1. Don’t Proofread Alone

You would be surprised at the large number of resources available for students who need papers edited. This ranges from a friend or family member that is willing to look over your work to online tools or sites offering editing help for students. You can rely on any of these resources. If you use a tool or let a friend help instead of calling on a professional, however, always be sure to check your work yourself before submitting it.

2. Start in a Distraction-Free Environment

Distractions are the enemy as you edit essay papers. They can cause you to overlook critical mistakes, especially those that your average spelling and grammar checker won’t check. Try to edit in a quiet area. You should also avoid distractions from social media, games, or other work that may pop up.

3. Read Everything Slowly and Aloud

The best way to proofread is to read aloud, especially if you have trouble slowing down as you edit. Reading aloud lets you catch mistakes that you might skim over otherwise. This is especially true if you recently completed the work. If you cannot read out loud, time yourself reading it at your average speed. Force yourself to slow down so it takes you at least 2 minutes longer when you edit your work.

4. Follow the Style Guide

Chances are, your teacher assigned the essay with the guidelines to use either APA- or MLA-format. It is critical that you follow these guidelines, since you can lose points if you don’t. Additionally, failure to provide the right information on your sources may cause your teacher to make you re-submit the entire assignment. If you are using an essay editing service, make sure they are aware of the style that was used for your paper so they can adjust errors accordingly.

5. Double Check Your References

The style that you write in depends on how thorough your references must be. Often, academic assignments require in-text citations that align with the sources listed on your reference page. Double check to make sure none of your sources are missing. Then, read through your paper and make sure you haven’t presented any facts without corresponding proof.

6. Proofread in Steps

If you hire professional editing help, they will tell you that editing is something that should be done in many steps. This lets you focus on one area at a time and ensures you will not miss anything. You should read over at least twice, but preferably more. If you are only reading twice, spend the first time checking for the flow of the work and the clarity of your ideas. The second time, you will want to focus on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If you can, proofread several times and focus on things like spelling, grammar, and punctuation at individual times.

Often, the seemingly simple mistakes that may be overlooked without a thorough editing job can make the difference in your grade. Do not miss out on easy points. Remember, you can turn to outside help from an editing service if you are unsure of your abilities or want to guarantee a well-proofread essay submission.

• Check the Style Guidelines

Whether you are composing a school assignment or drafting a business memo, it is likely there are style guidelines already in place. School assignments typically use an established format like MLA- or APA- style, while business communications may use what is known as a ‘House Style’. When professional proofreaders wanted to review your work communicate with you, be sure they are aware of style specifics.

• Read Slowly and Out Loud

One of the most useful ways to edit your own work is to read it out loud. This helps you catch things that you normally would not, especially things that your spelling and grammar checker may have missed. This includes disagreement between your subjects and verbs, excessive use of adverbs or passive voice, or repeated or omitted words. Additionally, reading out loud gives you the chance to check readability. If you stumble over it as you read, your readers will likely struggle with the sentence as well.

• Enlist Help

Help for proofreading comes in many forms. You can look up techniques on the Internet, turn to an online writing services or an online proofreader, rely on a coworker or family member, or turn to an online tool. Remember, however, not to rely on any one source unless you are sure of their high level of professionalism and knowledge as a proofreader. This especially true of tools and friends/family that many not be able to catch every mistake.

• Focus on One Area at a Time

One of the biggest mistake proofreaders make is trying to assess all the different elements of a piece of writing at once. The first time that you read through, focus on the clarity of your work. Change sentence structure and cut back on wordy sentences. The second time you edit your work, look for spelling and grammar errors. Finally, check for errors in punctuation and anything else you may have forgotten. This will take longer than reading through just once, but it is well worth it for the perfect piece of writing that results.

• Edit in a Distraction-Free Environment

When you are distracted, whether it is your environment or your own mind, you are not going to do as thorough of a job as you normally would when editing written works. When you can, go to a room alone where it is relatively quiet. Do not worry about other tasks that you have coming up and do not multi-task. Multi-tasking involves focusing on other work, as well as recreationally multi-tasking by browsing social media or playing a game.

The above proofreading techniques can assist anyone, from people seeking jobs that read professional proofreaders wanted to students and business writers. They are something all writers and proofreaders should have knowledge of to perfect their latest writing assignment.

Why Proofreading is Critical in Business
There are many reasons that businesses must encourage their employees to proofread, including:

• Failing to Proofread Can Cost You Clients

Imagine that you were hired to create an advertisement. It reads freelance writers wanted for writing jobs. The only problem is that you misspelled the client’s name. This may seem like a small mistake, but it can mean hours recreating the materials. It can also lead to a disappointed client who will not return for additional business in the future.

• It Can Serve as a Good (or Poor) First Impression

When you are introducing yourself to a prospective client or to a fellow employee you will be working with, you only have one chance to make a first impression. If this is a written communication, simple errors in spelling, grammar, or clarity can result in a poor first impression.

• Written Communications Can Be Unclear

When people are reading something instead of hearing it directly from a person, it can be easy to misunderstand the message. This is because non-verbal cues like body posture, tone, and facial expressions cannot be communicated across written message. For this reason, it is important to carefully read for clarity before you press ‘Send’ on a business communication.

