how to proofreading an essay

Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about.

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

• Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours, days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh eyes.
• Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
• Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size, spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a different perspective on what you’ve written.
• Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
• If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
• If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding assignments and developing an argument .)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions .)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development .)

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language .)

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading, especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished, you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below. Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

• Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type “your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of “their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.
• Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.
• Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting one kind of mistake won’t catch others.
• Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud , which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
• Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy, try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the line you’re working on.
• Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.
• Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.
• Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.
• Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure about something, look it up.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you are drafting the paper.

Think you’ve got it?

Then give it a try, if you haven’t already! This handout contains seven errors our proofreader should have caught: three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors. Try to find them, and then check a version of this page with the errors marked in red to see if you’re a proofreading star.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Especially for non-native speakers of English:

Ascher, Allen. 2006. Think About Editing: An ESL Guide for the Harbrace Handbooks . Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Lane, Janet, and Ellen Lange. 2012. Writing Clearly: Grammar for Editing , 3rd ed. Boston: Heinle.

For everyone:

Einsohn, Amy. 2011. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications , 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Tarshis, Barry. 1998. How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes . New York: Three Rivers Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Tips For Effective Proofreading

Proofread backwards. Begin at the end and work back through the paper paragraph by paragraph or even line by line. This will force you to look at the surface elements rather than the meaning of the paper.

Place a ruler under each line as you read it. This will give your eyes a manageable amount of text to read.

Know your own typical mistakes. Before you proofread, look over papers you have written in the past. Make a list of the errors you make repeatedly.

Proofread for one type of error at a time. If commas are your most frequent problem, go through the paper checking just that one problem. Then proofread again for the next most frequent problem.

Try to make a break between writing and proofreading. Set the paper aside for the night — or even for twenty minutes.

Proofread at the time of day when you are most alert to spotting errors.

Proofread once aloud. This will slow you down and you will hear the difference between what you meant to write and what you actually wrote.

Try to give yourself a break between the time you complete your final version of the paper and the time you sit down to edit. Approaching your writing with a clear head and having at least an hour to work on editing will ensure that you can do a thorough, thoughtful job. The results will definitely be worthwhile.

Ask someone else to read over your paper and help you find sentences that aren’t clear, places where you’re being wordy, and any errors.

Try reading backwards, a sentence at a time. This will help you focus on the sentences, rather than getting caught up in the content of your paper.

Know your own patterns. Your instructor can probably help you identify the errors you’ve made most often in your previous papers, and then you can focus your attention on finding and fixing them.

Read through your paper several times , once looking just at spelling, another time looking just at punctuation, and so on. Again, this can help you focus so you’ll do a better job.

Use the spell-checker on your computer, but use it carefully, and also do your own spell-checking. Computer spell-checkers often make errors – they might suggest a word that isn’t what you want at all, and they don’t know the difference between there, their, and they’re, for example.

Get help. If you’re not sure if you need that comma or whether to use “affect” or “effect,” look it up in a writing handbook, or ask your instructor for help.

Remember that editing isn’t just about errors. You want to polish your sentences at this point, making them smooth, interesting, and clear. Watch for very long sentences, since they may be less clear than shorter, more direct sentences. Pay attention to the rhythm of your writing; try to use sentences of varying lengths and patterns. Look for unnecessary phrases, repetition, and awkward spots.

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Proofreading Guide for Beginners: An In-Depth Walkthrough of This Career

Ashleigh Ferguson

So you want to be a proofreader? Great! Whether you’re looking to proofread as a side-hustle or as your career, proofreading is a viable option for a satisfying and lucrative job.

Kudos to you for taking the next step by researching the possibilities.

If you’re already a big fan of ProWritingAid, you’re already a lover of words and the mechanics of writing. You’re definitely ready to take the plunge.

We’re going to make this really easy for you. This article is your one-stop guide to becoming a proofreader.

What Is Proofreading?

Who is a proofreader what does a proofreader do, what does proofreading involve, how do i become a proofreader, what skills are needed for proofreading as a job.

• What’s the Average Salary for Proofreading Jobs?

Before I explain what proofreading is, we need to briefly touch on the stages of editing.

While the editing process may vary from person to person, there are a few key stages that are always included:

• Developmental editing
• Copy editing
• Proofreading

As you can see, proofreading is the final stage of the editing process. It is the final check after formatting and before self-publishing or sending a manuscript to an agent or publisher.

As a proofreader, what exactly is your job?

A proofreader reads a book’s printed proof to check for typesetting errors before the final print run.

They don’t work with the author on their manuscript to make any substantial changes to the story. If you’re looking for a more interactive role, then you might be looking to be an editor .

If you’re going to be a proofreader there are few things that will become a part of your routine.

While responsibilities might vary from company to company and job to job, as a proofreader you’ll be responsible for catching spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

There are many niche areas of proofreading that you can dabble in. For example, you may choose to work on documents specifically related to law, medicine, technology, or art.

For our purposes, we'll focus on the tasks you might complete as a proofreader for fiction manuscripts.

These are a few of the questions you’ll ask yourself as you proofread:

• Are the italics consistent?
• Are the headings all formatted correctly?
• Are there any missing page numbers?
• Is there any double spacing between words?
• Are there any missing headers or footers?
• Is the quotation mark usage consistent? (e.g. all curly or all straight)

These aren't all of the things you'll look for, but this list gives you an idea of the kinds of errors and inconsistencies you'll need to spot.

No matter where you are in life, if you want to become a proofreader, there are options. Let’s look at the educational requirements.

What Degrees Can Help Me to Become a Proofreader?

Let’s start with degrees. Majors in Communication, English, and Journalism are common for proofreaders—but they're not essential.

These particular degrees all introduce you to the rules of grammar and writing, as well as helping familiarize you with writing to a certain style guide. Plus you’ll have a leg up in proofreading vacancies that require a first degree.

If you’re a final year English student who’s unsure of what to do with your degree, proofreading is definitely an option. Or maybe you’re already in the communications industry. Proofreading is a great way to pivot into another related field.

"Proofreading" as a job title is a bit of a broad brush, so you might want to niche down a bit. Certain positions will definitely call for an advanced degree and perhaps experience in a particular area.

For example, a background in law will give you an advantage if you were to apply for a position proofreading legal documents.

How to Become a Proofreader Without a Degree

However, that’s not to say that you can’t be successful without a degree. In fact, certifications are becoming more commonplace. These courses will cover a few things such as:

Make sure you evaluate the courses against your needs so you’re getting exactly what you need out of it.

Major accredited institutions include the U.S. Proofreader Certification Association or the Editors Association of Canada.

Both are referred to as the gold standard when it comes to being certified as a proofreader.

The process is similar for both: you select the credentials that best suit you, pay the requisite fees and take the exam, and if you pass you’re all set! You’re now a certified proofreader.

The next step is to find clients in your chosen niche. You can also supplement what you learn in your courses with writing experience. Seeking out internships is a sure way to gain relevant experience that puts you in a better position to land a job.

In addition to training, there are certain skills that you’re going to need if you want to become a proofreader. Let’s look at soft skills and technical skills.

Soft Skills Needed to Become a Proofreader

There are some soft skills that are indispensable in this field. You’ll need to have eagle eyes and care enough about the nitty-gritty.

You know the saying The devil is in the detail ? That’s your mantra now.

You also need to have a willingness to research the things you don’t know.

This is a particular asset if you’re hoping to work across industries as you’re bound to come across topics that you’re not familiar with.

Good time management will also become invaluable as you work to meet deadlines, and good communication skills are key when working with clients.

You’re essentially acting in the capacity of a problem-solver for your clients. You want to ensure that they’re not only getting a bang for their buck, but also that you deliver the services professionally.

What Technical Skills Do I Need to Work in Proofreading?

Since we’re in modern age, you’ll find that most of your proofreading tasks will require a computer.

Which is why it’s super helpful if you possess some proficiency in word processing, editorial software, and spreadsheets.

There are some clients who specifically seek freelancers who are familiar with specific editorial styles, so it doesn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook and/or the Chicago Manual of Style.

Of course these are all things you can learn if you don’t already have knowledge of them.

Is There Any Software That Can Help With Proofreading?

Using software as a proofreader isn't cheating—it's efficient. By automating certain tasks like US and UK spelling consistency, punctuation consistency, and acronym checking, you leave more of your attention for the trickier stuff.

ProWritingAid's Consistency Report will highlight where a writer has used hyphens and em dashes interchangeably, capitalization inconsistency, English language inconsistencies, differently-typed ellipses, and more.

You're being paid to proofread. You'll go back over the writing after fixing errors with ProWritingAid—but the software will catch the glaring errors that may distract you from the finer details.

Try the Consistency Report with a free account.

What’s the Average Salary for Proofreading Jobs ?

According to proofreading expert Caityln Pyle , "proofreaders can charge per word, per page, per project, or per hour. It depends on the length of the project and your own preferences."

She mentioned that she was able to earn $43,000 a year as a proofreader, and that was only part time!

Which pretty much matches the data from the United States Bureau where the median wage is $41,140 with the ability to earn upwards of $65,840.

And of course, as a freelancer you’re free to charge what you want, backed by your skills and experience.

Is There a Demand for Proofreading Services?

You bet your bottom dollar there is. As long as there are documents being written, there are mistakes being made.

And as long as mistakes are being made, you guessed it, there will always be a need for proofreaders to spot them.

