How to Proofread an Essay (+Tricks Most Writers Ignore)<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This step-by-step guide on how to proofread an essay will reveal some tricks writers ignore, with actionable tips and a checklist to follow.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index,follow\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/how-to-proofread-an-essay\/\" \/>\r\n","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19345281"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19354625,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281\/revisions\/19354625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19345281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19345281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19345281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Writing is hard. We all know that. Whether it\u2019s an essay, a personal story, a blog post, or a novel, we spend tons of time and energy finishing the first draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tTable of contents\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is Proofreading?\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tProofreading vs. Editing\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to Proofread an Essay: 17 Strategies to Try\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tProofreading Checklist\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tReady to Proofread Your Essay Like a Pro?\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
What is Proofreading?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Proofreading<\/strong>\u00a0is the last stage of the writing process when you check a text for errors \u2014 spelling, grammar, punctuation, typos, and other formatting issues \u2014 before publishing or submitting it for a review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s essential for any writing style, whether an academic paper,\u00a0marketing content<\/a>, personal blog post, or novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that you know a proofreading definition and understand the role of this process for your essay\u2019s final grade, let\u2019s go into a little more detail and reveal the core difference between\u00a0 proofreading and editing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proofreading vs. Editing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s how we define editing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editing<\/strong>\u00a0is the process of correction, organization, and other modifications to a text for it to become a consistent, accurate, and complete work. It may involve substantial changes to a draft:\u00a0argumentative<\/a>, stylistic, structural, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a nutshell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Editing<\/strong>\u00a0is a longer and more complex process, with a focus on heavy changes to your content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Proofreading\u00a0<\/strong>goes after editing, with a focus on minor errors and inconsistencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Editing consists of a few rounds: content editing, line editing, and copy editing. Once ready, a specialist goes to the final step \u2014 proofreading. That\u2019s what each round involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Editing$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
How to Proofread an Essay: 17 Strategies to Try<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Take a break after writing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Get rid of distractions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Edit first, proofread afterward<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Use writing guidelines as a checklist<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Focus on your most common writing mistakes first<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Avoid plagiarism<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Print it out and use a ruler<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Change a mindset<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Read backward<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Read it out loud<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Check each paragraph twice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Use tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Check numbers and consistency<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Go beyond a text itself<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Ask a friend to read your essay<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Proofread several times<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Ask a professional editor to help you<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
And now, for more details on each one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take a Break After Writing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"take-break\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Once the final draft of your essay is ready, don\u2019t hurry up to proofread it straight away. Take at least a 30-minute break; the ideal variant would be to\u00a0start essay\u00a0proofreading the next day after writing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A break will help your brain and eyes relax, so you would later check the draft with a clear head and better focus. It will make you see the text from a fresh perspective and proofread it more accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have a coffee, listen to music, take a walk \u2014 it\u2019s up to you what break to choose. Just make sure you aren\u2019t at the computer, and you don\u2019t stare at the draft in search of\u00a0grammar or spelling mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get Rid of Distractions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The break is over, and you\u2019re ready to start checking your writing? Now it\u2019s time to prepare your workplace so nothing would distract you from the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turn off all the notifications, close unnecessary tabs on your laptop, and ask your family or roommates not to disturb you for a while. TV, music, the smell of coffee, a dog barking \u2014 consider everything that can bother you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not only about better concentration on the proofreading process. It will help you prevent procrastination: Nothing will be around to turn your attention away from the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edit First, Proofread Afterward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As mentioned in the proofreading definition, it\u2019s the\u00a0last<\/em>\u00a0stage of the writing process. So, before you start checking your draft for typos and other minor inconsistencies, ensure you\u2019ve edited your work: Why spend time fixing misspelled words if you might later remove the whole sentence or paragraph from the essay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edit first, proofread afterward. Yes, it requires time; seasoned writers admit that editing and proofreading often take even more time than writing itself. