Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions. Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs?

See our handout on paragraph development. Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences. Is it clear what each pronoun he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc. refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Have you used an appropriate tone formal, informal, persuasive, etc. Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Do you repeat a strong word for example, a vivid main verb unnecessarily?

For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language. Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information. As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable. Editor Forums Blog. Free online proofreading and essay editor A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student Start editing. A complete environment Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment. Thousands of checks More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface. A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree Typely is precise. Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece Frequently Asked Questions Got questions? Filling the paper with mindless jargon is not the right thing to do. If you have included words to meet the word count as opposed to adding value to your paper, give them the chop.

I have developed a list of 17 words or phrases that typically serve no purpose whatsoever other than to use up words. Very, Basically, Totally, Essentially, Really. Swap them out for more descriptive language. If you can remove the word without affecting the expression, then you can leave it out. People frequently use these filler words to express a feeling of frustration. However, you only need one or the other. Watch out for this error each and every time. Again, this is another unnecessary filler word. If your sentence works just fine without it, you can just leave it out.

We all love a bit of drama, and people frequently use this phrase in spoken communications to stress a point. However, as a matter of fact, there is no place for it in an essay. Our past experience tells us that this one is very common. By their nature, history and experience are in the past. Delete the word past. If you have a point to make, make it. Another non-value adding phrase. Use of this indicates that your writing is weak. Be more specific in terms of what you are saying. Not that of your friend. There are many more powerful alternatives available. Ditch the ambiguity: Many professors prefer specific details. You can drop this during the course of writing because it adds zero value. Of course, if brevity is causing you word count headaches, you can always insert these words and phrases to increase the word count without committing a major grammar sin 😉.

The very last thing you should do before submitting your essay is to proofread it one final time. Yes, you will have picked up some errors while you were editing the essay. However, at the time, you were not fully focused on finding grammatical, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling mistakes. Once you have completed the editing process, go back through the essay with the sole intention of finding those last remaining pesky errors. Take a look at our guide on how to proofread an essay for some top tips that are guaranteed to help you find even the most minor mistakes in your writing.

As the following pie chart shows, you should invest as much time in the process of editing an essay as you do in writing it. If you go that extra mile and follow these strategies and tips for editing an essay, you will take your papers up a few notches and really impress your professor. Use these simple techniques, and your essay will be massively transformed… for the better! Every Single One. This fantastic guide to editing an essay will introduce you to the following: What essay editing is and the process editors follow to refine, polish, and perfect academic papers, dissertations, and theses. The four key components of a great essay and the role they play in the essay editing process. Critical strategies for essay editing that have been proven to work every single time.

Top tips for editing an essay with minimal effort. A whole ton of free printables, checklists, and templates that will make editing an essay a walk in the park. Part One: An Overview of Essay Editing What Does Editing an Essay Involve? On a high level, essay editors perform four tasks to make your essay better: Structural editing: Looking at the paper as a complete unit to identify and address any significant structural problems. Substantive editing: Finding and addressing any issues associated with the organization, readability, clarity, and flow of the paper. Copy editing: Significantly improving the mechanics of the manuscript as a whole.

Proofreading: Fixing any remaining spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style errors in the document. What are the Different Types of Essay Editing? What do I mean by this? Some essays may need a lot more work than others. However, generally speaking, four different types of editing are involved. The Four Types of Essay Editing 1. Substantive Editing Comprehensively editing the content of the document to ensure it meets its objectives Substantive editing is a form of heavy editing that includes reviewing the overall structure, style, grammar, and spelling of an academic document.

Clarify main concepts Improve paragraph transitions Assess quality of argument and logic of discourse Check coherence Restructure text where required 3. Copy Editing In-depth assessment of the manuscript mechanics Copy editing is imperative when finalizing an academic document. Ensure a consistent style and voice is maintained throughout Find and fix issues with clarity and accuracy Check facts Improve flow and readability Highlight flaws in logic 4. Proofreading Final check for any minor grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation mistakes Proofreading represents the final stage of the academic editing process. Correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling mistakes Verify word usage and diction Check referencing, formatting, and general style against style guide requirements Is Editing an Essay the Same as Proofreading?

Editors and proofreaders use completely different skillsets: To learn more, take a look at our snazzy guide to the difference between editors and proofreaders. What are Professional Essay Editors? Three-step Essay Editing Process So, now you know what editing is. Question is: How can you go about this? How do I Make my Essay Better? Structure and organization: Your paper should be well structured, be easy to read, and flow well. A clear red line of thread should be apparent from the introduction through to the conclusion. A single word in the perfect place can transform an essay from a reasonable effort into a great paper.

