Writing Criteria, Part Five: Proofreading for Conventions
Here are some of the best proofreading tips from student and professional writers.
By Patricia Roy — February 21, 2023
You're almost done. You've written the essay and revised it for focus, development, organization, and style. All that's left is to proofread for conventions. You may think you don't need it. There cannot possibly be any more mistakes, right?
Don't count on it. Here are some of the best proofreading tips from student and professional writers.
Lemme Sleep On It: Give Yourself Time
You already know that occasional breaks improve your productivity. A similar technique aids proofreading. Writers who give themselves a rest between writing a draft and editing it report they are better at finding mistakes and solving problems with the text.
Do not edit as you write in an attempt to save time. Multitasking this way does not produce good writing or good editing, only a half-hearted attempt at both. According to a study done in 2014, different parts of the writing process-from brainstorming to drafting and so on-light up different parts of the brain. So, give your brain a chance to catch up when you switch from drafting to editing. Writing is creative and benefits from an expansive and experimental mindset. Proofreading is narrowly focused on finding errors and fixing them. Give yourself time to reset before moving from one to the other.
Screen or Paper?
It does not matter which one you choose; it only matters that the method you choose works for you and is convenient. The benefits of the screen are obvious: you can make changes as soon as you see the need. In our modern, ever-digital world, we do not print nearly as much as we used to, so if you can get used to editing on-screen, you will save time, paper, and ink.
Despite this, I always catch more mistakes if I see my words on paper. Some studies suggest that because reading on paper activates more of our senses—the sound of the pencil on paper, the feel of the paper-it increases our comprehension and attention. I am inclined to agree. My recommendation: if your project has strict formatting rules, print it out to proofread, and be ready to do it at least twice.
Thank You For Coming To My Talk: Read Aloud
This is my favorite method. Get over the awkwardness and read your work out loud as if you were delivering a speech, adding pauses and stops for the punctuation. Reading aloud forces you to hear awkward sentences and poor construction. It is important to read each word slowly, as you would when public speaking, because if you just mutter under your breath, you will not hear the mistakes.
Listen, If You Can Stand the Cringe
When I am working with students individually, I often read their writing back to them, especially when I am working with non-native speakers or emerging writers. When someone reads your work aloud, they might stumble over mistakes or fuzzy language, calling your attention to those problems.
Start with Your Troubl espots and Keep Track of Them
If you know you struggle with certain mistakes, check for those first to save time. In addition, you should keep track of your troublespots by writing them down and looking them up in a writing handbook, style guide, or online grammar tool. I send students to the online writing lab (OWL) at Purdue University or Grammarly. Getting good at even just one grammar area will improve your writing.
Change the Font
If you are worried that familiarity with your work makes you blind to errors, try changing the font. Select the entire document or section (Command + A for Macs or Control + A on PCs) and change the font, so it is different enough to make it look unfamiliar. It is easy enough to change it back once you have proofed it.
Use Resources
Most software programs have a built-in dictionary and thesaurus to check spelling and usage without going to your browser, but you should know how to use a dictionary either online or in printed form. The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary provides standard American spellings for students in the United States, while The Cambridge Dictionary can be used for British spellings.
In addition to the grammar checker on Word or Google Documents, consider adding a bookmark or open tab for Purdue OWL or Grammarly. Both provide accurate explanations of style, grammar, and conventions for general purposes.
At some point, you will have a course introducing you to your major's documentation style for publishing. You may even need to buy a handbook or subscription to the Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago Manual of Style, or other reference work. Whatever style guide rules your field of study, learn and use it.
Read Backwards
Many people recommend this proofreading tip, but I do not use it. The idea is that reading your paper backward, starting with the last word and moving up, forces you to see each word individually. This is great for catching typos and spelling mistakes but seems less helpful for proofreading sentence structure. Try it and see if it works for you.
Proofread. Rinse. Repeat.
You need to proofread more than once. You probably need to do it more than twice. I hate to say it, but you could end up reviewing even a short paper half a dozen times. There is no writer alive who proofreads once and catches everything. This is why giving yourself enough time for the process (tip #1) is so important.
Pay attention to the most noticeable and annoying errors.
You do not have to be an expert to learn enough grammar to write clearly. Most readers will either not notice or not care much about the finer points of grammar and usage. However, they will notice mistakes like a lack of subject-verb agreement or missing periods. If you want readers to focus on your message, don't let them be distracted by careless mistakes.
Patricia Roy
Patricia Roy is a writer and professor who has helped students succeed for over 25 years. She started her career as a high school English teacher and then moved into higher education at Tuition Rewards member school, Lasell University in Newton, Massachusetts. Her practical guidance and enthusiasm motivate and inspire students to fearlessly explore their own passions. Professor Roy is also a freelance writer and published poet.
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