Essential Business Communication Proofreading Tips
As you complete proofreading for business activities, it is important that you do it efficiently and effectively. Here are some useful tips.

• Read Aloud When You Can

While reading a memo in a crowded office is not always possible, it can be useful for catching errors that you may not have. This is especially true if you have misplaced words, subject-verb errors, and other issues that lay outside the realm of the typical spelling and grammar issues you check for. Reading aloud also helps you catch lengthy or hard-to-understand sentences.

• Check for Clarity

In business communication proofreader jobs, you should always check for clarity. Avoid wordy sentences and using jargon or slang. This becomes increasingly true when you are dealing with clients from different areas, since they may not understand ‘common’ expressions you are familiar with.

• Give Your Eyes a Rest

How hard do you think it will be to spot errors on a computer screen you have been looking at all day? To avoid missing errors, let your eyes rest before your proofreading session. Take at least a 15-minute break from the screen. If you can’t print out your business communication to make edits.

Even though you can probably think of other things you could spend company time doing, proofreading is an essential part of business success. If you cannot muster the time or patience to do it yourself, consider hiring a proofreading service to help you. Alternatively, you can use some of the tips discussed toward the end of the preceding article to make your job a little easier.

• #1: Spelling Checker

One of the most basic things to check as you start your academic editing job is spelling errors. A good spell checker will catch any errors that may have been overlooked. The major benefit of using an online checker instead of software is that it can easily be updated to include new words that may not be listed yet.

• #2: Grammar Checker

Another common area to review as you edit papers is the grammar. A quality grammar will check for punctuation errors, improperly used words, subject-verb agreement, and other grammar elements. Be sure the grammar checker you use also checks for words that are out of place. For example, it should detect if you typed ‘for’ or ‘from’ instead of the word ‘form.’

• #3: Multi-Lingual Spelling and Grammar Checker

If you speak English as a second language or have editing jobs to complete on other languages, look for spelling and grammar checkers especially for different languages. You may be surprised to find that your favorite software already has a multi-lingual option.

• #4: Readability Checker

Readability is important, especially in academic writing. For an effective paper, you must clearly convey your ideas. Part of this is avoiding jargon (unless you include the definition) and using clear, concise sentences. There are several online apps that will check for readability. Some of the features include testing for use of adverbs and passive voice, sentence length, and sentence style.

• #5: Plagiarism Checker

Plagiarism is a huge mistake. It can result in needing to re-do the assignment, a zero on your paper, or even expulsion once you are a college student. For this reason, you should always check for plagiarism during the course of your review. You may find that your school offers a checker for plagiarism prevention. You can take advantage of this or choose to look one up online.

• #6: Advanced Style Checker

An advanced style checker can tell you more than just the basics. It offers suggestions on how to improve sentence structure. Often, a style checker for academic use will address overuse of descriptive words, wordy sentences, lack of conciseness, and confusing sentences.

• #7: Passive Voice Checker

Passive voice affects the flow of a piece of writing (in a negative way). Passive terms are wordy. They are longer than necessary and can also make sentences harder to understand. When you look for online tools to make your editing jobs easier, make sure this is one on your list. Not all readability tools will check for this, so know what it is yourself so you can be sure the program is checking your errors.

Students and writers in need of editing help can easily rely on different online writing tools. Ideally, you will find 1-2 that will do several or all the editing functions listed above. People who still would like a second pair of eyes can also consider sites offering writers for editing jobs to look over their work.

1. Start with the Right Mindset

Writers rarely enjoy the proofreading stage. After all, how likely is it that you want to go through and criticize your own work? If you read the introductory paragraph, however, you know that proofreading is essential. Instead of looking at it as a chore, look at it as a challenge. Challenge yourself to perfect your blog article. When you rise to the occasion, you will be in the right mindset to edit.

2. Do Not Proofread as You Write

Proofreading jobs become increasingly difficult if you attempt to do it as you write your blog. When your focus is on editing, you will greatly hinder your creative thought. You can become distracted, lose track of what you are doing, and have trouble even getting through the article as you make changes. For this reason, always complete your blog in entirety before beginning the editing process.

3. Take a Break from Your Work Before You Get Started

It is always best to begin your session with a fresh pair of eyes. Do not edit immediately after you finish writing, since it can be easy to speed-read through the work since you are so familiar with it. Wait at least an hour, or longer if you can. If you are running behind on your deadline, wait at least 15 minutes or hire proofreading services with a quick turnaround time so a fresh pair of eyes can review your work.

4. Do Not Just Skim- Slow Down and Read

It can be very easy to skim your own work. The best way to proofread is out loud, slowly so you can catch even hard-to-miss errors. If reading aloud is not an option, time yourself reading the average blog post. When you review your work, lengthen your average reading time by 1-2 minutes. If you find yourself incapable of slowing down enough to catch errors, consider online proofreading companies that can do the work for you.

Before you get started on any of your necessary editing, keep the above tips in mind. Though criticizing your own work is not always fun, it is a necessary step if you want to ensure high search engine rankings and earn the trust of your blog’s readers.