There are numerous freelancing opportunities to take advantage of. There are plenty of online job sites that post proofreading vacancies, whether part-time or full time.

Once you've built up a solid client base, all that's left to do is manage them. If each of your clients requires different styles, terms, punctuation, and capitalization, keeping track of them all can become a headache.

ProWritingAid's Style Guides allow you to create custom rules for your writing's grammar, style, and punctuation. Check out our guide to creating style guide rules to see how you can automate those client-specific demands.

Ready to Embark on a Career in Proofreading?

Of course you are! That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? And we’re here to tell you, you have all it takes.

When it comes to embarking on something new, imposter syndrome may kick in from time to time.

But don’t be deterred, use these tips as the starting point to gain the momentum you need. You’ve got this!

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Ashleigh Ferguson is a former copywriter on the ProWritingAid team. With an affinity for learning new things, you can always count on her to know some random fact. She’s a self-proclaimed ‘Fix-it Felix’ and a newly minted ‘candle lady’.

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Home / Guides / Writing Guides / Writing Tips / How to Proofread a Paper

How to Proofread a Paper

There are five steps to the writing process— prewriting, writing, revising, editing, and publishing. After writing your paper, there are two whole steps you need to do before turning it in. That’s right—revising your essay takes just as many steps as writing it in the first place.

Step 1: Revising—The Big Picture

As you can see, revising is step 3, or the first thing you should do after writing your essay. Revising does not mean looking at spelling or grammar; that comes with the next step, editing. Rather, revising means looking at the paper as a whole and identifying (and correcting) to make the essay flow better.

• Organization

Read your essay with an eye for how it’s organized. For example, does it makes sense to talk about gathering ingredients for a ham sandwich in the last paragraph before the conclusion? Not really.

To identify bad organization, you have to know how you’ve organized your paper. You can organize your essay in many different ways, some of which include:

• Chronology (progression through time)
• Logic (what makes the most sense to talk about first, second, and so on)
• Topic (group body paragraphs so that the topic stays the same until you’re ready to move on)

The decision about how to organize the paper should be made in step 1 of the writing process, during prewriting. Outlines are helpful for ensuring that you write the essay in an organized way. You may find when you revise the essay that the organization on the outline had some gaps in logic or chronology. That’s ok—this is the time to move paragraphs around!

• Making Sentences Flow

A step below organization is checking for flow. Look at each individual paragraph and ensure that the sentences string together in a rhythm that can easily be followed. In other words, you want the reader to be able to move easily through the writing without having to pause to figure out what you were trying to say.

An easy way to fix this problem is transition words . There are many, many words that help sentences connect to one another. Use words such as:

• In other words

There are tons more, but the idea is that you use these terms when you want to connect the idea of one sentence to the preceding sentence, whether it agrees or not.

Example: Transition Word of Agreement

I jogged to the store to catch up with my friend, who I’d spied driving down the road. Strangely enough , she didn’t turn the car off when she went inside.

Example: Transition Word of Disagreement

My dog sat languishing in the sun to warm up after being in the cold air conditioning. Be that as it may, I don’t like him to get too hot, so I brought him back inside.

• Making Quotes and Examples Flow

Another way to make sure your essay flows well is to ensure that every quote, paraphrase, summary, or example is well introduced and explained. When you fail to do this, it makes the reader pause.

If you tell your reader who says it, then follow the quote with an analysis of the quote and why you used it, the reader is able to keep up a good rhythm. That’s your goal.

• Introduction of quote/paraphrase (top bread)
• The quote/paraphrase itself (meat or sandwich filling)
• Analysis/explanation (bottom bread)

This strategy will ensure that your readers are clued in to each quote and can read at a steady pace.

Example: Quotation Sandwich

In his article on salads, Sam Sifton of the New York Times says, “[Julia’s] recipe for simple vinaigrette may anyway change your life for the better, forever.” Vinaigrettes may be known for lacking the creaminess that traditional salad dressing has, but Sifton pushes us to give them another look.

*Referenced article is linked here .

Step 2: Editing—The Details

When you get to the fourth step of the writing process, editing, you’re in for some fine tuning. This step ensures that your writing is correct and easier to read.

• Basic Paper Formatting

With any essay that you’re turning in for a grade, there should be some sort of format you follow. The most common formats for students are MLA format and APA format , but teachers can add their own rules. Pay attention to what is required and check for this formatting once your revising is done. Look at example pages to make sure you’ve got it right. Do you have one-inch margins? Size 12 font? Is your heading in the correct place? And so on.

• Checking for Slang

Although some slang might be ok in essay in order for your voice to shine through, most of the time, formal writing is required. Unless your teacher tells you that slang is ok, avoid using words like “ain’t” or “man” or whatever is popular online or at school these days.

Read through your essay and look for these words. You may find it helpful to have someone else read through it, or to read it out loud yourself. When you find slang words, replace them with formal terms.

One of the most important things to look for when you’re editing your paper is proper grammar. While there are many grammar rules, here are a few major ones to make sure you’ve got it right:

• Subject-verb agreement
• Verb tense consistency
• Plural agreement
• Pronoun agreement

It might be helpful to review grammar rules from previous years of study to ensure that you’re getting it right. You can also submit your essay to a tutor for their help in identifying incorrect grammar.

• Punctuation

Finally, one of the most basic and important parts of an essay is ensuring punctuation is correct. This means you’re looking at commas, periods, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, dashes, quotation marks, and so on. You’re looking both for missing and incorrectly placed punctuation. Commas can be quite complex, but here’s a quick snapshot of some of the most pertinent comma rules:

• Comma before a coordinating conjunction
• Comma after an introductory phrase
• Comma before a quote or after it, depending on its location in the sentence
• Comma in a series of items

Again, it might be helpful to look at basic punctuation rules before reviewing your essay. It’s also helpful to have someone else, like a tutor, look over the essay to catch mistakes you missed.

During the revising and editing steps of the writing process, there certainly is a lot to do. But don’t let that overwhelm you. Take it one step at a time. Ignore comma errors while revising; then forget about organization when you’re hunting for missing periods. In the end, your polished essay will likely be well rewarded.

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How to Proofread an Essay: The Ultimate Guide for 2023

If you want to top the class, you’re going to have to know how to proofread an essay. Fortunately, we have some great tips that will get you off to the perfect start.

That’s a very difficult question to answer.

Every proofreader is different. However, you probably know excellent essay editors who can quickly and easily spot mistakes in writing and publish error-free essays every single time.

How do they do it? Do they have some secret proofreading techniques that you’re not aware of?

Actually, chances are, they do!

Whether they know it or not, many of the students you know who are turning in A-grade papers follow some form of proofreading process to work through all the kinks in their essays and ensure their essay formatting is perfect.

Today, we’re going to let you into some of their secrets by sharing some of the proven proofreading methods that actually work.

So, if you’re sick of your professor highlighting your shoddy grammar and careless mistakes, our guide to how to proofread an essay may be exactly what you need.

Download a free bonus essay editing checklist that will show exactly how you should edit an essay, step by step.

How to Proofread an Essay in Ten Simple Steps

1) Take a break

Yep, before you do anything at all, take a well-deserved break from whatever it is you have been working on.

To proofread an essay well, you need to have a clear head and be fully focused.

Go for a run, watch TV, listen to music… just do something other than stare at the paper.

Allow yourself at least 30 minutes break from your essay, ideally much longer.

When you return to your essay, you’ll find that you can see your work from a whole new perspective… warts and all!

Suddenly the mistakes will become much more apparent, and proofreading your essay will be a lot easier.

2) Get rid of any distractions

Once you’ve taken a break and cleared some time to focus on the task at hand, cut out all distractions.

Turn off the stereo, put your phone on mute, and tell your flatmates your room is out of bounds for the next hour or so.

Give your essay your undivided attention and concentrate on finding those pesky errors.

3) Read the essay aloud

This is not something we’d recommend when you’re grafting away on your essay in a busy library. However, if you can get a room to yourself, sit down and read your essay out loud word for word.

As you vocalize the words you have written, you will have a chance to both hear and see the flaws. In addition to giving yourself an opportunity to focus on the sound of the words, you’ll also spot where there are missing commas and issues with the flow.

Read each page aloud and keep improving it until the words start to sound perfect.

How to Proofread an Essay Pro Tip:

If reading aloud isn’t an option, paste the text of your essay into a text-to-speech program like  NaturalReader  and listen through headphones as the robot reads it to you. If there’s a mistake, you’ll have more chance of catching it.

4) Create a checklist of the mistakes you make on a regular basis and check them off one by one

Everyone has their own respective Achilles’ heel when it comes to grammar and punctuation.

Perhaps you frequently confuse the words “that” and “which.” Or maybe your use of splice commas has got you in trouble with your professor on one or two occasions in the past.

Whatever it is you frequently mess up, keep track and check for those mistakes before you submit your paper.

As you are proofreading each essay, you can quickly and easily jot down the errors you encounter and then use this list as your proofreading checklist next time you’re proofreading an essay.

5) Use grammar and spell checkers, but don’t rely on them

Of course, one of the first things you should do when you have finished the first draft of your essay is run the text through a spelling and grammar checker. This will help you identify some of the more obvious spelling and punctuation mistakes.

However, you should not rely on automated software as your only proofreading approach.

Even the best, most expensive grammar checkers are prone to errors. They simply cannot truly understand the language within the context it is used. As such, they can frequently point you in the wrong direction or even completely confuse you.

