Proofreading: What It Is and How To Do It
Scroll to the bottom of this page to get your free proofreading checklist.
As part of our work over at Dissertation by Design, we provide editing services for researchers in the final stages of the writing process. Far too often, I see clients rush or skip this final step due to limited time, lack of energy, or a simple lack of awareness of their mistakes. As a researcher, regardless of your level of experience, you have likely been working on your research paper for months, possibly years, so I get it: you’re ready to be finished!
But I also know you want the significant time you spent crystallizing your thoughts to pay off. For that to happen, you’ll want to convey your ideas clearly and cohesively to your reader. No matter your writing skills, no one’s first draft comes out reader ready. And reviewers—whether on your committee or at your journal of choice—deem sloppy writing unacceptable.
Why it Matters
The quality of your writing indirectly says many things about you and your research. Written communication riddled with errors suggests you lack attention to detail. This is not the kind of message you want to send as a researcher! A reviewer may disregard the first or second misspelled word. However, multiple misspellings, typos, or style nonconformities will diminish your credibility.
Even worse, careless errors can confuse your reader. And lack of clarity can cause your reader to ignore your research, regardless of the valuable information in it. Bullet points with inconsistent punctuation look sloppy. A decimal point in the wrong place can turn your findings from significant to insignificant. If these small errors appear in your work, ask yourself, “Will my readers trust my research?” Sadly, the answer is likely "no."
For students and professional scholars seeking outside help with editing and proofreading, many options exist. First, be sure to plan ahead. Editing and proofreading take time to do properly, so don’t expect someone to read and correct your 100-page document in a matter of days. Students, you can seek help at your university's writing center. You can also ask your English-savvy friends and family to proofread your work. If nobody in your immediate circle qualifies, then seek professional help. Many dissertation coaches offer proofreading and editing services. If time and budget allow, take advantage of them.
Editing Your Own Work
If you are a professional scholar, you probably already seek editorial assistance when polishing your research, but some higher education professionals stigmatize graduate students who ask for this kind of assistance with their theses and dissertations. Some chairs, committee members, and professors view the use of outside editing services as an unfair advantage or a form of literary cheating.
Consequently, if you are a doctoral student, you may be expected to objectively review your own writing, despite having little or no experience writing a document as complex as a dissertation. Meanwhile, best-selling authors, leading researchers, and those who have "arrived" all benefit from professional editors before their work reaches their intended audience.
So, what are you doctoral students to do?
Proofreading is a strategic exercise. It requires more effort than simply checking your document for correctly spelled words. The English language uses several punctuation marks such as commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, ellipses, and more. When used correctly, proper punctuation adds rhythm, clarity, and cohesion to your writing.
To help those of you forced to act as your own editor, I’ve compiled this list of tips to help you move through the proofreading process systematically. For a more detailed (and free!) checklist, please fill out the form at the end of this post.
Check grammar for proper use and check the location of commas, periods, and quotation marks. In the United States, place commas and periods inside the quotation marks, except when the parenthetical reference follows.
Delete unnecessary words. Consider each word, then each phrase, and then the context of your thought. If words or phrases add confusion, consider eliminating the unnecessary words or rewriting the phrase.
Review transitions. Make sure the writing flows smoothly from paragraph to paragraph. Reword content that lacks a clear connection between thoughts or bogs the reader down in unnecessary details.
Check your school guidelines and your discipline’s style guide for information about formatting margins, page numbers, headings, block quotes, bullets, spacing, front matter (e.g., title page, copyright page, abstract), and references. Follow these guidelines to the letter.
Use the Style feature in Microsoft Word to ensure consistent formatting of paragraphs and headings throughout your document.
Use your word processor’s spell check function. Never submit work without first using this excellent tool. However, remember you cannot rely on an automated spell check as your only means of catching mistakes. You must also use your own spelling skills to catch overlooked errors, especially regarding homophones such as “two” and “to,” or “cite,” “site,” and “sight.”
Ensure numbers and captions for images, charts, tables, and graphs appear in sequential order. Check to be sure you’ve included a “callout” (e.g., “see Table 2”) for each.
Remove crowding or extra spacing between letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs to ensure your document appears professional.
One challenge to editing your own work is the fact you’ve seen it so many times before. Professional editors avoid editing the same document more than one time because their familiarity with the writing compromises their sharp eye. The good news, however, is that you can take the following steps to hone your focus and de-familiarize yourself with your own writing.
Remove distractions. Proofreading requires a suitable environment that allows you to focus.
Take your time. Don’t speed-read your document! You will easily miss errors because you already know the content so well. Give the language time to sink in as you read.
Print your document. While it may be more costly to print a hard copy, this will give you a fresh perspective on your writing.
Read your document backward. Begin reading the conclusion, followed by the discussion, then the analysis, and so on. Reading chapters in a different order will help you read the content more deliberately.
Read your work aloud. Hearing your thoughts can change your perspective on how the words fit together and help identify flaws.
These multiple readings and ongoing edits may sound like a lot of work, but that brings me back to where I started: proofreading takes time! Just remember, even J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, claimed to have written 15 drafts of her first book’s opening chapter.
Above all else, proofreading takes discipline, but I know you’re up to the task because this is what researchers are made of!
Looking Good Gets Results
Whether you’re a professional scholar or a student, you can only perform quality proofreading when you know what to look for. I compiled a detailed proofreading checklist to help you with that. But the list alone isn’t foolproof. To perform every step, you must understand the rules of proper grammar and punctuation and have a solid knowledge of spelling and formatting. If you lack skills in any of these areas, you’ll need to work on them or find help. I implore you, however, not to brush it off. This crucial last step in the writing process can make a huge difference in the quality of your final submission—and its acceptance or approval.
Happy proofing!
Get Your Free
Proofreading Checklist
This free checklist includes key items to review before submitting your work. You can download the free worksheet after submitting the form below.
