Writing assignment required a lot of effort in the form of editing and proofreading. The assignment may get rejected if it does not adhere to the rules specified. Some documents may need to be customized as per the requirements of the institute or supervisor involved. Making use of certain tips and guidelines will results in a high quality assignment which will have more of a chance of being accepted.
The following list highlights some of the top editing and proofreading tips to consider before submitting an assignment. Please note that this is not listed in any particular order.
- Do by yourself – Always proofread and edit the document yourself before lying it on the hands of another. This should be the case even if you are hiring a professional for the job.
- Track changes feature – Use the track changes feature available in Microsoft Word or any other similar tool available in the word processing package you are using in order to save and keep a track of the edits made and refer them later.
- Time – Use ample time to proofread. Never do it in a rush as this would results in incomplete work.
- Versions – Proofreading may need to be done several times before the final version is released. Do not get discouraged as you should keep checking until no single error is to be seen by you or anyone else.
- Referencing – Double check on the referencing used. Make sure the citation are done accurately and proper guidelines are followed according to the referencing style used.
- Titles and footnotes – Do not omit titles and footnotes which tend to miss the eyes. Mistakes can happen in those as well and the result may be very grave in the form of a wrong date or title.
- Understand the difference – Understand the difference between editing and proofreading. Edit first and modify the content and language accordingly. Then proofread for grammar and spelling mistakes.
- Accuracy of facts – Do not assume anything when writing technical or academic documents. Always look up on the subject matter. If in doubt it is always better to avoid it in the piece of writing.
- Formatting – Pay attention to the formatting of the work. Ensure the formatting including indentation and alignments are uniform across the entire content. Learn more on how to effectively use the feature available for formatting in the respective word processing software.
- Spellings – Be mindful of the spellings of scientific names and names of persons as they may tend to get ignored in the word processing software. Always manually check them separately.
So the above are some of the tips to consider when editing and proofreading an assignment before submitting it for grading.