A further issue with grammar-checking software is that you need to have an exceptional command of English grammar to be able to decipher what are true grammatical errors; the software can only tell you that there might be a mistake.

Grammar checkers should never fully be trusted. They are computer tools and are fallible. Don’t let your trust in them be misguided.

Don’t believe us? Take a look at the following great articles:

• Grammar correction software
• Proofreading poem

6)  Find a proofreading buddy

Everyone knows that it’s immensely difficult to proofread your own writing… so proofread someone else’s essay instead.

Make a pact with one of your classmates to swap papers and proofread each other’s essays. Of course, you should choose your proofreading buddy wisely and ensure you opt for someone you can trust with this important task.

Ideally, you should find a mate who isn’t responding to the same essay prompt as you; that way, there’s less chance of him or her nicking all your great ideas.

7) Perform several passes

It sucks, we know, but it’s highly unlikely that you’ll catch every grammar, punctuation, and spelling error on the first pass.

Most editors and proofreaders perform two, if not three, passes of every document they proofread.

8)  Try the old-fashioned method of proofreading an essay

Print out your essay, grab a pen, and don’t be afraid to use it.

Things look different on paper than they do on the screen.

When you hold a physical copy of your essay, you’ll find that the mistakes become much more obvious. It’s amazing how many more typos and silly errors you’ll spot when you use this method.

Don’t forget to make sure your transitions are effective. Take a look at our guide to essay transitions for more help.

9) Check the format last

Don’t let yourself be distracted from the main content by minor formatting issues.

Finish all the proofreading passes and then format your essay immediately before publication. If you’re working with the APA style, you’ll find our guide to APA formatting incredibly useful (it’s free!).

10) The best way to proofread an essay: Get a professional proofreader on the job

If your essay is important and you really can’t afford to make any mistakes, get a professional involved.

Do you know the difference between an n-dash and an m-dash? Do you know when to use a semi-colon?

You may very well have an excellent idea of what written English reads well; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have the know-how to proofread an essay. If you don’t have an exceptional command of English grammar and punctuation conventions, proofreading will be nothing more than guesswork.

If your essay is important to you, ensure you make sure your writing is the best it can be by using a professional proofreading service.

If you need more help, our essay editors can refine the text for you, make sure you have responded to the prompt and grading scheme properly, and give you constructive feedback on exactly how you can improve your essay.

What are you waiting for?

Stop wondering how to proofread an essay and get on with it!

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How to Proofread With Microsoft Word

• 5-minute read
• 16th January 2023

Proofreading your own writing can be challenging. Thankfully, Microsoft Word has a plethora of tools to help you better proofread your writing. This article will go over eight proofreading tips you can use to ensure error-free writing besides turning on your spell checker.

Also, be sure to check out Proofed’s collection of posts and YouTube channel dedicated to helping you master Microsoft Word.

1.   Useful Shortcuts for Proofreading

To cut down on time spent while proofreading, use these common shortcuts. Here’s a complete list of shortcuts [TM1]  in Microsoft Word to see all your options.

2.  Add Comments

Use comments on another person’s writing or your own for helpful suggestions or reminders to add citations or more information.

To add a comment, highlight the text you want to leave a comment on, then click Insert and Comment .

Type your comment, then press Ctrl + Enter to add the comment to the text.

3.   Use the Thesaurus…With Caution

Using the thesaurus function in Word can be great if you need to add more variety to your vocabulary or if you have a word used in a sentence more than once. However, be sure to check that the synonyms are appropriate for your context.

To see synonyms for a word, highlight the word, right-click, and select Synonyms . You should see a list of synonyms for the word you highlighted.

In the above example, I used “sentence” in my sentence two times and wanted to add a different word. However, you can see from my synonyms that the thesaurus did not give me appropriate suggestions. In this case, it is important to make sure that the suggestions are appropriate for your context.

4. Use the Read Aloud Function

One of the best ways to proofread your own work is to read it aloud because sometimes we miss mistakes when we read our own work. For example, it is easy to skim over an instance of “the the” in a sentence. Instead, use the Read Aloud function in Word to have your computer read it to you.

To do this, make sure your cursor is where you want the computer to start reading. Go to the Review tab and select Read Aloud . You can find a pause/play, playback, and fast-forward function on the right-hand side of the document.

5. Use Ignore All When Microsoft Word Makes a Mistake

This might seem counterintuitive, but when Word highlights an unfamiliar word as misspelled, be sure to right-click the word and select Ignore All in the bottom left corner of the spelling menu. By doing this, you keep your page tidy, which helps you identify real errors.

6. Use Microsoft Word’s Editor Function

Did you know that you already have an editor hiding in your computer at home to make writing and proofreading easier?

To use the editor function and get all its benefits, make sure you are on the Home tab and look at the very last option on the right that says Editor . Click it and a whole menu will come up on the right-hand side of your document.

From here, you get an overview of all the errors Microsoft Word has detected in your document in addition to customizations, such as the tone of voice (formal, professional, or casual), corrections for spelling and grammar, and refinements, including clarity, conciseness, and punctuation conventions.

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7. Customize Your Proofreading Suggestions

To customize your proofreading suggestions from Microsoft Word, click on File , and go to More at the bottom of the menu.

From there, select Options . 

Next, you will see the Word Options page pop up. Select Proofing to see all the default settings Microsoft Word uses for your proofreading suggestions. 

On this page, you can browse all the different options Word has and customize them however you like.

Let’s look at an example of how you could change Word’s suggestions to be more gender inclusive (not currently a default setting).

To do this, you are going to select Settings beside the Writing Style and Grammar & Refinements options.

Next, you’ll see a Grammar Settings box open, and you are going to scroll down to Inclusiveness and select Gender-Neutral Pronouns . You can go ahead and select or remove any other proofing suggestions you want at this time.

After you make this change, Microsoft Word will suggest that you use more gender-inclusive pronouns.

8.  Use Track Changes

Track Changes is a Word function that will show you all the proofreading marks you make in a document. This is very helpful if you are proofreading someone else’s work, need to compare drafts, or want to show your academic supervisor or professor that you made corrections.

Go to the Review tab, select Tracking , then Simple Markup . In Simple Markup, all your changes will stay in the red bar on the right side of the page to keep your document tidy. This makes it easier to read during the editing/proofreading process.

To see all of your changes, you can either click the red bar on the left-hand side of the page or select All Markup under the Tracking function.

Proofreading is challenging, but Word has lots of built-in tools to help. The best advice is to get familiar with Word’s functions and pages and always check out their Support Page if you have any trouble.

If you find that proofreading your own writing is too big a task even with Word’s many tools, no worries! Proofed will proofread your first 500 words for free .

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How To Proofread: 19 Foolproof Strategies To Power Up Your Writing

by William Wadsworth | Feb 3, 2023

by William Wadsworth

The Cambridge-educated memory psychologist & study coach on a mission to help YOU ace your exams . Helping half a million students in 175+ countries every year to study smarter, not harder. Supercharge your studies today with our time-saving, grade-boosting “genius” study tips sheet .

Proofreading: it’s the final hurdle on your race to the submission deadline, and a crucial step in creating a polished document. But how exactly do you proofread effectively and efficiently?

Whether you’re working on an essay, thesis, dissertation, research paper or article, take a deep breath. This is your one-stop “how to proofread” guide:

We’ve got 19 clever proofreading steps and strategies to take your skills to the next level and fine-tune your document for maximum marks. Because after all that hard work, don’t let careless mistakes drag your essay (and your grade!) down!

Proofreading and editing: what’s it all about?

Before we get down to those 19 strategies, what do we mean by “proofreading”?

The difference between editing and proofreading is actually pretty simple:

• Editing is a process that you begin after your first draft – it’s all about refining the quality, tone, word count, clarity and readability of your writing
• Proofreading is done to your final draft (once your content is ready, structured, signposted and feeling awesome!)

It’s all about checking that the elements of your essay or paper are consistent, presented correctly and free from errors . Think: spelling and grammar, punctuation, formatting, references and citations, figures and tables .

Essentially, you don’t want your examiner to be distracted from your winning argument by a sloppily presented document – and proofreading is the answer.

Here’s an example of the difference careful proofreading can make to your essay:

That all might sound daunting, but I promise it’s not! Especially if you work strategically and follow these 19 steps:

How to proofread: 19 killer strategies

Proofreading is a process, sure. But I don’t want you to get overwhelmed!

 So I’ve grouped these top 19 proofreading strategies into 3 sets: preparation and mindset , checking every element , and making the most of your proofreading tools .

Part 1: Get into the groove with the right preparation and mindset

1. Leave yourself plenty of time

Hopefully you’re not reading this article the night before your deadline ( and if you are – good luck !).

Because our first proofreading strategy is all about time.

Proofreading can be a tedious process of spotting and correcting small errors – definitely time-consuming ! And the longer your essay, thesis or dissertation, the more time this process will need .

Plus, if you’re hoping for external help (whether friend or professional), you’ll need to leave them time to work too.

In my opinion, it’s best to give yourself a solid week for proofreading and corrections – if you can! That way, you’ll have time to …

2. Take a break before you start

Your brain and eyes need to be fresh if you’re going to proofread accurately.

You don’t want to be anticipating what you’ve written, rather than actually concentrating on the words on the page!

So, don’t jump straight from writing to proofreading – take a break !

If you can, take a few days away from your essay or thesis. If not, have a coffee and stroll around the block first. Get your mind clear and ready to focus.

