Introduction
Editing and proofreading are key stages in the writing process (and they are separate stages) but they’re frequently rushed or missed out altogether. This is a failure of planning and time management. You should always build in time to properly edit and proofread your work. It’s very obvious to an experienced marker when it hasn’t happened.
Why does it matter?
Good writing rarely happens straight off the bat. Rather it’s a laborious process of crafting and recrafting until eventually you wind up with something you’re happy with. If you don’t take time to edit and proofread, it’s likely that you will be submitting sub-standard work.
It’s worth remembering that all the writing you encounter has gone through that same process. It may look effortless in its final form, but you’ll never see the graft that went into making it appear that way. If you don’t believe us, read this article by one of our former Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows, Chris Arthur. Chris is a professional essayist who also helped students with their writing during his time in his RLF role at the University of Dundee . His first paragraph on both the tribulations and the necessity of drafting and redrafting should provide comfort and instruction to us all.
Editing & Proofreading – what’s the difference?
You’ll find differing definitions of the distinction between editing and proofreading, and often there will appear to be overlap between the two. One possible way of thinking about it is in terms of structure and style. Editing is largely concerned with the former and proofreading the latter.
Whilst that’s possibly a slightly over simplistic way of looking at it, it does help give a sense of the distinction between the two tasks. Looking at it that way, editing is about the structure of the work both overall and in terms of paragraph and sentence structure. Proofreading on the other hand is about the fine detail. It’s about the spelling, the grammar, the syntax. It’s about consistency.
Editing your work
In some ways, the editing process begins at the planning stage. A plan allows you to think about structure and coherence before you start writing. Thus the more carefully you plan, the less editing you’re likely to need to do.
In terms of the editing itself, you might begin with your introduction and conclusion – are they effective? Does the former signpost to the reader the areas you go on to explore, and in what order? Does the conclusion follow naturally from the points you’ve explored in the main body?
Look also at paragraph structure – Is each of your paragraphs well-developed? Have you presented evidence and then unpacked or critiqued that evidence? Even scanning the pages quickly will give you a sense of paragraph length and may point to places where paragraphs look too long or too short. With longer paragraphs, make sure you’re not trying to cover too many points in the same paragraph – break longer paragraphs up where necessary. Very short paragraphs tend to suggest an over-descriptive approach and a lack of critical analysis. Do you need to go back and develop your arguments?
You should also try reading the first sentence of each paragraph (the topic sentence). Do they give an overall sense of the ‘narrative’? Do the points fit together in a logical order? Do you need to move anything around?
Proofreading your work
Proofreading should be the last stage of the writing process. But how do you know what to look for?
First of all, make use of the spell and grammar check functions on WORD or whichever programme you are using. You may also want to consider using the free version of a tool such as Grammarly. These will pick up many of the common errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Like anything else though, you have to use them critically. Don’t just accept the suggested changes without first considering whether they are valid. For example, WORD will often try to discourage you from using the passive voice when, in fact, it is quite common practice to do so in some academic writing. (You can read more about passive v active voice here).
Regardless of whether or not you use an online tool, you should always manually proofread your work. There are lots of different techniques you can use. The Royal Literary Fund have produced this handy guide to proofreading your own work, whilst the video below provides an excellent introduction to many of the most effective approaches.
Using feedback
One thing you should always do when proofreading your work is pay attention to the feedback you’ve received on previous work from your markers, your supervisor, or other people.
It’s sometimes tempting to ignore or skim over the feedback, and it can be tough to hear about all the things we’ve done ‘wrong’. But instead of seeing feedback as criticism, try to look upon it as free advice on how to improve the work. Feedback is never personal – it’s a reflection on the work, not on you personally, and is offered constructively to recognise the things you are doing well and to help you work on the areas that need development.
So pay attention to your feedback and use it as feedforward for your future writing. And when you’re proofreading your work, be extra careful to check that you’ve addressed to the best of your ability the issues raised in that previous feedback.
Summing Up
By mastering a few simple writing conventions and giving yourself the time and space to properly edit and proofread your work, you can develop confidence and skill in communicating your ideas and your research in writing. And remember, you don’t have to master it all overnight – in fact none of us do. See it as a process, build on your successes and act on the feedback, and over time you should see your writing improve steadily.
