Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To
give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three
spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the
text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing
and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both
demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the
writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

 Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a
paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you
tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours,
days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your
head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper
and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a
friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is
reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh
eyes.
 Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some
people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back
with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
  Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size,
spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking
it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a
different perspective on what you’ve written.
 Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in
front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a
place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
 If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short
blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to
proofread the entire text at one time.
 If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure
that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

 Use Proofreading and Editing Tools - Use the tools available to

you, because they do make your life easier.
We all know that word processor grammar- and spell-checking tools
are not always right. However, they can help you pick up on minor
errors that can be very hard to spot by eye, such as double spaces
between words, or words that have become elided (pushed together by
deleting the wrong space). It only takes a few minutes to run through
the spelling suggestions to check if there is anything useful there.
You can also do a ‘find’ to check for particular errors that may not be
picked up by the spell check. For example, if you are using UK English,
either -ise or -ize endings are acceptable, but not a mixture. You can
use the find function to check that you have been using one or the
other consistently.
 Take a Break - One of the most useful tips for proofreading
is not to do it immediately after writing.
Go away and come back to it, preferably at least 24 hours later. You
will have forgotten exactly what you meant to write, and you will read
 it as it is written. This will allow you to see errors more clearly, and you
will probably find more on a second reading too.
 Read it Aloud - It can be helpful to read your text out loud.
Doing so helps your brain to engage with it more fully: you are both
reading it (visual) and hearing it (auditory), as well as doing something
(speaking). This therefore involves more of your brain, and means you
are more likely to spot errors.
However, this works best if you actually engage with it as you go, and
genuinely listen to what you are reading, rather than simply reading it
over in a monotone.
 Look Twice - Proofread more than once. It is dull, but it works
better.
This is especially true if you are using tracked changes. Check once
with the tracking switched on, then hide the tracking and read the
clean copy. You will find it easier to read, and also be better able to
check for formatting issues.

Editing

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You
reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized,
the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really
backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Content

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you
make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an
argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent?
Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the
information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall
writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding
assignments and developing an argument.)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your

thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in
the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs
arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between
paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make
a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See
our handouts on introductions, conclusions, thesis statements,
and transitions.)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph
stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in
any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development.)

Clarity

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader?
Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is
to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working
backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous
sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this,
etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas?
Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal
vocabulary; you may misuse them.
Style

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is

your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he”
or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some
people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some
people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you
varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the
passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary
phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you
repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For
tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language.)

Citations

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from
sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries
citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to
the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error;
knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if
you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have
identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting
future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often
discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your
paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the
paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface

errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You
should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing
revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way
others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas,
you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to
say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good
impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any
glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading,
especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually
misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search
systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that
you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished,
you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This
makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are
editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about
punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a
word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more
important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below.

Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for
you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so
that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

 Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools

but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited
dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just
not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch
misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type
“your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of
“their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.

 Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These

programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify
every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough
explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be
revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify
potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice,
but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.

 Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to

identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and
your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar
errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same
time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting
one kind of mistake won’t catch others.

 Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud, which forces
you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound
together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over
errors or make unconscious corrections.
 Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another
technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press
the return key after every period so that every line begins a new
sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar,
punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy,
try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate
the line you’re working on.

 Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one.
As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.

 Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking

spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way
back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because
content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your
focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read
backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help
you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.

 Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for

errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and
correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in.
Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.

 Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better

proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to
you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks
like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You
think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure
why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure
about something, look it up.
 The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you
develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to
identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful
attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding
errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you
are drafting the paper.