1. PROOFREADING
STRATEGIES
COM/156

2. Proofreading Strategies
Take a break for a few hours.
• A fresh set of eyes will allow you to view the essay with
renewed energy.

3. Proofreading Strategies
• Ask a peer or relative to read your essay to look for
glaring errors.
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4. Proofreading Strategies
• Role-play
• Read your essay aloud, pretending you are presenting it
to an audience. Listen for errors or awkward phrasing.

5. Proofreading Strategies
• Read from end to beginning.
• Reading your essay backwards will sound fresh to your
ears and new to your eyes.
Conclusion  Body  Introduction

6. Proofreading Strategies
• Use the Grammar and Spell-check in Word.
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7. Proofreading Strategies
• Know your weaknesses. Catalogue a list of common
errors you tend to make and double-check for those
errors.
List of Common Errors
Did I remove all first and second person
references from my paper?
Have I eliminated all run-on sentences
from my paper?
Have I overused commas?
Have I used colloquial terms, such as got,
kids, pop?

8. Proofreading Strategies
• Determine the medium for your best proofing.
• Do you proofread better from a printed text?
• Do you proofread better from a digital text?
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9. Proofreading Strategies
•
Change your perspective.
•Changing the look
of your
may help you more easily
recognize errors.
document

10. Proofreading Strategies
• Proofread in a place with no distractions or loud noises.

11. Proofreading Strategies
• Edit in short bursts of time if possible.

12. Proofreading Strategies
• Sweep for errors by proofreading for only one type of
error at a time.
• Examples of proofreading errors:
-First person and second person elimination
-Tense consistency
-Proper APA formatting
-Punctuation

13. Proofreading Strategies
• Knowledge is power!
• If something looks wrong, look it up or ask your instructor.
• For instance, Google the differences between using who
and that or who and whom. If you know you struggle with
certain writing problems, search for resources that provide
insight on common errors, such as run-ons and comma
splices.
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14. Proofreading Strategies
• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not
an act, but a habit.
-Aristotle
• Stick with your system. Once you have developed a
revision and proofreading system that works, continue to
perfect it.
• Using the same system encourages consistency and
more thorough editing.

15. Review
o What are the three parts of an introductory
paragraph?
o What should be present in each body paragraph?
o What are the three parts of a conclusion paragraph?
o What is the difference between revising and
proofreading?
o What revising and proofreading tips appeal to you?

16. References
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Organization Definition. (n. d.) [Media]. Retrieved from http://stockfresh.com/image/501756/word-organization
Peer Review. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from http://blog.socrato.com/student-peer-evaluation-plusses-and-minuses/
Presentation. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from http://www.whyhowproveit.co.uk/
Proofreading Marks. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/writing/paper-execution/revising-yourpaper/revising-your-paper/
Sloan Consortium. (2013). New Study: Over 6.7 million Students Learning Online. Retrieved from
http://sloanconsortium.org/news_press/january2013_new-study-over-67-million-students-learning-online
Sweep. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from
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AC9C1CA047&selectedIndex=0
Stop Watch. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from http://blog.paperrater.com/2010/03/proofreading.html
Tone. (n. d.). [Media]. Retrieved from http://yeahwriters.tumblr.com/post/47802331062