Proofreading and Editing - Common Errors Found in Assignment Writing

by Kelvin Smith Writer, Editor,Tutor

Good academic assignment writing should meet quality standards to score a good grade. To meet this objective, proofreading assists students to spot mistakes and refine their papers before presentation. Assignment writing guidelines inform students on proofreading and editing skills to make their papers proficient. Besides instructions and structure, proofreading makes the paper professional and raises author credibility. Adopting a culture of editing papers reduces grammar mistakes that receive failing grades in assignment writing. Poor editing techniques affect grammar flow and ideas during assignment writing hence students should learn proofreading skills. Students undermine proofreading during their assignment writing processes and lead to negative feedback from tutors. Therefore, proofreading and editing skills reduce mistakes during assignment writing.

Completing Paper Instructions and Proofreading

Once assignment writing is completed, proofreading is the first step towards refining the paper. Editing skills inform students about issues such as grammar mistakes, sentence structures and verb disagreements. Learning editing skills helps students to correct obvious mistakes and reshape a paper acceptable among tutors. A good measure of editing skills streamlines the proofreading process and makes the paper perfect. The editing and proofreading phases should not take place hurriedly as this worsens the situation. Early preparations of assignment writing provide students with ample time for proofreading. An assignment writing that does not account for editing and proofreading risks compromising the paper. Consulting with tutors about proofreading and editing is critical towards presenting quality assignment writing papers.

Multiple Paper Editing and Proofreading

An assignment-writing project contains information that requires repeated revisions to eliminate mistakes. Students assume that going through their assignment writing one or two times is enough to make the paper perfect. Educators admit that proofreading requires techniques such as reading aloud and assistance from a colleague in correcting mistakes. Some grammar errors fail to catch the interest of students hence receive negative remarks after marking. A good example is writing down a list from number 1-10 and ticking each box after completion. This proofreading technique assists students to evaluate their editing phases and understand remaining problems. An assignment writing that requires arguments should attract attention during proofreading to avoid grammar howlers. Focus should increase during editing to present a paper with minimum errors.

Editing and Proofreading Guidelines

Students should not wait for assignment writing projects to learn about proofreading and editing skills. Tutor advice students to learn proofreading skills at their own time to reduce errors in their assignment writing. Last minute editing and proofreading according to tutors affects authenticity of the paper. An assignment-writing task needs students whose editing skills have undergone mentoring to score good grades. Students should engage with their classmates and discuss editing skills as they relate to their assignment writing. Such initiatives boost the confidence of students and help them to undertake successful proofreading of their papers. The fact remains that editing and proofreading skills do not require training hence students should not blame this for their poor editing measures.