Likewise, a silly error can undermine your entire credibility. The fonts you use and the way the citations, references, general layout of your essay are formatted will all have a direct impact on the credibility of the final paper. Are your claims supported by evidence? Purpose: After reading your essay, the reader should be able to summarize your major position using just a couple of sentences. Have you answered the question correctly? Strategies for Editing an Essay So, we now know why essay editing is important, what it involves, and what high-level features editors are interested in. Here are five essay editing strategies that students frequently use: Peer editing Following an essay editing checklist Using essay editing tools Following general tips to make an essay sound better Looking out for common mistakes 1.

The process of writing an essay can be excruciatingly painful. Many have an overwhelming instinct to flee when the first draft is finally complete, which results in them forgoing the editing process altogether. Skipping this essential step will cause your overall grade to plummet. Since you have already completed the most difficult part, why not perfect your writing so that the final product reflects your efforts? If your immediate response is that editing an essay is too chaotic and overwhelming, then the SchoolTutoring Academy has got you covered. To save you from further frustration we have outlined a step-by-step editing guide for all high school students.

Mechanical errors are difficult to spot, unless of course your teacher has already circled them in bright red pen! The good new is that once you spot them, these small yet detrimental mistakes are actually the easiest to fix. Continually reading your piece in its entirety, while only focusing on one specific grammatical component each time through, is the perfect solution. You will be a more efficient editor by targeting your search instead of reading aimlessly. Below is a list of the most common errors you should seek to eliminate immediately. This stage in the editing process is unfortunately the most difficult. With regard to the actual content of an essay, there are no concrete errors as its evaluation is subjective. The best method of revision is to consider each body paragraph separately.

Ensure that the topic sentence supports your thesis. This is paramount as the opening line dictates the direction of the entire paragraph. Try evaluating your paragraph on a sentence by sentence basis, always asking yourself what the purpose of each phrase is. Remember that description is not enough, you need to have an in-depth analysis that convinces the reader of your topic sentence. This will ultimately prove your thesis. Some students struggle with composing a proper introduction and conclusion for their essays. The importance of these paragraphs cannot be overstated as they are responsible for both the first and last impressions of your work overall. Often students are unsure what to write which results in important details being forgotten.

At this stage in the editing process you should go through your introduction and conclusion with the following checklists, being sure to add the necessary components. Print out a hard copy of your essay and read it out loud in its entirety. Some mistakes that are incredibly difficult to identify on the computer become glaringly obvious when you are listening to yourself speak. Listen carefully for: awkward wording, poor transitions, sentence fragments, and incorrect word choice. The benefits of this exercise are twofold. Since multiple areas of the brain will be engaged, you will be able to spot any double words, missing words, and typos that you would otherwise gloss over when reading in your head. By this point you likely have your essay almost memorized and the thought of reading it even one more time makes you nauseous.

By enlisting a friend preferably an older, more experienced student or an adult, you will get a new perspective and important feedback. How you choose to implement their suggestions is entirely up to you. Interested in English tutoring services? Learn more about how we are assisting thousands of students each academic year. SchoolTutoring Academy is the premier educational services company for K and college students. We offer tutoring programs for students in K, AP classes, and college. To learn more about how we help parents and students in Aurora, Ohio : visit: Tutoring in Aurora, Ohio. Login Get started. English and Grammar Essay and Writing Extra Credit Learning Methodologies and Styles Resources Review Study Strategies Uncategorized Writing.

Teaching Staff September 7, No Comments. Targeted Grammatical Readings Mechanical errors are difficult to spot, unless of course your teacher has already circled them in bright red pen! This means that I , you, and we are prohibited, unless they are apart of a direct quote. Creative ways to avoid these pronouns include the use of: one, society, humanity, those who, it is widely agreed upon etc. incorrect tense: In general, English essays are written in the literary present since the work you are analysing is considered timeless. History essays however, are primarily written in the past tense because they cover events that are not current. citation mistakes: Your work must be cited or it will be considered plagiarized. Use the referencing style specified by your teacher and be sure to look up its regulations if you need a refresher.

Purdue Owl is an excellent online resource. Body Paragraph Content Reading This stage in the editing process is unfortunately the most difficult. Peer Edit By this point you likely have your essay almost memorized and the thought of reading it even one more time makes you nauseous. You might also like. How to Multiply Fractions. Heats of Dissociation. Projectile Motion. French Order of Pronouns. Share : Email Facebook Twitter Linkedin. Enter your text here. Login to Free Homework Help. Login Lost Password? Reset Password. Get new password. Already have an account?

Swap them out for more descriptive language. Leave it to one side for a while to give you some space to clear your head. Following top tips for editing an essay You can also follow some great essay tips to make sure your paper shines. citation mistakes: Your work must be cited or it will be considered plagiarized. Part two of this guide to editing an essay contains all the top editing tips you need to make your essay better.

Categories:

• Custom Essays
• Essay Experts
• Online Essays
• Essay Website
• Essay Online