Writing is difficult. We are all aware of this. We put a lot of time and effort into the initial draft of any project, whether an essay, a personal story, a blog post, or a novel.
It’s even more difficult for students: Whether you’re writing an assigned essay or hiring the best essay writing service to assist you, you often overlook an important element of the writing process that all skilled authors go through; proofreading.
What is Proofreading?
Before publishing or submitting a manuscript for review, proofread it for mistakes such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, typos, and other formatting difficulties. It’s necessary for writing, whether it’s an essay, a research report, or a dissertation. While proofreading your essay, you are likely to find certain faults. What you do is correct those mistakes.
Here’s how to efficiently proofread your essays.
Take a Break
Don’t rush to edit your essay after you’ve finished the final draft. Take a 30-minute pause; the best option is to start proofreading your essay the next day after you finish it. A break will allow your brain and eyes to relax, allowing you to review the manuscript with a clear mind and greater focus afterward. It will let you perceive the content in a new light and proofread it more thoroughly.
Remove All Distractions
You’ve finished your break and are ready to get back to work? Now is the moment to set up your workspace so that nothing gets in the way of the process. Turn off all notifications, remove all extra tabs on your laptop, and request that your family or roommates not bother you. Consider anything that can irritate you: television, music, the smell of coffee, a dog barking.
Edit First, and Then Proofread
As stated in the definition, proofreading is the final stage of the writing process. So, before you start looking for typos and other minor inconsistencies in your draft, be sure you’ve corrected it: Why spend effort correcting misspelled words if you can delete the entire sentence or paragraph later?
First, edit, and then proofread. Yes, it takes time; even experienced authors confess that editing and proofreading take longer than writing.
Use Writing Guidelines as a Checklist
You will have a list of writing rules, whether writing an essay or a hypothesis. Consider things like the topic, the formatting style, the arguments, references, etc. You can save time proofreading by following these suggestions from a teacher or an editor: Address them to ensure that your draft includes all the items on the list. You must stick to your checklist. Seek help from a professional writer in your discipline and pay for essay to get a complete paper that is free from errors.
Prioritize Your Common Writing Errors
What are the most common errors you make? Perhaps you misunderstand “that/which” or “there/they’re,” perhaps you overlook an Oxford comma or misspell “throughout”? Make a list of the common errors you make and use it as a guide while editing writings. Concentrate on catching those errors first to guarantee you don’t overlook them later. It will be your extra helper for proofreading and a list of writing rules from a professor/editor.
Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an academic no-no, and educational institutions view it as an unacceptable breach of academic integrity. Plagiarism is a red signal regardless of why pupils do it: Professors use plagiarism detection software to check every piece of work; any unintended duplications in your essay could lose you a mark. Make it a practice to check for duplications while revising and proofreading your article. Make sure all of the quotes and other references are correctly formatted. Use a plagiarism detector to examine your draft.
Print It Out and Use a Ruler
Journalists like to use this proofreading method. When reading a copy from print, typos and other problems are sometimes simpler to spot: We scan rather than read while looking at text on a computer screen. As a result, we risk losing some important details. A printed copy allows us to concentrate on each word and sentence. It’s also an opportunity to double-check that the formatting is correct and consistent.
While reading, another tip is to set a ruler under each line. It allows your eyes to concentrate on a little bit of material and proofread it thoroughly throughout the essay.
Read it aloud
Read your work loudly or, at the very least, whisper it sentence by sentence. You engage a few senses by vocalizing the words: seeing, speaking, and hearing. It provides you with extra possibilities to spot faults. Furthermore, reading aloud slows you down, stopping you from scanning for and noticing minor discrepancies. The contrast between what you intended to express and what you wrote will be audible.
Conclusion
You can contact a writing service to proofread your paper or ask them to “write my essay.” There’s nothing wrong with that: most writers and journalists work with editors to polish their work and turn it into masterpieces that we read afterward. You can improve your writing skills by enlisting the services of a professional editor. You’ll recognize your common errors and be able to prevent them in the future.
Working full-time as a Senior Marketing Manager for one of the biggest IT companies in the US, I also enjoy helping college students with their homework. Work with me if you need help with an essay, case study, or a term paper. I have an MBA degree and I’m fully committed to helping you with any pending Marketing or Management assignment.