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to\u00a0manage time<\/a>\u00a0and finish essays so you would have enough time to take a rest and proofread your work thoroughly before submitting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use Writing Guidelines as a Checklist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"writing-guidelines\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Whether you write an essay, a blog post, or a\u00a0 hypothesis<\/a>, you will have the list with writing guidelines beforehand. There can be aspects like a topic, a formatting style, arguments and references to consider, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These instructions from a teacher or an editor can help you save time proofreading: Address to them to ensure your draft sticks to every item from the list. It\u2019s your checklist to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus on Your Common Writing Mistakes First<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We all have so-called Achilles\u2019 heels in writing. What are your most common mistakes? Maybe you confuse\u00a0\u201cthat\/which\u201d<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0\u201cthere\/they\u2019re,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0or you forget about an Oxford comma or misspell \u201cthroughout?\u201d Create a list of the mistakes you typically make and use it as a checklist when proofreading essays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus on checking those mistakes first to ensure you won\u2019t miss them through the process. Together with the list of writing guidelines from a professor\/editor, it will be your extra helper to ease proofreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid Plagiarism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You know that plagiarism is a no-no and educational institutions consider it an unacceptable violation of academic integrity. No matter\u00a0why students plagiarize, it\u2019s a red flag: Professors check every work for plagiarism via corresponding tools; any duplications in your essay may cost you a grade, even if they were unintentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not about academics only. Copying others\u2019 work is a grave violation in any niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When editing and proofreading your essay, make it a habit to check it for duplications. Ensure you format all the quotes and other references properly. Run the draft through a plagiarism checker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Print It Out and Use a Ruler<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This proofreading trick is popular among journalists. Often, typos and other errors are easier to notice when reading a draft from print:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When checking a text from a computer screen, we scan rather than read it. Therefore, we risk missing some points. A printed copy allows us to focus on each word and sentence separately. Plus, it\u2019s a chance to check if the formatting is correct and consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another trick to use here is to place a ruler under each line while reading. It helps your eyes focus on a short amount of text and proofread it precisely, with no dissipation throughout the whole essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Change a Mindset<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"change-mindset\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Forget that it was you who wrote that essay. Change a mindset and imagine yourself as a professional editor: Pretend that you\u2019re checking someone else\u2019s work, not yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Help your mind separate a you-writer from a you-editor. Try going to a different location with your essay draft, wear a different hat, etc. You need to create a kind of psychological distance that will signal your brain it should think differently too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This trick allows you to change a perspective and see the draft with fresh eyes. By doing so, you can notice weak points you wouldn\u2019t care before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Backward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This tip on how to proofread an essay works best when you don\u2019t have any writing tools\u00a0a la<\/em>\u00a0spell-checkers nearby. It can happen on an exam, while writing an\u00a0SAT essay<\/a>, or in a classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start reading your work from the end, sentence by sentence. Therefore you\u2019ll change perspective, forcing your brain to notice \u201cmechanical\u201d errors in the text. (When reading traditionally, we focus more on arguments and sequence of ideas, not minor mistakes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read It Out Loud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Read your writing aloud or at least whisper it sentence by sentence. By vocalizing the words, you involve a few senses: seeing, speaking, and hearing. It gives you more opportunities to notice the flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plus, reading aloud will slow you down, preventing scanning and missing slight inconsistencies. You\u2019ll hear the difference between what you wanted to say and what you\u00a0actually<\/em>\u00a0wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check Each Paragraph Twice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Before doing your final proofreading (yeah, you\u2019ll need to proofread an essay several times), read it paragraph by paragraph. The trick is to check each paragraph twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will help you understand if a paragraph needs any major edits and go back to line- and copy-editing if necessary. Polish every sentence and paragraph of your writing work until they look\/sound stellar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"Read$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The first thing that comes to a student\u2019s mind is about proofreading an essay via spelling and grammar checkers. Yes,\u00a0Grammarly, Hemingway,<\/em>\u00a0and even\u00a0Microsoft Word<\/em>\u00a0can help you detect errors, and it\u2019s worth using them. Yet, you can\u2019t 100% rely on\u00a0writing tools<\/a>\u00a0because they often don\u2019t understand the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, only sophisticated tools can see the typo if you wrote, let\u2019s say,\u00a0\u201cyour\u201d<\/em>\u00a0instead of\u00a0\u201cyou\u2019re.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Both spellings are correct, though meanings drastically differ. If English is not your native language or you aren\u2019t perfect with English grammar, confusion and errors may still happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, use checkers but don\u2019t rely on them. At least, you can check your essay draft via several different tools for proofreading and editing: Altogether, they\u2019ll identify more errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/strong>\u00a0Read My Essay<\/a>\u00a0(a free online tool from EssayShark)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check Numbers and Consistency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When proofreading your essay, pay attention to the numbers you use as references. All those \u201csee Section 2\u201d or \u201ccheck Figure 6\u201d might have changed and become outdated when you edited the draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cross-reference the numbers you use in the essay\u2019s body with those\u00a0mentioned in the bibliography,\u00a0footnotes, or charts. Ensure they are consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of consistency, by the way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check if you stay consistent throughout the essay. Double vs. single quotation marks, capitalization, writing numbers as words or numerals, US vs. British English spelling, full stops after bullets \u2014 all these details are critical in proofreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go Beyond a Text Itself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Remember that typos and other mistakes can hide in places other than your\u00a0essay\u2019s intro, body, or\u00a0 conclusion<\/a>. Don\u2019t just proofread the text but also consider titles, footnotes, reference sections, captions, charts, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every part of your writing matters for the final result and grade. So don\u2019t let errors slip through these places: Check each separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask a Friend to Read Your Essay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
