Proofreading: Wout it Your Puck’d!

Seriously, proofreading is a no brainer. Often correct spelling, grammar and syntax will be worth around 10% of a grade and sometimes as much as 20%. That’s easy credit and the reverse is apparent. If you don’t proofread, or have someone else proofread, your work then you risk the downgrade of what might otherwise be an outstanding paper. On the other hand if written content is not your strength the question is; can you afford to skip proofreading?

Will proofreading mean the difference between a pass and a fail? It can!

So how to avoid this disaster? There are some easy options built into most word processing software that will help you along with your proofreading. Readability statistics (do  turn them on) will tell you the grade level you are writing for, the ease of reading and the number of passive sentences you have used. This is one easy tool for determining whether your writing is appropriate for your audience and written at an acceptable level for the reader. Then of course there is the spell checker which you should definitely use but don’t let it do all the work. Quite a few words will slip past the spell checker.

Proofreading your own material is okay if you are adept and if English is your first language. Keep in mind though that the top mistakes made through self proofreading are still spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. So if you don’t feel you can tell the difference when a sentence says whether but should say weather, or their when it should say they’re, then you are not the best person to be proofreading your own paper because spell checks will not pick these up and your professor will! If this is you we suggest you hire a proofreader or enlist a friend.

The top 5 mistakes not caught when proofreading are:

1. Incorrect Spelling
2. Incorrect Grammar
3. Un-noticed typos
4. Incorrect word usage
5. Passive writing

One of the most common mistakes that people make when proofreading is that they fail to look for passive sentences. In other words they speak in a passive voice. When writing like this conclusions are never entirely conclusive because assertions are not made. In other words things happen to people instead of happening because people do things. This type of writing seriously dilutes an argument. Quite simply, "Mary wrote the book" is active. "The book was written by Mary" is passive. Note that the action of book and the book itself is more important than the character in the passive voice. When writers are unsure of themselves they often drop into the passive voice.

While spelling and grammar are easily corrected by someone who is adept at written English, passive voice usage is more difficult to spot. Once again, if you are unsure, enlist a friend or hire a professional. Don’t be afraid of that last sentence. It will probably cost less than you think to hire a professional proofreader to go over your paper, even a thesis.  For the price of a proofreading professional you may achieve a pass instead of a fail. When looked at in that light, and when you consider all that you have spent on fees, a proofreader may seem like a small investment to make in your education. If you do decide to go with a professional proofreading service make sure they meet a few simple criteria:

• Absolute client confidentiality
• Adherence to your instructions
• All native English-speaking writers
• Total payment security