Editing and proofreading are terms that are often used interchangeably. However, these are actually two different things. Editing is all about content, structure, clarity, and style. It makes your essay more consistent. Also, editing helps fix referencing issues common in students’ works.
Proofreading, however, takes less time. It allows you to catch the most striking errors, improve readability, and cut sentences that are too long.
Thus, an early draft usually requires lots of editing. On the contrary, a ready-to-submit paper will benefit from proofreading, which generally takes less effort.
Do you want to learn how to edit and proofread your paper for it to be flawless? Would you like to learn how to do it quickly while missing no error? It’s an art you can easily master.
You will have to write many essays and assignments as a student. You are expected to submit papers of impeccable quality. For this reason, you must allocate some time for revision, editing, and proofreading when writing an essay. Even if you have just two pages to write, they must be checked for punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors.
If you order your essay with professional essay writing companies, of course, you can expect them to proofread and edit the final paper. For example, every essay writer from EssayHub helps each other in revising by exchanging papers upon completion. In addition, they send their work to another professional writer, which helps them simplify the proofreading stage.
You can ask your friend to revise and edit your paper for you. Yet, if you don’t have someone to exchange your papers with, there is a way you can become a professional proofreader yourself. Here is what writers suggest doing:
Get Some Distance
First of all, do not start editing and proofreading right after you finish writing. It’s hard to spot a mistake in the text that you have just written. Otherwise, you risk missing a lot of errors.
Take some fresh air or read a book. It would help if you were completely distracted from writing for a few hours. Afterward, you’ll be able to take a fresh look at everything you’ve written and edit what you have there. In addition, you’ll get the advantage of someone who reads the paper for the first time, so you’ll be able to see mistakes that were hard to spot before.
Choose the Best Medium for You
Some people find commenting and editing Word files easier on their personal computer, laptop, or tablet. Others find it easier to print files and then leave marks on them. If you want your editing and proofreading to be effective, start by determining what process is the best for you.
Add Colors and Fonts
Use different colors and fonts when you edit and proofread the document to be able to highlight important things and better connect ideas later. If your goal is to improve readability and make your essay more consistent, different colors, fonts, and styles can help you get a better perspective on what was written.
Arrange a Place
To edit and proofread your essay yourself, you must find a quiet place for the task. It means you need to feel comfortable in the room and minimize all distractions. Turn off your phone and other notifications and focus on revising.
Sitting in front of the TV makes it harder to focus on reading and correcting mistakes. The quality of this work will be low as you can hardly think of anything else rather than what’s on the TV.
Divide Editing into Several Parts
Writers working for professional essay writing companies usually edit papers in blocks. It lets them focus on work better, maximizing their concentration. You should do the same if you want to make sure your text reads smoothly.
If you believe this work is extra and it’s already taking so much time, find proofreaders by checking NoCramming, an essay review site with the highest rating. Reading reviews will help you find the perfect essay writing or editing service.
Learn to Prioritize
If you have several assignments to proofread and edit, start with the largest and most urgent ones. Otherwise, you may decide to deal with the easiest texts first, spend your precious time, and then have no resources for the difficult ones.
Instead, prioritize your assignments the other way. Deal with the most challenging projects first because you’ll always have time for small, easy ones. It will help you handle complex tasks when you are the most energetic and attentive.
Takeaway
Be especially aware when it comes to editing and proofreading because this is essential for a high-quality paper. A professor can immediately understand if a student proofread the text or not. That’s why this stage should be included in your timeline, no matter how easy the paper is. The tips listed above can make the whole process easier and more enjoyable for you.