Psst: Don’t forget to take plenty of short breaks whilst proofreading longer assignments too!

Ready? Perfect: you’ll be primed to dive into …

3. The proofreading mindset

It’s time to put your proofreading hat on!

Try and separate yourself from the “you” that wrote the essay . Try to pretend you’re marking an essay written by a friend you want to help get top marks!

Going to a different location can really help create this kind of psychological distance between “you” the author and “you” the proofreader.

If you can, move to a desk or armchair in another room, or take your essay to a library or quiet corner in your favourite coffee shop . Just make sure your environment is distraction-free – you’re going to need to concentrate!

If you really want to go to town on this, you could literally wear a different hat! It sounds silly, but when we look or behave differently, it can send powerful signals to our mind that it should be thinking differently too.

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4. Print it out

This is a proofreading strategy I always do:

Many people (me included!) find it much easier to read closely when text is on a printed page rather than when it’s on a screen. So grab that stack of paper, a nice bright pen and settle into your chosen spot …

Psst : I know we all need to do our bit to keep printing to a minimum to help the planet, but when your grade is on the line, I think you can cut yourself some slack. Just make sure you recycle your printing when you’re done…

If that’s not your style, why not try reading your essay aloud to help you spot mistakes?

5. Slow down and tame your eyes

When we read, our eyes move in jumps called “ saccades ”.

Essentially, our eyes don’t focus on every single word in turn. Instead, they focus on a point only every few words, which means some words only ever appear in peripheral vision. If you read quickly, the majority of the words in your essay are only appearing in your peripheral vision.

And that means it’s easy to miss things ! Your peripheral vision fills in details and assumes correctness (especially when you’re familiar with the argument).

So, to proofread effectively, you need to force your eyes to slow down and focus on each word in turn .

Try these methods for reading slowly and systematically:

• Use your finger or a pen to trace under each word as you read it
• Or have a ruler or piece of paper to hand to move down the page, revealing only one new row at a time

You might be surprised how many more errors you pick up!

6. Read backwards

Still struggling with slowing down? Here’s one more strategy for making sure you proofread carefully:

Read your essay backwards!

That might sound tricky, but it’s actually pretty clever and simple.

Often, our brains will trick us into reading a correct spelling based on the context of the rest of the sentence, and whatever word we’re “expecting” should appear next.

Solve the issue by reading each paragraph backwards, sentence by sentence. Start from the final word of the paragraph and move in order to the first. Those misspelt words will have nowhere to hide!

Psst : This is a great proofreading tip for hand-written essays where no spell-check is available (such as in an exam), particularly if you know you’re weak on spelling!

7. Know yourself

Our final proofreading strategy to get you prepared and in the groove is this:

Make sure you’re aware of the most common errors you make all the time when writing. Why not make a list to check off!

Maybe you always misspell “theorem”, get in a muddle about when to add commas or know you aren’t consistent about using en-dashes between dates (1914 – 1919).

If you’re not sure about the correct way to do something, check the guidelines set out by your institution, ask your teacher or lecturer, or look at the style guide for your discipline (such as the Chicago Manual of Style).

Part 2: How to proofread every element in your essay, dissertation or thesis

Feeling daunted by how many things you need to check for accuracy? Don’t be. You can do this!

Think of it a little like breaking down a big study goal into milestones : all you need is this checklist, a plan of action and a little time .

Top tip: It’s often a good idea to take several passes through your document – especially if it’s a longer essay or you know you struggle with accuracy. That way you can deal with each element individually! Pass one: headings, pass two: references and citations … and so on!

8. The big stuff: overall structure

You’ve probably done lots of editing as you’ve improved your essay or thesis, so make sure to take the time and check everything is still in the right order and place! Introduction, Part 1, Analysis … etc!

It’s so easy for cut-and-pasted paragraphs or sentences to have actually just been copied – and now exist twice! Or for edited paragraphs to end abruptly mid-sentence …

Trust me, we’ve all done it!

Adding signposting to your essay is another crucial editing step that can easily get things out of order. Plus signposting often produces in-text references that are vital and need to be correct for things to make sense to your editor! (That’s when you say “ see Section Two ” or “ as mentioned in the preceding three sections ”).

Once you’ve made sure that everything still makes sense and flows in a logical progression it’s time to move onto the little details:

9. Spelling, grammar and punctuation

The most obvious check you need to make when proofreading your essay is for mistakes in your spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Don’t forget to check that you:

• Are using the correct capitalisation of words
• For example, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) can later be referred to as the BBC

I’m not going to list every possible type of mistake you should be checking for. But here a handful of common examples to get you started with your proofreading:

• Misspellings that are real (but very different) words, e.g. field and filed . Your spellchecker won’t spot these!
• It’s and its
• You’re and your
• There , they’re and their
• Affect and effect
• Principle and principal
• Tense consistency within sentences (not switching between present and future)
• Verbs agreeing with their subjects
• Using commas and semicolons accurately
• Missing punctuation: does every sentence end with a full stop?

10. Formatting: from headers to italics

This next proofreading strategy is all about appearances.

A big part of how to proofread your essay, thesis or dissertation is getting the formatting right and consistent .

Psst: Chances are, if you’re writing a bigger assignment such as a thesis or dissertation, your institution will have provided you with a style guide that includes acceptable formatting for submission. Make it your ally!

The formatting includes lots of elements that contribute to the layout of your document:

• Are you capitalising them?
• What font and style should they have?
• Are they numbered (consistently)?
• Are you giving them indentation and/or justification?
• Are your paragraph breaks the same?
• Create your own style guide page with body, figure, heading and subheading fonts laid out!
• Are they consistent and suitable for printing and binding your thesis?
• Do your page numbers continue correctly after any blank pages?
• Are there any pages with only 1-2 lines of text? Avoid these!
• Are there rules in your discipline for how you use italics?
• Has it spread beyond the phra se you meant to italicise?
• Double  spaces
• Spaces before punctuation .
• Mixing up m-dashes, en-dashes and hyphens

Make a list of the things you need to check for – especially if you spot a frequently recurring mistake!

11. References and citations

In my experience, referencing is one of those things that just makes people groan. It’s nit-picky, careful work. But worth doing right – you don’t want to plagiarism police at your door!

Proper referencing is a big part of academic writing, so make sure you’re following the correct method for your discipline. ( Ask your teacher or supervisor for advice if you’re unsure !)

When checking your references, ensure that your citations match the references in your bibliography! Any quotations should also conform to formatting and referencing rules for your field .

And don’t forget to check the little details when proofreading, for example:

• Are your author initials spaced or unspaced? (e.g. C.S. Lewis vs C. S. Lewis )
• Which date format are you using? (e.g. 27th August 1854 vs August 27th 1854 vs 27/08/1854 )
• If you have footnotes or endnotes, are your numbers all in order?
• Do you have any outdated in-text references to footnotes or endnotes?

Depending on your referencing format, it might be easier to do a separate proofreading pass through your essay to check for citation errors!

12. Figures and tables

Whether you’ve got charts, tables, figures, illustrations or graphs: don’t forget to check your captions and placement.

This is another key place where outdated in-text references might be hiding , particularly if you’ve been editing your document structure. Find where you say things like “ see Figure 6 ”: are these numbers still correct?

Don’t let errors slip through and cost you marks!

13. Check for consistency

Our next proofreading strategy is an important one!

Sometimes, you need to make stylistic decisions in your writing, and which option you choose matters less than staying consistent throughout your essay.

Remember: if in doubt, refer to any guidelines your teacher or institution have given you, or the official style guide for your discipline (e.g. Chicago Manual of Style).

Check you’re not chopping and changing between different options on issues. Here are some examples you might catch when proofreading:

• When to use ‘single’ or “double” quotation marks
• Full stops after bullets. Or not
• Are you using the US English or British English spellings of words?
• Whether you prefer – ise or – ize endings
• Is there any Technical Vocabulary that might be capitalised inconsistently?
• e.g. you might spell out “one” to “nine”, and use numerals for 10 and above
• Or your figures might use roman numbers e.g. Figure IV
• If your headings and subheadings are numbered (e.g. 1.1, 1.2), check they’re consistent, and that order is correct against the table of contents!

14. Check twice after every tweak

And finally, our last tip in this section on how to proofread absolutely everything in your essay is …

I think the single biggest thing I’ve learned about how to proofread an essay is to be super, ultra, incredibly careful about errors creeping in after editing .

You know how it goes: you’re on your final proofread before submission, and you spot a clunky sentence that could be tidied up with a little rewrite. You make the change, but don’t check it properly, and leave a fresh mistake in your work.

By all means, make a small tweak here and there in the proofreading phase, but make sure you check the amended paragraph at least twice afterwards!

If you find you’re making a lot of major edits, pause the proofread phase entirely to give your essay a round of editing. Only return to proofreading for accuracy once you’ve done all your edits .

Part 3: Make use of available tools

The third and final set of “how to proofread” strategies is all about making use of the tools available to you. And trust me, when it comes to proofreading, there are plenty of services, websites and plugins and even Word functions you can use to make your life easier!

15.  Get the most out of Word’s editing functions

If you’ve typed your essay or thesis in Word then you’ve got plenty of proofreading firepower at your fingertips!

And it’s not all about those handy grammar and spellcheckers either – although they are a great place to start:

• Remember: they’ll catch some (though not all) mistakes. Homophones and misspelt words that are still real words – definitely weak spots and up to you to catch!
• Not every detected “error” actually is a mistake: you’ll sometimes need to use your judgement

So how else can Word help you to proofread thoroughly?

