The Dos and Don'ts of Proofreading and Editing Your Assignments

The Dos And Don'ts Of Proofreading And Editing Your Assignments

By: Faizal Khan

No one is perfect but the person who believes in this phrase is. However, there is no such thing as perfectionism but by trying to be perfect, we bring out the best version of our work. Coming to the point, proofreading and editing is an essential phase of an assignment. However, knowing the dos and don’ts of this important phase can benefit you in many ways. Are you getting excited to gain such valuable information? Fill this excitement with tons of knowledge by reading the further article. 

Dos:

Take a Break Before Proofreading

One of the most common mistakes students make when proofreading and editing assignments is directly jumping into the process. Know that you might be low on energy as you have done a lot of work writing your assignment. Give yourself some time to chill and do what refreshes your mood. 

Read Aloud

Reading your assignment in your mind might not be that impactful.  Instead, if you read it out loud, it will help you find errors much more easily. Both your visual and auditory senses will help you understand if your work is going in the flow or not. 

Use Spell Check and Grammar Tools

No matter how well-informed an assignment is, if there are grammar mistakes present in it, all your hard work might fail. There are many free spell check and grammar error tools that you can leverage. One of the most popular ones is Grammarly, which many experts use and recommend.

Check for Consistency

You might start the assignment with full energy but see if the energy goes down by looking at the consistency of quality in it. Look if you maintained the format, flow, style, and language usage throughout the assignment. This consistency in quality can stand you out in the crowd.

Verify Facts and Figures

While the internet is a great source of any information you want, being aware of some fake ones is a wise choice. Not everything written on the internet is genuine and coming from real sources as some just write anything to gain views. Make sure you fact-check all the stats and facts you have mentioned in your assignment before submitting it.

Look for Common Errors

Some common errors can deduct your grades before you even know them. To avoid unwanted grade deductions, look for common errors like subject-verb agreement, punctuation mistakes, and word usage errors. You will need keen eyes and study focus to find them out. 

Seek Feedback

Many students hesitate to seek feedback on their work due to various reasons. But what they don’t know is that by not seeking feedback, they are making the biggest mistake that might cause harm to their grades. Seeking feedback can point out the mistakes that your eyes couldn't catch. Reach out to a teacher, classmates, instructors, or experts from the “pay someone to do my uni assignment” service to seek feedback.

Don'ts

Proofread Immediately After Writing

As we said earlier, do not proofread immediately after writing the assignment. After writing the assignment, your familiarity with the content can blind you from seeing the errors. Go out, chill, and come back in a refreshed mood and see how fast you will be able to find the errors. 

Rely Solely on Spell Checkers

When spell and grammar checking tools are a great source, solely relying on them might not be a wise choice. Remember, these are just software and can make mistakes. Do not forget the value of manual inspection of these spelling and grammar mistakes. 

Overlook Formatting and Layout

Looks do matter, and so do the formatting and layout of the assignment. Do not make the mistake of overlooking both these aspects when proofreading the assignment if you are willing to score high. If find any errors in the formatting and layout, work on it ASAP.

Ignore Feedback or Criticism

As we discuss the importance of seeking feedback on your assignment. Once, you receive the feedback, be ready for any kind of criticism it brings and make changes accordingly. We are humans, sculptures of mistakes, but what makes us different from other species is we learn from our flaws. 

Forget to Proofread Citations and References

As we said verifying facts and stats is essential to get good grades, do not forget to cite official links. This will give authenticity to work and send a message to your professor that you have worked hard on the assignments. 

Assume One Proofreading Session is Enough

You can not find all the errors in one go. Hence, doing multiple proofreading sessions is essential to ensure the authenticity of your work. Repeat the process at least 2-3 times to find all the mistakes and get A+ grades. 

Final Thoughts

You might be feeling tired already, thinking why do so much work on just an assignment? Let us tell you that assignments are not just to teach you academic knowledge but allow you to learn so many things if follow the proper method. These dos and don’ts when proofreading and editing your assignment will help avoid unwanted grade deductions and impress your professors.