How hard can it be to proofread your essay? At first glance, it can seem easy as A, B, C. All you need to do is to read the piece you have written and eliminate the mistakes that might be there. However, not everything is as simple as it appears to be at first glance.
In reality, proofreading and editing essays is a long and complex process that requires 100% of attention and dedication. That’s why so many students struggle with it. If that sounds like you too, below you will find the top eight tips and tricks that will help you start proofreading your essays like a pro. Let’s dive in!
1. Get Help
After you have completed a long and complicated essay, proofreading might be the last thing you want to do next. And this is okay. If you feel exhausted, it can make more sense to get professional proofreading help from essayservice.com, a trusted essay writing service, because this way, you will have a guarantee of a good result.
Turning for essay help, be it with writing or editing, can save you plenty of time. At the same time, it will let you hire a real professional with many years of experience. As a result, you will be able to rest assured that your paper will turn out error-free and worth the highest grade.
2. Take a Break
If you prefer to handle proofreading without additional help, here is the first tip we have for you – be sure to take a break between writing and proofreading. If you get to editing straight after writing, you can be too tired to be able to spot mistakes. As a result, you risk ending up with a poorly-edited essay and a low grade.
However, if you do take a break, you will be able to get back to your piece with a fresh look. Ideally, you should set it aside for at least a day. But, if you don’t have much time, taking even a twenty-minute break will still make a difference.
3. Proofread From the End
When it gets to proofreading and editing, to most, it feels rather obvious to start from the beginning of the paper and move through it to the end. However, doing things otherwise can actually be more effective.
Proofreading your essays backward has one major benefit. It allows you to focus on surface grammar and structure elements instead of getting clung to the meaning and overall content. Be sure to try this trick to make the process easier and more productive.
4. Check for One Type of Mistake at a Time
One of the most common mistakes students make while proofreading and editing their works is trying to fix all errors at once. In reality, such an approach is counter-effective. It can make some less obvious types of mistakes go unnoticed. So, instead of proofreading the whole piece just once, give it several rounds of proofreading and focus on one specific kind of error at a time.
5. Know Your Most Common Mistakes
Knowing your own typical mistakes is one more trick that can help you make proofreading simple and stress-free. Each of us has certain strong and weak points.
Your weak sides can include typos, poor punctuation, bad word choice, or anything else. But, as soon as you recognize them and keep them in mind in the process, you will be able to save lots of time on proofreading because you will know what exactly to look for. And, eventually, spotting the same mistakes over and over again can eventually help you stop making them.
6. Read Out Loud
Often, when reading our own writing, we unconsciously make up for some obvious mistakes. However, when we read the same piece out loud, we can hear the difference and spot even the least obvious mistakes.
Therefore, one more tip we have for you is to make it a habit to proofread your essays aloud at least once. Once you try it, you will see how effective this can be.
7. Make Several Rounds of Proofreading
We’ve already mentioned it, but it is worth reminding that proofreading your essay in one round is not really possible. To get the best result, you have to read through your work several times, preferably taking at least small breaks between each round.
8. Use a Reliable Spell-Checker
Finally, there is one more proofreading and editing tip that students can use to their benefit. In the 21st century, we have long got used to relying on technology. So, why not use it to simplify the process of editing?
By using spell-checking and grammar tools, you can track down mistakes that you didn’t notice yourself. Also, such tools can help you improve the word choice and improve the overall structure of your piece. Some tools you can consider are Grammarly, Hemingway, and similar.
But, be sure to use these apps carefully. Keep in mind that not all suggestions of such tools can be applicable to your unique case. So, use them, but don’t rely on them blindly.
The Bottom Line
Proofreading and editing might be tough. However, it is easy to overcome these challenges if you know what exactly to do.
After reading this article, you should have an actionable plan on how to polish your academic papers and get the best result. Follow these tips to keep the process quick and simple.