• Setting your language correctly can be a big help to the spellchecker’s effectiveness – US and UK English have plenty of subtle differences!
• The Navigation bar is also a handy place to count through numbered headings and make sure you don’t have Section 1.1 twice!
• Making your own style guide page can be a big help in seeing how it all looks and works together
• If you have a friend helping you to proofread – or if you’ve just got your proofreader hat on – the “Track Changes” and “Comments” features can be a great assistance when it comes to actually making all the tiny corrections!

16. Get proofreading with Grammarly

Another great online tool to assist you with proofreading your essays and dissertations – in fact, any piece of writing! – is Grammarly .

I’ve recently added Grammarly * to my writer’s arsenal and wish I’d done it years ago. It’s a proofreading strategy I definitely recommend.

It acts like a turbo-charged version of the standard Word grammar and spellchecker, helping me catch a much broader range of mistakes.

The ability to set your audience, level or formality and language ( academic, email, casual etc ) is a great feature that helps with any awkwardness of writing in a more formal academic style.

Honestly, it’s not perfect and will often flag perfectly correct words and phrases as errors. But I’d much rather that way round than it missed out on flagging potential errors to me.

Plus – it’s free to create an account! I’m using the pro version now as writing is such an important part of my life, but even Grammarly’s free version * is a big improvement when it comes to proofreading your essays and theses.

17. Avoid plagiarism like the plague

You don’t want to be caught copying others’ work.

Universities and Colleges often run essay submissions through tools like Turnitin which will put a big red flag against essays with too high a percentage of text which matches source material online.

Even if you didn’t intend to “cheat”, sometimes a careless late-night library moment can allow a passage you copied into your research notes to somehow end up in your finished essay.

Avoid this problem by having a rule that you’ll never copy text directly from articles or books , unless it’s a clearly marked direct quote.

For extra peace of mind, consider running important submissions through a plagiarism checker .

18. Find a proofreading buddy

Of course, your friends and family aren’t exactly proofreading “tools” – but this is an important strategy for when you’re stuck!

But when you’re stuck in writing and editing mode and can’t get enough space between you and your essay to put your neutral proofreading hat on …

Then finding a proofreading buddy can be a great help – especially if you can swap assignments and offer them a little assistance too!

Having an external eye brings some much-needed objectivity to the proofreading table – your buddy is far more likely to spot mistakes you miss because your brain is seeing what it expects to in your familiar argument (see #5!).

19. Seeking professional help

Of course, there’s also the option of finding a professional proofreader. Whether you’re aiming for top marks or getting accepted for publication, there’s often lots on the line when it comes to polished submissions!

First up, it’s important to check what your institution allows , and whether you need permission. Don’t forget – you don’t want to be accused to collusion or cheating!

Sometimes hiring a professional isn’t permitted – or perhaps it’s simply not in your budget. If it is however – that can be great news. Remember: you’ll need to budget in plenty of time for them to work – its slow work!

Getting professional help can also be a smart move if you struggle with reading or writing in English.  

Learning differences such as dyslexia or dysgraphia can make life difficult when it comes to proofreading your essays and assignments. If English is not your first language , or you struggle with writing in academic English, you might be facing similar challenges.

Thankfully, there are plenty of options:

• Your university or college language centre can be a great help – offering courses, advice and even lists of peers to approach as proofreaders.
• There are also many professional proofreading services that cater to academic writing – from local services in your university town, to internationally renowned companies.

Good luck with your submission!

That’s it – 19 comprehensive and foolproof proofreading strategies for flawless writing!

You’ve worked hard, and now you know how to proofread your essay, thesis, dissertation or research paper like a pro! So once it’s ready, don’t put it off, get it handed in, get it off your mind, and relax.

Now your work is ready for the next step, be sure to check out my guide to printing and binding your thesis for submission!

And if you’re not sure if your essay is ready for proofreading quite yet, why not polish your content and grab some extra marks with more of our helpful writing skills guides :

• how to create effective paragraphs
• about the ideal length(s) for your paragraphs
• how to transition between the stages of your argument
• the 70+ top connective words and phrases to improve your writing
• how to signpost your essay for top marks

Until the next one… 😉

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Steps for Revising Your Paper

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Proofreading is primarily about searching your writing for errors, both grammatical and typographical, before submitting your paper for an audience (a teacher, a publisher, etc.). Use this resource to help you find and fix common errors.

When you have plenty of time to revise, use the time to work on your paper and to take breaks from writing. If you can forget about your draft for a day or two, you may return to it with a fresh outlook. During the revising process, put your writing aside at least twice—once during the first part of the process, when you are reorganizing your work, and once during the second part, when you are polishing and paying attention to details.

Use the following questions to evaluate your drafts. You can use your responses to revise your papers by reorganizing them to make your best points stand out, by adding needed information, by eliminating irrelevant information, and by clarifying sections or sentences.

Find your main point.

What are you trying to say in the paper? In other words, try to summarize your thesis, or main point, and the evidence you are using to support that point. Try to imagine that this paper belongs to someone else. Does the paper have a clear thesis? Do you know what the paper is going to be about?

Identify your readers and your purpose.

What are you trying to do in the paper? In other words, are you trying to argue with the reading, to analyze the reading, to evaluate the reading, to apply the reading to another situation, or to accomplish another goal?

Evaluate your evidence.

Does the body of your paper support your thesis? Do you offer enough evidence to support your claim? If you are using quotations from the text as evidence, did you cite them properly?

Save only the good pieces.

Do all of the ideas relate back to the thesis? Is there anything that doesn't seem to fit? If so, you either need to change your thesis to reflect the idea or cut the idea.

Tighten and clean up your language.

Do all of the ideas in the paper make sense? Are there unclear or confusing ideas or sentences? Read your paper out loud and listen for awkward pauses and unclear ideas. Cut out extra words, vagueness, and misused words.

Visit the Purdue OWL's vidcast on cutting during the revision phase for more help with this task.

Eliminate mistakes in grammar and usage.

Do you see any problems with grammar, punctuation, or spelling? If you think something is wrong, you should make a note of it, even if you don't know how to fix it. You can always talk to a Writing Lab tutor about how to correct errors.

Switch from writer-centered to reader-centered.

Try to detach yourself from what you've written; pretend that you are reviewing someone else's work. What would you say is the most successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be made even better? What would you say is the least successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be improved?

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to proofread your thesis

1. Review your institution's guidelines

2. take a break before you read anything, 3. determine how to proofread your thesis, 4. use online tools, 5. read your thesis in a different order, 6. read your thesis out loud, 7. reach out to your peers, frequently asked questions about proofreading your thesis, related articles.

Now that you've finished your thesis , it's time to proofread it. You'll need to do this several times to ensure that you submit a solid thesis that's free of grammatical mistakes and typos. We've put together a few tips that can help you optimize the proofreading stage of your thesis.

Your institution will likely have specific guidelines for formatting your thesis. Be sure to double-check the guidelines for layout and format issues, including:

• paper size and margins
• running head
• page numbering
• line spacing

Take time to read through the guidelines again and keep them handy as you proofread your thesis.

The proofreading stage is also a good time to check your citations or references . Whether you're using Harvard, APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association) or some other citation style, make sure that your citations are correct.

Give yourself some time off before you start proofreading your thesis. This allows you to return to your work with fresh eyes. Ideally, you should plan to take a break of several weeks before you begin proofreading; however, even a short break can help you refocus and catch more mistakes.

Some people like to proofread their thesis on screen, while others like to print it out and read it on paper. Whichever method you choose, be aware that you can't read it all at once. Rather, make a plan for how you want to approach proofreading and stick to it. You'll generally want to break up your process by chapter or section.

Consider breaking down your thesis proofreading process in one of these ways:

• by paragraph

Several online tools can help you with proofreading and some of them are even free. Use tools like Grammarly or Proofread Bot for proofreading or Readable.com or Slickwrite to critique your grammar and writing. A quick Google search will show you that there are dozens of tools out there that can help you with your thesis!

Week 1 : Read a chapter a day, watching out for major issues in argumentation, use of evidence, and organization.

Week 2 : Complete substantive revisions and check that all citations are correct. Use a reference manager like Paperpile to create accurate citations and bibliographies.

Week 3 : Re-read each chapter, checking for any additional surface errors. Double-check that your formatting aligns with your department’s thesis requirements.

Try reading your work backwards or in a random order. This approach often works better than reading your work from beginning to end.

By switching up your expectations, you will catch more errors. Plus, starting at the end allows you to keep your conclusions in mind as you read and helps you to verify that you've proven your thesis statement.

The best way to catch grammatical, stylistic, and organizational mistakes is to read your work aloud to yourself. Hearing your own words greatly increases your ability to find typos and errors.

Keep your eye out for the following common errors:

• subject-verb agreement
• faulty predication
• misplaced modifiers
• tense changes
• incorrect citations

If you have friends or peers who are also writing theses, or who have completed them, reach out for advice and help. For instance, blogger Pat Thomson suggests setting up a proofreading deal with a friend.

Also, you might find it useful to join or start a writing group. These groups build accountability and provide writers with support for all stages of the research and writing process.

The length of the proofreading process depends on the length of the thesis. Plus, you should plan to take a couple of weeks off before you start proofreading. It's also a good idea to break up longer projects by chapter or section.

