All documents should be proofread. I know that I personally look over minor things that I have written myself, but the minute I let someone else look at them I can’t believe that I didn’t notice the mistakes that I had made. To avoid this, you should always read and re-read your documents, and even have another person look over them as well. However, if you do not have a grammar perfectionist around to re-read all of your documents, here are a couple editing tips you can follow that will help.
The first major part that always gets me is my grammar. It sounds right in my head, but when I put it on paper it gets flipped around. One way to avoid/solve this is to read your document out loud when you have completed it. This allows me to see if what I have written sounds right and everything flows together.
Another thing you can do is to read your document backwards. This gets you out of the normal beginning to end, and may help you pick out errors that you didn’t notice. You should focus on spelling, sentence formation, and paragraph formation. Do each a different time so that you can focus on different aspects of the document.
If you have been spending hours or even days working on a specific document, set it aside for a period of time. If you continue working on something, you become too comfortable and familiar with it, increasing the likelihood that you will overlook errors. If you take some time away from working on the document, it may allow you to come back and notice things that you didn’t before.
Also, if you have your document on your computer while you are trying to edit it, print out a hard copy. Then go somewhere else and read your hard copy. Look at the document as a whole to make sure the formatting looks correct. You should also keep a pen handy to make marks and other comments directly on the document.
Below are some proofreading marks that can be very useful when reading a hard copy of your document. I learned and went over these when I was in grades school and still find them very useful today!
Dorbin, Sidney I., Christopher J. Keller and Christian R. Weisser. Technical Communication: In the Twenty-First Century. Upper Sadle,NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
Putt Putt Productions. “The Importance of Proofreading.” Retrieved on December 4, 2009 from
Alexis B,
ReplyDeleteBest blog yet, you incorporated your voice into this one more than any one before. I liked the fact you incorporated an effective visual and a voki, and that you spoke about how sometimes you should take a break if you've been working on a paper for long time. I have found this from person experience to be very true! Overall The blog was very well written, and I really have no suggestions. It's been a real pleasure having you on my blog team, way to go finishing up strong!
-Jason Kaufman
Alexis,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jason about this being your best blog to date. You were able to incorporate your voice a lot more in this post than in the past. All of the information that you presented was very well written and informative. I do not have any suggestions about your blog post. You were able to incorporate the information, as well as, a voki and picture. It has been a pleasure working with you and best of luck to you in the future. Way to finish on a high note.
Alexis,
ReplyDeleteI am with everybody else and I agree this is your best post. I enjoyed the voki and I can really relate to your experiences when writing. I like how you mentioned that letting somebody else take a look at your work will uncover errors you would have never noticed. I'm sure this has happened to all of us. I don't have any suggestions for you and I wish you a happy holidays.