HomeContributionsKnow the Difference: Revision, Editing, & Proofreading

Know the Difference: Revision, Editing, & Proofreading

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When you type that last word of your essay and finally hit your word count, it’s normal to want to jump for joy. However, you’re not done just yet and still have some work to do.

That’s right; we’re talking about looking over and checking your paper, making sure it’s in tip-top shape before you hand it in. While you might know this by now, what you probably don’t is that there are three parts to checking your paper.

Those are revising, editing, and proofreading, all of which play a critical role in the flow of your essay. Below, you’ll find tips on how to finish up your essay fast, saving time to catch up on other assignments, or taking some rest.

Step 1: Revision

One expert tip from best assignment service pro writers is: If time allows, close your computer and take the night off. For instance, let’s say that you just typed word number 2000 and finally finished your essay. The last thing your brain probably wants is to start the process of revision. Plus, taking a look at your writing after a break helps you catch more things and makes it clearer where you need to start revising.

No matter when you start, to begin, you should grab your outline and use it as your guide. Follow along with your original outline as you skim over your finished work, ensuring that your essay matches your plan and that nothing is left out. Check that all of your quotes, sources, and arguments are inserted correctly and make sense of where they are. You can check yourself by asking:

  • Does my writing reflect the ideas of my outline?
  • Did I leave any information out?
  • Are any of my arguments unclear?
  • Did I add enough proof and support of my arguments to create a substantial claim?

Once you’ve got your wheels turning and know more or less how you did, read your draft. Start by reading it as usual, from start to finish, marking anything you want to return to.

If you find something hard to read or understand, circle it or highlight it and come back to it and change it later. Once you’ve done some marketing and cleaned up the flow, it’s time to move on to editing.

Step 2: Editing

Editing a paper takes a bit of patience but, it’s so worth it. Reading your paper, again and again, you’ll find mistakes and clear up things that just don’t make sense. We know that reading your paper more than once sounds boring, but you’ll be happy you did.

Start by reading it slowly out loud and listen for things that sound weird. You can do a lot of damage that way and clean up most mistakes. After that, start reading your essay from finish to start. Yes, you read that right! Going backward tricks your brain into paying more attention and can help you find small mistakes that we usually pass up.

In addition to using yourself as an editor for your essay, don’t hesitate to ask your friends, family, or someone at school for help. Expert writers at Takemyexamonline say that getting feedback from others is a great way to check your writing and get suggestions on making it better and more precise. If they don’t understand your argument, your professor might not either. So, listen to them and learn from them, making your essay as good as possible with their help.

Step 3: Proofreading

Last but not least, you’ll need to check your grammar, spelling, and use of English. While it used to be good enough just to let Word do the checking, these days, professors know that we’ve got many advanced grammar tools all around the web.

So, you’ll need to use a mix of your own abilities and those of technology for proofreading. For instance, let’s say that you decided to add a bit of fun language. Grammar and spelling checkers might not recognize the way you say it but, it could be widely accepted in your town, state, or country.

This is especially true if it creates emphasis in your essay that you want to keep. Experts on write an essay for me online recommend surrounding colloquial words with quotations, but it’s not always necessary.

Using automated spelling and grammar checkers, you can check your essay fast and correct any mistakes quickly. But, don’t forget to read over it yourself. After you run it through a good grammar check, read it one last time yourself, just to see if it still sounds like a human, not a robot, is writing.

It Seems Like a Lot, But It’s Worth It!

We know it seems like a lot of work after writing a 5-page paper but, it’s totally worth it. You will realize how many mistakes we let slip past us in our writing and be amazed by how our brain automatically corrects things.

That’s why you should do multiple rounds of checking, starting with revising. Once you have the editing done, use the software and give it a final skim before turning it in. Your professors look for many things in your writing, one of which is a clear point. Give them just that with the help of careful revising, editing, and proofreading.

Last Updated on February 14, 2022 8:22 pm CET by Markus Kasanmascheff

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