Always double-check your institution's guidelines for the general layout, including:

If you know someone who is willing to proofread your thesis, then definitely ask! Friends and peers who are also working on theses, or who have recently finished, can provide you with useful insights about the grammar, style, and structure of your thesis.

As part of your proofreading plan, you should create a checklist of items that you want to watch out for while proofreading your thesis. Your checklist might include:

• Spelling and typos
• Verb tenses and subject-verb agreement
• Sentence structure
• Layout and formatting
• Citations and/or references
• Consistency of style
• Organization
• Overall flow

You should plan to proofread your thesis as many times as it takes to ensure that you submit a polished and professional work. Typically, however, most thesis writers proofread their work around three to four times.

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Writing > Tips for proofreading and editing essays

Tips for proofreading and editing essays

Proofreading and editing your essays before submitting them is essential. You’d be surprised how many typos and grammatical errors can go undetected by spellcheck. Learn more on how you can proofread and edit your essay to earn a higher grade.

While spellcheckers are reliable, they’re not always perfect. If you want to get the grade you deserve for on your paper, you’ll need to proofread and edit it. It’s normal to need two to three drafts (or sometimes more!) before handing in your essay. Follow these proofreading and editing tips to nail your next essay.

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How to proofread and edit an essay

Re-read the prompt and requirements.

Before you pore over your essay, re-read the prompt and essay requirements from your teacher or professor. It’s easy to get carried away and go off-topic while writing an essay. It’s also easy to forget to use the right font or font size your instructor requested. By re-reading the prompt, you’ll have the requirements fresh in your mind, so you don’t lose points over preventable mistakes.

Read your essay out loud

Reading your paper aloud can help you identify choppy sentences and grammatical errors you might not have discovered if you proofread your paper silently. Make sure to read your essay out loud slowly to catch any mistakes. Once you find an error, fix it right away so you don’t get distracted and forget to fix it. You can also use the Read Aloud feature in Microsoft Word for proofreading, which will read what you’ve written out loud for you.

Read your essay from end to beginning

While reading your essay backwards might sound illogical, it’s a great way to identify spelling issues or confusing sentences. Start by reading the last sentence of your paper for errors, then move on to the second to last sentence, and so on. Reading your paper out of context can help spot any issues in your writing.

Double-check your sources

Make sure you appropriately cite all the sources in your paper. Cite your sources when you use a quote, summarize or paraphrase someone else’s idea, or share research that was conducted by someone else. Learn how to navigate different citation formats and tailor your writing to your essay’s requirements.

By re-reading your paper, you can identify sentences you may have forgotten to cite. Plagiarism can have major consequences, so avoid it at all costs.

Check the structure of your essay

An unorganized essay can feel messy and confusing. Check that you structured your paragraphs in the correct order and made seamless transitions between each paragraph. As you read through each paragraph, make sure they correspond with your thesis.

Analyze your essay’s tone

As you read through your paper, make sure the tone is formal. Scan your essay for the following examples:

• Generalizations (“all” or “many”)
• Exaggerated adjectives (“brilliant” or “genius”)
• Adverbs (“simply” or “obviously”)
• Inflammatory or emotional language (“evil” or “heartless”)
• Qualifiers (“sometimes” or “usually”)

If you find any of the above in your paper, be sure to revise: this language should be avoided in academic writing.

Take breaks while proofreading

Give yourself time to reset with a break for a few minutes (or even a few hours) while reading through your essay. You’ll pick up on any typos or issues in your paper once you return to it with a fresh mind.

Get a second pair of eyes

If you can, get a peer to review your essay. Sometimes, a third party can point out spelling errors or mechanical issues you wouldn’t have noticed on your own. They can also let you know if you accurately answered the essay prompt and made your message clear.

Proofreading and editing your essays are key to avoiding preventable mistakes and earning better grades. To continue taking your writing to the next level, check out tips for mastering the essay , brainstorming effectively , and how to build trust with your audience .

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How to Proofread an Essay (+Little Tricks Most Writers Ignore)

Writing is hard. We all know that. Whether it’s an essay, a personal story, a blog post, or a novel, we spend tons of time and energy finishing the first draft.

For students, it’s even more challenging: Whether you craft an assigned essay or  ask professional writers to help you , you often forget about an integral part of the writing process all sophisticated authors undergo — proofreading .

Here’s the ultimate list of tricks and strategies on how to proofread an essay. Together with a proofreading checklist you’ll find in this article, it will help you master a new skill and flourish your writing.

Table of Contents:

• What is proofreading?
• Proofreading vs. editing
• How to proofread an essay: 17 strategies to try
• Proofreading checklist
• Ready to proofread your essay like a pro?

What is Proofreading?

It’s essential for any writing style, whether an academic paper, marketing content , personal blog post, or novel.

Now that you know a proofreading definition and understand the role of this process for your essay’s final grade, let’s go into a little more detail and reveal the core difference between proofreading and editing .

Proofreading vs. Editing

That’s how we define editing:

In a nutshell:

• Editing  is a longer and more complex process, with a focus on heavy changes to your content.
• Proofreading  goes after editing, with a focus on minor errors and inconsistencies.

Editing consists of a few rounds: content editing, line editing, and copy editing. Once ready, a specialist goes to the final step — proofreading. That’s what each round involves:

How to Proofread an Essay: 17 Strategies to Try

• Take a break after writing
• Get rid of distractions
• Edit first, proofread afterward
• Use writing guidelines as a checklist
• Focus on your most common writing mistakes first
• Avoid plagiarism
• Print it out and use a ruler
• Change a mindset
• Read backward
• Read it out loud
• Check each paragraph twice
• Check numbers and consistency
• Go beyond a text itself
• Ask a friend to read your essay
• Proofread several times
• Ask a professional editor to help you

And now, for more details on each one:

Take a Break After Writing

Once the final draft of your essay is ready, don’t hurry up to proofread it straight away. Take at least a 30-minute break; the ideal variant would be to start essay proofreading the next day after writing it.

A break will help your brain and eyes relax, so you would later check the draft with a clear head and better focus. It will make you see the text from a fresh perspective and proofread it more accurately.

Have a coffee, listen to music, take a walk — it’s up to you what break to choose. Just make sure you aren’t at the computer, and you don’t stare at the draft in search of  grammar or spelling mistakes .

Get Rid of Distractions

The break is over, and you’re ready to start checking your writing? Now it’s time to prepare your workplace so nothing would distract you from the process.

Turn off all the notifications, close unnecessary tabs on your laptop, and ask your family or roommates not to disturb you for a while. TV, music, the smell of coffee, a dog barking — consider everything that can bother you.

It’s not only about better concentration on the proofreading process. It will help you prevent procrastination: Nothing will be around to turn your attention away from the task.

Edit First, Proofread Afterward

As mentioned in the proofreading definition, it’s the last stage of the writing process. So, before you start checking your draft for typos and other minor inconsistencies, ensure you’ve edited your work: Why spend time fixing misspelled words if you might later remove the whole sentence or paragraph from the essay?

Edit first, proofread afterward. Yes, it requires time; seasoned writers admit that editing and proofreading often take even more time than writing itself. That’s why it’s critical to  manage time  and finish essays so you would have enough time to take a rest and proofread your work thoroughly before submitting it.

Use Writing Guidelines as a Checklist

Whether you write an essay, a blog post, or a  hypothesis , you will have the list with writing guidelines beforehand. There can be aspects like a topic, a formatting style, arguments and references to consider, etc.

These instructions from a teacher or an editor can help you save time proofreading: Address to them to ensure your draft sticks to every item from the list. It’s your checklist to follow.

Focus on Your Common Writing Mistakes First

We all have so-called Achilles’ heels in writing. What are your most common mistakes? Maybe you confuse “that/which” or “there/they’re,” or you forget about an Oxford comma or misspell “throughout?” Create a list of the mistakes you typically make and use it as a checklist when proofreading essays.

Focus on checking those mistakes first to ensure you won’t miss them through the process. Together with the list of writing guidelines from a professor/editor, it will be your extra helper to ease proofreading.

Avoid Plagiarism

You know that plagiarism is a no-no and educational institutions consider it an unacceptable violation of academic integrity. No matter  why students plagiarize , it’s a red flag: Professors check every work for plagiarism via corresponding tools; any duplications in your essay may cost you a grade, even if they were unintentional.

It’s not about academics only. Copying others’ work is a grave violation in any niche.

When editing and proofreading your essay, make it a habit to check it for duplications. Ensure you format all the quotes and other references properly. Run the draft through a plagiarism checker.

Print It Out and Use a Ruler

This proofreading trick is popular among journalists. Often, typos and other errors are easier to notice when reading a draft from print:

When checking a text from a computer screen, we scan rather than read it. Therefore, we risk missing some points. A printed copy allows us to focus on each word and sentence separately. Plus, it’s a chance to check if the formatting is correct and consistent.

Another trick to use here is to place a ruler under each line while reading. It helps your eyes focus on a short amount of text and proofread it precisely, with no dissipation throughout the whole essay.

Change a Mindset

Forget that it was you who wrote that essay. Change a mindset and imagine yourself as a professional editor: Pretend that you’re checking someone else’s work, not yours.

Help your mind separate a you-writer from a you-editor. Try going to a different location with your essay draft, wear a different hat, etc. You need to create a kind of psychological distance that will signal your brain it should think differently too.

