Students: 5 things to check for when proofreading your essay before submission
Having spent so long planning, preparing and writing your essay, proofreading is essential in order to maximise the marks you achieve for your work. This article aims to give you a simplified way to ensure you achieve those marks.
Check 1
Does it say what you think it says? When you’ve spent so much time completing your essay, amending your work and editing your words it is easy to speed read what you think is there and miss mistakes. Check that what is actually written is the same as what you think you have written. It can help to walk away from your work and take a break to clear your mind and read it again later slowly and carefully.
Check 2
Check spelling and grammar. It may seem the most obvious and simple thing to do; however, simple mistakes can be avoided by double-checking your computer settings. Ensure that your computer is using the correct language, as there can be differences between English UK, English American and even English Australian. Read through looking for grammar mistakes that may not have been picked up such as capitalisation on proper nouns.
Check 3
Check punctuation and sentence structure. Reading aloud can help. If you get tongue-tied reading it then consider revising the sentence. Whoever is marking it may well know what you meant but won’t give you marks if it doesn’t read well or is confusing.
Check 4
Check your referencing. Have you correctly referenced according to the requirements? Spell checks may not correctly pick up on references so double check for reference layout, capital letters on names and the format for your reference list or bibliography.
Check 5
Check word count and formatting. Have you kept within the margins of the word count? There will usually be guidelines as to the percentage over or under the word count that is acceptable. Check that this has not changed after any amendments during proofreading.
And likewise have you written your work and saved it in the correct format for submission?
In summary: take a break between writing and proofreading, read slowly and carefully, read aloud to clarify your words and don’t over rely on your computer to do it for you. There are many elements of proofreading to look out for, however following these five simplified steps will help you to avoid losing marks because of simple mistakes.