Techniques for Proofreading Like a Pro

Looking for good proofreading services in the UK for yourself? But what if we tell you that even you can do it? We all want to impress our professor with our work which has zero errors. But that becomes impossible as one or two errors always stay on an essay.

So in this article, we are going to share some techniques that proofreading and editing services online consider being most effective.

1. Be in a room where you can concentrate

Proofreading will require attention at the highest level from you. So for that, move on to a room which you find to be quiet or where you think you can focus.

2. Stay alert

You will be only wasting your time if you are drowsy or just scanning through the paper just for the sake of doing. So make sure to stay fresh and alert when you are proofreading so that not a single error goes by without catching your attention.

3. Pay attention to the punctuations

Don’t forget to pay equal attention to the punctuations. There are times when, by mistake, we capitalise a letter without any reason. So be careful about those, so you don’t leave any kind of punctuation error in your paper.

4. Read it aloud

This is considered to be the most necessary step in proofreading. Just scanning through the document may make you overlook some of the errors. But when you are reading it aloud, even the mistakes you have made will reach your ear. In short, it will highlight your mistakes and thus will make it easier for you to spot the errors. This is actually an excellent way to detect errors in a paper.

5. Try to get a distance and then focus

If you are the writer, it is essential that you take a step back from the work sine you are too close to the work. It is important to have an objective eye when you are proofreading an essay. So to do that, you need to have a clear mind by taking a break after complete writing the paper. This is the only way you can do effective proofreading.

6. Take a closer look to sentence structure

Review each and every sentence to ensure the structure of the sentence is right. Check if the sentences have a verb, a subject and make complete sense. Try shortening the sentences which you find are too long. If you find any complicated sentences, try to make it simpler.  

7. Proofreading tools

Using proofreading tools is a great alternative to proofreading services online. There are various websites which offer this software at a completely free of cost. This tool will automatically scan through the entire document to spot spelling, grammar, or any other kind of flaw in the document.

8. Be careful with homonyms

We tend to mix up with words which have the same pronunciation or spelling but have totally different meanings. For example, people get confused between believe and belief, except and accept. So watch out for these errors while proofreading your paper.

9. Get a print out of the essay

This is a true fact that people read differently on paper than on the screen. So try taking a print out of the original document. This way, you will easily be able to spot the errors.

As long as you apply these techniques while you are proofreading, nothing can stop you from getting a flawless essay.

SUMMARY:  Having a hard time proofreading your paper? Check out these techniques to improve your proofreading skills.