$\"helping-hand\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s challenging to proofread an essay since the risk of missing out on critical errors is high. So, it would help if you found a proofreading buddy \u2014 your friend, mom, or classmate \u2014 who could check your draft instead of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can agree with a classmate that you\u2019ll proofread each other\u2019s essays, but the best option will be to find someone unrelated to your writing task. Sure thing, consider those you can trust or those you know have some knowledge of English grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proofread Several Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Remember the tip on checking each paragraph twice? It works because you\u2019ll unlikely notice EVERY spelling, grammar, and punctuation error at once. That\u2019s why do your best to proofread your essay draft several times: Get ready to perform two or even three rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Use different proofreading methods for every round. First, you can proofread an essay by paragraph; then, consider reading it backward; and finally, you can print it out and read your essay aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask a Professional Editor to Help You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Not sure if you need a comma or a dash, whether to write \u201caffect\u201d or \u201ceffect,\u201d or what\u2019s the difference between n- and m-dashes? Editing tools will hardly help here, but a professional editor can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have an opportunity, you can ask an\u00a0editing service\u00a0to proofread your draft and provide feedback on your work. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that: Most writers and journalists have editors who help them polish works and turn them into masterpieces we later read. The help of a professional editor is your chance to grow your writing skills: You\u2019ll see your typical mistakes and will avoid them in your future works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proofreading Checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
And now that you have a long list of tips and methods on how to proofread an essay, it\u2019s time for a checklist to have nearby:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"How$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what to watch out for in your draft when proofreading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Check your spelling:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Articles misuse (an\/a\/the)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Prepositions misuse<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Homophones confusion (you\u2019re\/your, there\/their, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
2) Check your punctuation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Apostrophes misuse<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Hyphens, em- and en-dashes, full stops in lists, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Missed or misused commas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
3) Check your style:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Capitalizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Inconsistent numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
US English vs. British English spelling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
4) Check your formatting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Quotation marks<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Citations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Missing or misplaced footnotes, page numbers, headers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Inconsistent spacing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Paragraph indentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ready to Proofread Your Essay Like a Pro?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now you know how to proofread an essay. Please remember that it\u2019s an integral part of the writing process regardless of what you craft: an academic paper, a post for your blog, a short story, or a novel. Even if you have an editor to help with proofreading, do your best to check your draft for typos and other minor errors: Therefore, you\u2019ll improve your writing skills and ease the job of your writing assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now, over to you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you proofread your essays? What methods from those we described here did you try or would like to try? See you in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Writing is hard. We all know that. Whether it\u2019s an essay, a personal story, a blog post, or a novel, we spend tons of time and energy finishing the first draft. For students, it\u2019s even more challenging: Whether you craft an assigned essay or\u00a0ask professional writers to help you, you often forget about an integralContinue reading “How to Proofread an Essay (+Little Tricks Most Writers Ignore)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"download_url":"","custom_update_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,3,119,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19345281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-writing","category-essay-writing","category-essay-writing-tips","category-other"],"psp_head":"How to Proofread an Essay (+Tricks Most Writers Ignore)<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This step-by-step guide on how to proofread an essay will reveal some tricks writers ignore, with actionable tips and a checklist to follow.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index,follow\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/how-to-proofread-an-essay\/\" \/>\r\n","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19345281"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19354625,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19345281\/revisions\/19354625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19345281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19345281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essayshark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19345281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

What is Proofreading?<\/h2>\n\n\n\nProofreading<\/strong>\u00a0is the last stage of the writing process when you check a text for errors \u2014 spelling, grammar, punctuation, typos, and other formatting issues \u2014 before publishing or submitting it for a review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n