Writing Papers: Editing

Please Check My Grammar

Most students want others to read their work to correct grammar, but that’s your job. It’s better to ask a friend or classmate to evaluate the content, the organization, and the ideas rather than review the grammar.

Editing Strategies

One way to review your paper is to read it aloud. Doing so can give you a good sense of the flow. You’ll spot places where writing is choppy or where the transition from idea to idea is too abrupt.

As another strategy, ask a classmate or friend to read your paper. Have him or her pretend to take the other side and point out the weaknesses in your arguments.

Ask your instructor to read a draft. This is especially helpful if you’re struggling with your paper. Your instructor may be able to ask a few questions to get you back on track or help you find research you need to beef up up your paper.

Consider your school’s writing resources. Some schools have a writing center or writing tutors who can help with your writing. If so, these are good places for editing help.

Taking Advantage of Your Word Processing Program

It’s common for students to use a computer and a word processing program such as Word to compose a paper. With its built-in tools, a word processor can check your spelling and grammar, allow you to view an outline, handle inserted illustrations, and help you make other editing changes. This short section gives you a few tips for writing with a word processing program.

Most programs flag misspellings and incorrect grammar. You can correct these on the fly or wait until the end, and then run a spelling and grammar check. Remember that this check isn’t error-free; you still need to proofread your work.

Looking for the “right” word? Try looking up synonyms, using the program’s thesaurus feature.

To rearrange text, you can use the Edit®Copy and Edit®Paste commands. One thing that’s great about word processing programs is that you can usually undo changes. So if you accidentally delete text, you can even undo your deletion.

If you’re using a word processing program, make sure you follow the specific style guidelines for the format of the assignment, such as the font size, margins, and so on.

Reviewing an Editing Checklist

When reading for content, consider the following:

• Is the topic interesting? Do you open with a strong statement?
• Do you argue a unique point in the paper? Make sure the paper isn’t just a rehash of what others have said. Add your own unique ideas.
• Do you have enough evidence to back up your assertions? Is any information missing? Make sure that each point you make is well-supported with details. If needed, add any other information that is needed to prove your point or idea to your audience.
• Have you included information that isn’t relevant? Sometimes, you’ll come across a fact or idea that’s interesting, but that doesn’t really pertain to your topic. Some students want to include all the information they find; after all, it took some work to gather that information. It’s much better, though, to sift through and weed out any extraneous information — information that doesn’t really relate to the topic.
• Do you include the opposing view? Many students ignore the other side’s argument for controversial topics, but you shouldn’t. Instead, acknowledge any opposing opinions. You can then counter those arguments, explaining why that reasoning is invalid or not applicable.
• Do the ideas flow? Are they arranged in a logical order? Do paragraphs transition from one idea to the next? Are the ideas balanced? Look at length of sentences and paragraphs. Your paper is lopsided if you cover one point in great detail (long paragraph) and the rest in short paragraphs.
• Are all your sources cited? Did you forget any sources? Most often instructors ask you to follow MLA guidelines for citing works. If you don’t have this style guide book, you can find information on the Internet at www.mla.org.
• Did you follow the instructor’s style guidelines for font styles and sizes, margins, the title page, headers or footers, and the bibliography or Works Cited page?
• Did you check for errors? Be sure to correct any spelling or grammatical errors. Also, don’t rely on the grammar or spell checker in your word processing program; these aren’t foolproof, so you still need to proofread your work. If grammar isn’t your strong point, find and use a good grammar guideline book. You can spoil an otherwise perfect paper with sloppy grammar.

Finally, using your assignment as a guide, check that you’ve met all the requirements of the project.

The End

Is your writing over after the project has been turned in? Nope. When you get the paper back, take some time to review the grade and comments. What did you do well? What could you have done better? What did you learn from this assignment? Like any skill, writing improves with practice.