Academic writing is an integral part of the educational program. Whether you like it or not, you can’t avoid being assigned to write multiple papers throughout each semester. And even when you manage to cope with another assignment, the work doesn’t stop there.
Writing a paper well is not the only key to getting a high grade. Another key is careful proofreading and editing.
Effective proofreading and editing require having an eye for detail. But, it also requires taking a critical, unbiased stance. That’s why self-editing is so hard. Students often struggle with checking their own assignments simply because they can’t assess them objectively.
Self-Editing an Essay: Top Helpful Tips
It takes skill and excellent knowledge of the writing basics to get things right. One of the biggest issues that may hold you back from succeeding in this endeavor is the lack of knowledge in:
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Style
- Organization
- Structure
- Formatting, etc.
A poor understanding of these basics can really make all your editing efforts go in vain. Luckily, if you feel like you can’t handle the task on your own, you can go to https://essaywriterservice.com/essay-editing-service and hire a professional to help you. But, if you are up for the challenge, here are a few handy tips to help you polish your paper to perfection:
1. Take a Pause
The first and best tip we can give you is to take a break. It is crucial to let your essay rest for at least several hours or ideally a few days. Taking such a break will let you refresh and distance from your work. It works with SAT Breaks for making your education up. This way, when you get back to it, you will be rested and more attentive, you will find it easier to concentrate and spy even the slightest errors.
2. Break It Down
Since revising your own work is so hard, it can feel rather terrifying to get started. If that’s the case, we recommend breaking the process down into smaller chunks of work. This is a very common technique applied by people in a variety of life situations. The thing is that it is much easier (both physically and mentally) to complete large tasks by taking one small step at a time.
You can apply the same approach here. Instead of jumping right into the process of revising your paper, set smaller objectives like read the text, check the formatting, remove repeated phrases, and so on, and tackle each one separately.
3. Check the Instructions
Before you dive into proofreading your work, don’t forget to get back to the instructions provided with your essay. Typically, your essay instructions will specify all the key requirements that will directly affect your grade during the evaluation. Thus, it is vital to ensure that you followed all these.
4. Use Available Tools
One of the best things about the 21st century is that it has so much to offer us that handling basic everyday tasks is no longer as hard as it used to be. Today, there are plenty of tools for self-editing. Use them to your benefit!
Various tools can speed up the process and help you notice a wide range of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other mistakes. Of course, it should go without saying that one should not rely on these tools blindly. They will not replace revision made by a human. But they can really come in handy in fixing small typos and wrong commas!
5. Consider Using Different Formats
This is not an obvious tip, but, trust us, it can be very effective! Consider switching the format of your file to look at it from a different perspective. For example, if you typed your paper, then print it out. Also, you can try changing the font, font size, or text color. These easy hacks will help you see your essay from a different angle as if it wasn’t you who wrote it. This way, you will be able to take a more critical approach to it.
6. Read Out Loud
Reading aloud is a very popular revision technique. First of all, such an approach will help you notice superficial grammatical errors that otherwise are often overlooked when you revise the work silently. Besides, this technique allows you to literally “feel” your writing. When we read out loud, we engage multiple senses and can feel the rhythm, tone, and mood of the content.
7. Do It More Than Once
Many students briefly proofread their papers just once and believe that it should be enough. However, it is often not. Ideally, you should revise the work two or more times to ensure that nothing was missed out.
8. Ask Someone to Help
Even after you carefully checked your paper, there still might be some errors left. An additional pair of eyes will never hurt! Thus, the last tip we would like to give you is to ask someone you know to revise your essay for you. It can be a friend or family member. The main thing is to give it to someone with a fresh look. You can use professional essay proofreading and editing services mentioned on MetroTimes to ensure that your essay is unquestionable.
Checklist for Self-Editing an Essay
Now, when you have handy tips in mind, let’s briefly outline a checklist for effective self-editing of your essay:
- Check the instructions provided by your professor. Make sure you know all the requirements before you get to proofreading.
- Read the paper fully, without getting too clung to details.
- Check the title. Is it relevant, logical, and strong?
- Carefully read the thesis statement. Make sure that it is concise, clear, and aligns with the overall idea of the essay.
- Check body paragraphs. Ensure that the information flows in a smooth and logical way and that all points are supported with valid evidence.
- Check the introduction and conclusion of the essay. These two parts of the paper should be clear, concise, and clearly state the topic of your work.
- Remove repetitive phrases and words.
- Make sure you avoid uncertain language.
- Get rid of unnecessary, filler words.
- Get rid of weak adjectives.
- Revise the structure, style, and formatting.
- Go through the text a few more times to ensure that everything is perfect.
