Editing an academic paper is different from fixing an ordinary essay or other school work because academic papers demand perfection and a lot of fixing before it gets published. Proofreading these kinds of papers are really hard because of the long process that has to be done. So when it comes to academic proofreading, here are the steps to take.
Now the first step in this process would be to look at the paper as a whole so that it would be possible to spot for mistakes in the formatting and spacing. Format is very important because the way the paper is presented will show how much effort the writer made into writing that particular piece of work. So as a proofreader, it is important to be able to fix the formatting too.
Most proofreaders would skip this step and go directly to editing the paper and look for mistakes in details right away. Now take note that doing this will just confuse the proofreader because he will have absolutely no idea what he is editing and therefore will have a hard time spotting for mistakes. Before editing the paper, it is important to first read through the text.
After going over the entire paper in a glimpse, the next thing to do would be to know really examine the paper for any errors. Start with the first sentence and read everything word by word examining if there are any errors in spelling and grammar. Take a look if the words that were used were appropriate and if they make sense with what the writer is talking about.
Grammar errors and word usage are not the only things that one should look at as wordiness and useless sentences are also something to change. Take note that academic papers are supposed to be brief and straightforward without any irrelevant sentences. So if there are some sentences that should not be there, it should be taken out.
Now with regard to the formatting, it is important to be able to correct faulty spacing, indentation, and other mistakes in the formatting. Also, sometimes writers are inconsistent when typing their fonts because they are probably already tired. The proofreader must be able to spot these mistakes and help the writer fix them.
The last thing to look at would be the bibliography, footnotes, and the presentation of sources. Of course academic works will need a list of sources that will be written in a separate part of the piece of work where people can use as references. It is important that one know which format to use like MLA or APA and one must also be able to know how to use them properly.
So if one is planning to become a proofreader, then these are the things that he must actually do. Academic proofreading is actually the hardest type of proofreading there is because of the process. Since academic papers need to be perfect, then a proper process must be done.
Now the first step in this process would be to look at the paper as a whole so that it would be possible to spot for mistakes in the formatting and spacing. Format is very important because the way the paper is presented will show how much effort the writer made into writing that particular piece of work. So as a proofreader, it is important to be able to fix the formatting too.
Most proofreaders would skip this step and go directly to editing the paper and look for mistakes in details right away. Now take note that doing this will just confuse the proofreader because he will have absolutely no idea what he is editing and therefore will have a hard time spotting for mistakes. Before editing the paper, it is important to first read through the text.
After going over the entire paper in a glimpse, the next thing to do would be to know really examine the paper for any errors. Start with the first sentence and read everything word by word examining if there are any errors in spelling and grammar. Take a look if the words that were used were appropriate and if they make sense with what the writer is talking about.
Grammar errors and word usage are not the only things that one should look at as wordiness and useless sentences are also something to change. Take note that academic papers are supposed to be brief and straightforward without any irrelevant sentences. So if there are some sentences that should not be there, it should be taken out.
Now with regard to the formatting, it is important to be able to correct faulty spacing, indentation, and other mistakes in the formatting. Also, sometimes writers are inconsistent when typing their fonts because they are probably already tired. The proofreader must be able to spot these mistakes and help the writer fix them.
The last thing to look at would be the bibliography, footnotes, and the presentation of sources. Of course academic works will need a list of sources that will be written in a separate part of the piece of work where people can use as references. It is important that one know which format to use like MLA or APA and one must also be able to know how to use them properly.
So if one is planning to become a proofreader, then these are the things that he must actually do. Academic proofreading is actually the hardest type of proofreading there is because of the process. Since academic papers need to be perfect, then a proper process must be done.
No comments:
Post a Comment