread essays for a living. Your ideas are will be presented in the best version possible and communicated effectively. At we would be thrilled to offer our services.