This trick allows you to change a perspective and see the draft with fresh eyes. By doing so, you can notice weak points you wouldn’t care before.

Read Backward

This tip on how to proofread an essay works best when you don’t have any writing tools a la spell-checkers nearby. It can happen on an exam, while writing an  SAT essay , or in a classroom.

Start reading your work from the end, sentence by sentence. Therefore you’ll change perspective, forcing your brain to notice “mechanical” errors in the text. (When reading traditionally, we focus more on arguments and sequence of ideas, not minor mistakes.)

Read It Out Loud

Read your writing aloud or at least whisper it sentence by sentence. By vocalizing the words, you involve a few senses: seeing, speaking, and hearing. It gives you more opportunities to notice the flaws.

Plus, reading aloud will slow you down, preventing scanning and missing slight inconsistencies. You’ll hear the difference between what you wanted to say and what you  actually  wrote.

Check Each Paragraph Twice

Before doing your final proofreading (yeah, you’ll need to proofread an essay several times), read it paragraph by paragraph. The trick is to check each paragraph twice.

It will help you understand if a paragraph needs any major edits and go back to line- and copy-editing if necessary. Polish every sentence and paragraph of your writing work until they look/sound stellar.

The first thing that comes to a student’s mind is about proofreading an essay via spelling and grammar checkers. Yes,  Grammarly, Hemingway,  and even  Microsoft Word  can help you detect errors, and it’s worth using them. Yet, you can’t 100% rely on writing tools because they often don’t understand the context.

For example, only sophisticated tools can see the typo if you wrote, let’s say, “your” instead of “you’re.” Both spellings are correct, though meanings drastically differ. If English is not your native language or you aren’t perfect with English grammar, confusion and errors may still happen.

So, use checkers but don’t rely on them. At least, you can check your essay draft via several different tools for proofreading and editing: Altogether, they’ll identify more errors.

Try:   Read My Essay  (a free online tool from Bid4Papers)

Check Numbers and Consistency

When proofreading your essay, pay attention to the numbers you use as references. All those “see Section 2” or “check Figure 6” might have changed and become outdated when you edited the draft.

Cross-reference the numbers you use in the essay’s body with those mentioned in the bibliography , footnotes , or charts. Ensure they are consistent.

Speaking of consistency, by the way:

Check if you stay consistent throughout the essay. Double vs. single quotation marks, capitalization, writing numbers as words or numerals, US vs. British English spelling, full stops after bullets — all these details are critical in proofreading.

Go Beyond a Text Itself

Remember that typos and other mistakes can hide in places other than your  essay’s intro , body, or  conclusion . Don’t just proofread the text but also consider titles, footnotes, reference sections, captions, charts, etc.

Every part of your writing matters for the final result and grade. So don’t let errors slip through these places: Check each separately.

Ask a Friend to Read Your Essay

It’s challenging to proofread an essay since the risk of missing out on critical errors is high. So, it would help if you found a proofreading buddy — your friend, mom, or classmate — who could check your draft instead of you.

You can agree with a classmate that you’ll proofread each other’s essays, but the best option will be to find someone unrelated to your writing task. Sure thing, consider those you can trust or those you know have some knowledge of English grammar.

Proofread Several Times

Remember the tip on checking each paragraph twice? It works because you’ll unlikely notice EVERY spelling, grammar, and punctuation error at once. That’s why do your best to proofread your essay draft several times: Get ready to perform two or even three rounds.

The tip:  Use different proofreading methods for every round. First, you can proofread an essay by paragraph; then, consider reading it backward; and finally, you can print it out and read your essay aloud.

Ask a Professional Editor to Help You

Not sure if you need a comma or a dash, whether to write “affect” or “effect,” or what’s the difference between n- and m-dashes? Editing tools will hardly help here, but a professional editor can.

If you have an opportunity, you can ask an  editing service  to proofread your draft and provide feedback on your work. There’s nothing wrong with that: Most writers and journalists have editors who help them polish works and turn them into masterpieces we later read. The help of a professional editor is your chance to grow your writing skills: You’ll see your typical mistakes and will avoid them in your future works.

Proofreading Checklist

And now that you have a long list of tips and methods on how to proofread an essay, it’s time for a checklist to have nearby:

Here’s what to watch out for in your draft when proofreading:

1) Check your spelling:

• Articles misuse (an/a/the)
• Prepositions misuse
• Homophones confusion (you’re/your, there/their, etc.)

2) Check your punctuation:

• Apostrophes misuse
• Hyphens, em- and en-dashes, full stops in lists, etc.
• Missed or misused commas

3) Check your style:

• Capitalizations
• Inconsistent numbers
• US English vs. British English spelling

4) Check your formatting:

• Quotation marks
• Missing or misplaced footnotes, page numbers, headers
• Inconsistent spacing
• Paragraph indentation

Ready to Proofread Your Essay Like a Pro?

Now you know how to proofread an essay. Please remember that it’s an integral part of the writing process regardless of what you craft: an academic paper, a post for your blog, a short story, or a novel. Even if you have an editor to help with proofreading, do your best to check your draft for typos and other minor errors: Therefore, you’ll improve your writing skills and ease the job of your writing assistant.

And now, over to you:

How do you proofread your essays? What methods from those we described here did you try or would like to try? See you in the comments!

Related posts

• What Is the Difference between Primary and Secondary Sources
• Common Types of Plagiarism with Examples
• Exemplification Essay – Ideas and Tips

Our Writing Guides

Proofreading Marks and How to Use Them

SHARON’S BLOG

Let’s save them the pain by teaching them these handy, easy-to-use proofreading marks.

I’ve watched students in my writing classes scratch out whole sentences and rewrite them. They draw lines through words. They burn up their papers and crumble their erasers just to change something.

This is totally unnecessary.

There’s an easier — and quicker — way to proofread that doesn’t require a lot of rewriting, which should be good news to our students.

But first, the other grammar tutorials

This is the last in a series of tutorials on grammar. In this one, you and your students will learn how to use these helpful proofreading marks.

If you’re dying to know what the other grammar tutorials are about, click here for one on punctuation in dialog . (Tarzan and Jane help out on that one.) Click here if you yearn to know how to handle commas in compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions.

And click here for the hard-hitting exposé on where to put the comma, period, colon, or semicolon when using quotation marks.   Here’s a tutorial on a question I suspect you’ve heard from your students about using question marks and exclamation points with end quotation marks (you know, do they go inside or outside?).

For the tutorial revealing the crazy fact that the word “everyone” is singular, click here . And to finally put to rest your students’ confusion about it’s/its, you’re/your, and others of that ilk, click here .

Proofreading Marks

As with all the other tutorials, you get a super-duper package today: an infographic to teach the proofreading marks, an example of how to use them in a real paragraph, an exercise so students can fix someone else’s mistakes , and the answers .

Proofreading marks are fairly universal and can be tremendously helpful to your students when they are editing their work. After your students complete their rough draft, have them print off the essay or short story. Reading the rough draft from a piece of paper catches more mistakes than simply reading the essay from a computer screen. Then students can apply the proofreading marks as tools to help them shape a better essay or story.

The following chart contains common proofreading marks used by all professional writers. For a PDF of this chart, click here.

The following image shows how to use the proofreading marks in an essay. For a PDF of this example, click here.

Proofreading Marks Assignment

Follow this link for the free download of a proofreading assignment.

Directions: Use the proofreading marks to catch errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing, and to make the reading go more smoothly. Use a colorful pen so you can keep track of your corrections.

Proofreading Marks Answers

Teachers, follow this link for a free download of a suggested answer to the proofreading assignment.

You can find another proofreading tutorial here . Students will proofread a letter to the editor that needs a lot of help!

This grammar tutorial is taken from The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School by Sharon Watson (that would be me). To get free samples from this course that will take the burden of teaching writing off your shoulders, click here .

Yours for a more vibrant writing class,

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Frequently asked questions

Our AI Proofreader has been trained on academic texts. It also addresses commonly confused words, and it’s more accurate than Word’s autocorrect feature. Word’s autocorrect feature usually operates on a word level, whereas our AI Proofreader can proofread on the sentence and, to an extent, even the paragraph level. Because it’s more accurate and fixes more than just grammar mistakes, our AI Proofreader identifies and corrects more mistakes overall. Furthermore, because you check your document with our AI Proofreader after you’ve finished writing it, your workflow won’t be interrupted.

Rest assured: Your documents are safe. The document you upload is deleted immediately after it’s been processed by our AI Proofreader, and your processed document will automatically be deleted from our servers after 12 months. If you’d like to delete the stored copy of your document sooner, you can do so manually through your user profile at any time. For more information, please consult our articles on how we ensure the security of your documents.

For now, the AI Proofreader only corrects based on the conventions of US English. We will add other dialects at a later stage.

You can only upload .docx (Word) files to the AI Proofreader.

Absolutely! The AI Proofreader is particularly useful for non-native English speakers, as it can detect mistakes that may have gone unnoticed.

There’s no need for any downloads! You can use our AI Proofreader right in your web browser. Just upload your document and sit back; you’ll receive a revised version of your document within 10 minutes.

No; the AI Proofreader currently focuses on grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. If you’re interested in detecting any potential plagiarism in a document, we recommend that you consider our Plagiarism Checker . The AI Proofreader is included for free in that service.

Absolutely! Every change suggested by the AI Proofreader is indicated as a tracked change in Word. You can decide which changes to accept or reject in your document, and, if you’re feeling confident, you can even accept all of the changes with just one click.

