Proofreading Tips

Whenever you submit a paper, a resume, or write a letter, remember that you get to take full credit for every word on that paper, but you also assume full responsibility. Good proofreading shows me you take pride in your work; sloppy proofreading shows me you don’t care much about your work. I respond accordingly.

Strategies to get you started in proofreading/editing:

• Use your computer’s spellcheck, but don’t rely on it. Double-check all proper nouns and homonyms (i.e. there/their) and look for silly mistakes (repeated words, the wrong word, etc).
• If a sentence sounds funny to you, try to re-word it.
• Look for the errors you know you tend to make.
• Read your essay silently at least twice just looking for errors.
• Print your essay and proofread it with a pen in hand. Sometimes it’s easier to see errors on paper than it is on the screen.
• Read your essay out loud – or ask a friend to read it out loud back to you.
• Always proofread as your final step (you might make new errors if you don’t).
• Use grammar check, but don’t rely on it, especially if you don’t understand grammar rules.
• Make sure you’ve consulted my handout on Writing and Submitting Essays. (This will ensure you staple your pages, number them, double space, use correct margins and font size, etc)

NOTE: WRAC Center tutors can help you revise your paper, but they will not proofread it for you.