Editing and proofreading are important steps in the writing process, especially in academic assignments. The quality of your work has a significant effect related to the mistakes in grammar, punctuation, spelling, or consistency regardless of how well you think you have written your assignment. Your work can only be improved by careful editing and proofreading or by getting a professional assignment help service which will make it more polished, accurate, and meaningful. Here we will give you assignment proofreading tips on how to polish your assignment like a pro.
Take A Break Before You Edit
Before you start editing you must first take a break after completing your assignment. Taking a break after writing gives you a new perspective which helps you identify errors that you might have missed while writing. It is basically difficult to spot minor mistakes or awkward phases because the brain usually becomes familiar with the text due to the writing phase. You can approach your assignment more accurately if you take a brief break of an hour or even a day.
Read The Entire Assignment
Read your entire assignment before starting to make any corrections. Even planning to hire a university assignment help uk based still read your assignment. Doing so will give you a basic idea of the work structure, consistancy, and clarity. It will also assist you in identifying any big problems that require more attention such as unclear, off-topic, or incomplete sections. Check any places where the argument seems not to make sense or where there are sudden changes in tone. The main focus of this reading should be on overall problems instead of the small details.
Make Sentence Structure Better
After checking the overall flow and clarity now need to concentrate on improving the sentence structure. Check any complex or run-on sentences. Sentences should be succinct and understandable, without being unnecessarily complicated. Avoid using many conjunctions or commas because this will cause misunderstandings.
To keep the reader interested you must look for different sentence lengths and structures. Your writing will be more unique if you use longer, more detailed sentences, shorter, and faster ones. Avoid using the same word or phrase at the start of too many sentences because this will make your writing repetitive.
Check Grammar And Punctuation Errors
The most obvious errors in an assignment are usually in the grammar and punctuation. These mistakes can divert the reader’s attention and decrease the quality of your work. Make sure to look for common errors like punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and misplaced modifiers.
Check commas, periods, and apostrophes because they are commonly used incorrectly. Make sure that you understand the differences between “its” (possessive form) and “it’s” (contraction of “it is”). Moreover, Look out for mistakes like comma splices which occur when a comma is used incorrectly to join two independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction.
Check Citations And References
It’s necessary to properly cite your sources properly in order to prevent plagiarism which can be done by acknowledging them. Copying someone else’s words or ideas and showing them as your own is called plagiarism (thesiswritinghelp, 2022). A Turnitin survey from 2022 found that 58% of teachers said that there are more and more students who are using online resources which leads to the increase in plagiarism cases. Make sure your references and citations are formatted correctly by using the correct style such as (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
You can do that by checking them twice. Check the accuracy of your reference list and in-text citations. To have correct formatting and if you are unclear on a specific citation rule then you must refer to your style guide or an online citation tool. Keep in mind that maintaining consistency in your referencing style is as crucial as making sure your citations are accurate.
Check For Typos And Misspellings
Typographical and spelling errors can distract the attention of the people and make it less professional. You can also check your document with a spell checker to identify any basic errors. Don’t rely on the spell checker only because these sometimes miss homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings such as “their” and “there.” Analyze your work carefully for these types of errors and make sure that all spellings are correct. Moreover, check specialized terms or jargon related to your field of study.
Read Aloud
Reading your assignment out loud is a good way to identify mistakes and increase the consistency of your writing. This technique will enable you to slow down at any point and focus more deeply on every word and sentence. By doing so you can identify awkward phrasing, repetitive words, and unspoken words by listening to what you say. You can also check the tone of your sentences and make sure your assignment flows well by reading aloud. This technique is also very helpful for checking which sentences are lengthy and it should be divided into smaller and more understandable parts.
Seek Feedback
It is not realistic and difficult to identify problems in your own writing because you are familiar with the topic and your own writing skills. Having a professor, tutor, or peer who can evaluate your work can give insightful comments. Feedback is a useful thing but professor feedback is more useful and important (Zacharias, 2007). A second opinion always highlights areas that need improvement and pprovidesnew insights.
When you ask for feedback you must be open to accept every type of criticism and consider it as a chance to make your assignment better. Instead of taking criticism personally, you must see it as helpful criticism that is meant to improve your work.
Final Review
Once you’ve made all the required adjustments you must again go over your assignment one last time. This is the final opportunity to correct any mistakes that were missed before submission. Make sure everything is in order by going over your work again. Make sure your writing is error-free, your arguments are strong, and your thesis is clear.
Make sure your assignment follows the specific guidelines by checking the formatting, margins, font size, and spacing. Lastly, make sure the assignment is within the allotted word count and contains all required sections including the title page, references, and appendices.
Conclusion
Writing polished and professional assignments requires proofreading and editing academic papers. You can efficiently improve your work by concentrating on grammar, structure, consistency, clarity, and the use of tools and feedback. You can improve the quality of your assignments and confidently explain your ideas with frequent practice and attention to detail.
Reference List
Zacharias, N. T. (2007). Teacher and Student Attitudes toward Teacher Feedback. RELC Journal, 38(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688206076157
TWH., (2022). Everything You Need To Know To Avoid Plagiarism in Thesis. Online Available at <https://thesiswritinghelp.com.pk/everything-you-need-to-know-to-avoid-plagiarism-in-thesis/> [Accessed on 15 April 2022]