The cost is $9.95 per document, no matter the length. You won’t pay more based on the number of words or characters. Our AI Proofreader is ideal for academic papers and dissertations!

The exact time depends on the length of your document, but, in most cases, the proofreading will be completed within a maximum of 10 minutes.

No.To make sure that your reference list isn’t disrupted, we’ve implemented suppression rules in our model.

No. You can, however, get a free report that tells you exactly how many and what kinds of mistakes there are in your document.

Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org.

2024 Indigenous Communities Fellowship

The Dos and Don'ts of Essay Editing and Proofreading

Novella Rosely

Our Organization

Collegeessay.org

What is the name of your solution?

Provide a one-line summary of your solution..

Master the art of essay editing and proofreading with our essential dos and don'ts guide.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

In what country is your solution team headquartered.

• United States

What type of organization is your solution team?

Film your elevator pitch., what specific problem are you solving.

This solution addresses the common challenge of ensuring the quality and accuracy of written work through effective essay editing and proofreading. Many individuals struggle with identifying and correcting errors in their essays, leading to issues such as unclear communication, grammatical mistakes, and inconsistencies in writing style. By providing a comprehensive guide to the dos and don'ts of essay editing and proofreading, this solution aims to equip writers with the knowledge and techniques needed to enhance the clarity, coherence, and overall quality of their essays.

Through practical tips and insights, writers can learn how to approach the editing and proofreading process systematically, identifying common mistakes and applying strategies to address them effectively. By mastering the art of essay editing and proofreading, writers can ensure that their written work meets high standards of excellence, making a positive impression on readers and achieving their communication goals with confidence.

What is your solution?

Our solution addresses the critical need for effective essay editing and proofreading techniques to ensure the quality and clarity of written content. Many individuals encounter challenges in identifying and rectifying errors in their essays, resulting in unclear communication and grammatical inconsistencies. 

Through a comprehensive guide outlining the dos and don'ts of essay editing and proofreading, we aim to empower writers with the knowledge and strategies necessary to enhance the coherence and accuracy of their essays. 

By mastering these techniques, writers can ensure that their written work meets high standards of excellence, leaving a positive impression on readers and achieving their communication objectives confidently.

Collegeessay.org offers a affordable research paper writing service tailored to the budgetary constraints of students. Despite its cost-effectiveness, the platform ensures top-notch quality and adherence to academic standards, making it a popular choice among students seeking a cheap yet reliable solution.

Specializing in college-level research papers, Collegeessay.org provides customized solutions to meet the specific requirements of students. Its team of experienced writers is well-versed in academic standards, ensuring that each paper is tailored to the unique needs of college assignments.

As a legitimate research paper writing service, Collegeessay.org prioritizes integrity and professionalism in every aspect of its operation. From transparent policies to secure transactions, the platform instills trust and confidence in its customers, ensuring a seamless and reliable experience.

Experience excellence in essay writing with Collegeessay.org . Take the first step towards academic success today!

Myperfectwords.com sets the standard for professional excellence in research paper writing services. With a team of seasoned writers holding advanced degrees in various disciplines, it delivers top-quality papers tailored to the highest academic standards.

As a legitimate research paper writing service , Myperfectwords.com upholds the highest ethical standards in its operations. It prioritizes authenticity, originality, and academic integrity, ensuring that every paper produced is free from plagiarism and adheres to academic guidelines. Customers can trust Myperfectwords.com as a reliable partner in their academic journey.

Create exceptional essays with ease by utilizing  Myperfectwords.com expert essay writing service. Begin your journey to excellence today!

Which Indigenous community(s) does your solution benefit? In what ways will your solution benefit this community?

The solution of providing advice on good essay editing and proofreading processes can aid Indigenous communities by giving them access to information and tools for improving their written communication skills. Many Indigenous people may encounter barriers to getting adequate education or be disadvantaged within school systems, resulting in deficiencies in academic abilities such as writing. 

By giving clear and extensive instruction on essay editing and proofreading, this service can help Indigenous people improve their writing skills, so boosting their academic and professional chances. 

Furthermore, by encouraging clarity and coherence in written communication, this solution can assist Indigenous people better explain their perspectives, stories, and cultural knowledge, creating greater understanding and representation in academic and larger societal contexts.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

Our team comprises skilled writers, editors, and quality assurance specialists who are committed to upholding the highest standards of quality and integrity in our work.

Expertise:  Our team members possess expertise in various subjects and academic disciplines, allowing us to tackle a wide range of writing assignments with confidence and proficiency.

Experience:  With years of experience in the writing industry, we have honed our skills in research, writing, editing, and proofreading to deliver high-quality and original content consistently.

Quality Assurance:  We have robust quality assurance processes in place to ensure that every piece of writing meets our stringent standards for originality, accuracy, and coherence. This includes utilizing plagiarism detection tools and conducting thorough reviews before delivering the final product to our clients.

Customer Satisfaction : We prioritize customer satisfaction and strive to exceed our clients' expectations with every project. Our dedicated customer support team is available around the clock to address any concerns or inquiries promptly.

Adaptability:  We understand that each client and project is unique, and we tailor our approach to meet individual needs and preferences. Whether it's meeting tight deadlines, accommodating specific requirements, or providing ongoing support, we are adaptable and responsive to our clients' needs.

Ethical Standards:  We are committed to upholding ethical standards in our work and promoting academic and professional integrity. Our team members adhere to strict guidelines regarding citation, attribution, and originality to ensure that our clients receive non-plagiarized essays that meet the highest ethical standards.

In summary, our team's expertise, experience, commitment to quality assurance, focus on customer satisfaction, adaptability, and adherence to ethical standards uniquely position us to deliver the solution of "Guaranteed Original Writing: Delivering Non-Plagiarized Essays" effectively and reliably. We are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their academic and professional goals while upholding the principles of honesty, integrity, and excellence in writing.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Which of the un sustainable development goals does your solution address.

• 4. Quality Education

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Please share details about why you selected the stage above..

One of the most important skills that a student should acquire during their academic career is the art of academic writing.

Why are you applying to Solve?

Collegeessay.org is your ultimate solution for all academic writing requirements. With a team of more than 280 proficient writers, we ensure top-notch quality, original papers delivered punctually. Our service proudly holds a SiteJabber rating of 4.8 and ResellerRatings of 4.9, demonstrating our dedication to exceeding customer expectations.

In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?

• Public Relations (e.g. branding/marketing strategy, social and global media)
• Technology (e.g. software or hardware, web development/design)

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

How is your team lead connected to the community or communities in which your project is based.

Through various means such as outreach programs, partnerships with local organizations, or actively involving community members in the development process through feedback sessions or consultations. The aim is to ensure that the project serves the needs of the communities it aims to benefit and that its implementation is culturally sensitive and inclusive.

Solution Team

The Solve team will review your report and remove any inappropriate content.

Why is this item inappropriate?

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Paraphrasing Tool For Writers 4+

Article rewriter & proofreader, tausif akram, designed for ipad.

• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

Maybe you're stuck writing an essay, crafting a creative story, or even just trying to explain your point in a conversation. Well, say goodbye to repetitive writing and hello to Paraphrasing Tool, your new best friend for expressing yourself clearly and creatively! What is Paraphrasing Tool? Forget about the days of thesauruses and clunky online rewriters. Paraphrasing Tool is a free app that uses cutting-edge technology to help you rephrase text in your own words. That's right, no more robotic-sounding sentences or awkward grammar. This powerful tool understands the nuances of language and helps you find fresh, natural-sounding alternatives for any phrase or sentence. Why is it for you? A student tired of rewriting the same ideas in different assignments? A writer looking for inspiration and variety in your stories, poems, or articles? A casual learner exploring new concepts and wanting to express your understanding differently? Anyone who wants to communicate effectively and avoid repetitive language? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then [Paraphrasing Tool] is for you! It's perfect for users 13 and above, making it a valuable tool for students, writers, and anyone who wants to enhance their communication skills. How does it work? Type or paste your text. Whether it's a sentence, paragraph, or even a whole document, Paraphrasing Tool can handle it.Tap the "Paraphrase" button. Within seconds, you'll see several different ways to rewrite your text, using synonyms, changing sentence structures, and maintaining the original meaning. Choose the paraphrase you like best. You can even compare different options to find the perfect fit for your needs. And that's it! You now have fresh, unique ways to express yourself without sacrificing clarity or meaning. While the basic paraphrasing feature is free, Paraphrasing Tool offers premium features for those who need even more control and flexibility. With Premium you can: Paraphrase longer texts: Rewrite entire essays, stories, or reports with ease. Unlock more unique paraphrases: Get even more options to choose from for truly individualized results. Adjust style and tone: Make your paraphrased text more formal, informal, creative, or whatever suits your needs. Ready to unleash your voice with Paraphrasing Tool? Download the free app today and start exploring the power of language in a whole new way! Note: The price for each plan may vary according to the country from where a user gets subscribed. The actual cost of the plan may get converted to the currency of the country you’re residing in. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Automatic renewals will cost the same price you were originally charged for the subscription. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Read our terms of service and Privacy Policy for more information. Privacy policy: https://www.contentarcade.com/privacy Terms of use: https://www.contentarcade.com/terms

App Privacy

The developer, Tausif Akram , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• Monthly Subscription $9.99
• Weekly Offer $4.99
• Yearly Subscription $29.99
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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