Proofreading
Saturday, January 1st, 2011
 When proofreading an academic essay, one of the most important factors on which you can focus your energy is formatting and style. “Style,” in this instance, refers to the citation style used for the discipline in which you are writing. Because there are so many different style manuals used in higher education, it is important to be certain which style manual your instructor, department, or assignment requires. If you are submitting your essay for consideration to a publication, it is important to adhere to the style guidelines of that particular publication. If you are ever uncertain which style manual you should be using, take the time to ask because it can prove invaluable to use the correct style at the start.
The two most common style manuals used in higher education are those published by the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). MLA Style is commonly used in language, literature, and other humanity disciplines, (more…)
Tags: Professional Editing, Proofreading, writing tips
Posted in Proofreading | No Comments »
Thursday, December 30th, 2010
 To most, the proofreading process can be intimidating and daunting. Once you’ve written your manuscript, whether it’s a novel, a collection of poetry, or a researched work of academic scholarship, you’ve undoubtedly been through numerous rewrites and revisions. It seems impossible—after so many reviews and so many times through a document—that there could be anything you might have missed. But a final proofread is an absolute essential aspect of the writing and publishing process.
At times, however, the original author is the absolute last person who needs to be doing the proofreading. After all, you’ve been through your writing from the very beginning. By the final draft, you know exactly what you were trying to say and feel comfortable that you’ve said it. It makes complete sense, then, that your eyes can read what should be on the page, rather than what actually is on the page. This is particularly true for a manuscript that has seen numerous revisions because you’ve read it so many times. After a point, you begin reading it with your mind, rather than your eyes.
(more…)
Tags: editing, Professional Editing, professional editor, Proofreading, writing tips
Posted in Proofreading, Writer's Tips | No Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
 Proofreading, as the name suggests, involves reading a document to check for errors and discrepancies. It is the final stage in the preparation of any document, whether it is a novel, a research paper, or a formal e-mail.
Even the most skilled writer can benefit from a proofread, as small errors can very easily creep into a text. For example, if the sentence “He stared at his reflection in the mirror” is accidentally typed as “He starred at his reflection in the mirror,” Word’s spell check will not recognize the error, as all the words in the sentence appear in the dictionary. Only the human eye will be able to detect that the verb is spelled incorrectly, and this cannot be done unless someone reads the text before it is transmitted to its target audience.
Furthermore, suppose you write an e-mail to a client or potential employer, Mrs. X, and you are distracted or pressed for time, or while typing, your fingers simply fall lightly on the keys and you accidentally leave out the “s” and refer to her as “Mr. X.” Or suppose you have written a paper for submission to an academic journal, and throughout, you have used the abbreviation ABCD (more…)
Tags: editing, firstediting.com, professional editor, Proofreading
Posted in Proofreading | 4 Comments »
Saturday, December 4th, 2010
 The dissertation is ready – all these months, even years of hard work are almost over, but you feel you need someone just to check it over for that final piece of mind – then you need help from a professional editor who will proofread your document and eradicate all those minor mistakes that your eyes can’t pick up anymore.
Once you send in the document to a dissertation editor, then they will check all the basics for you – does it conform to the school’s guidelines; is it in the correct format, with properly cited references (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.); if there is a Table of Contents, do all the page numbers and titles match up, and are the titles listed correctly; check spelling and grammar (more…)
Tags: editing, firstediting, firstediting.com, Professional Editing, professional editor
Posted in Dissertations, Proofreading, Writer's Tips | No Comments »
Friday, November 19th, 2010
 The most noticeable writing out there is writing that is clear, easy to understand, and engaging. If you’re a writer with great ideas, you have the “engaging” part down! But the “clear” and “easy to understand” parts are sometimes a bit trickier. So, how do you take your writing from something you’re proud of to something that others will want to brag about? With the help of a professional editor, of course!
A professional editor can bring polish and clarity to your work, bringing the entertaining and interesting ideas you’ve written to the next level. With an editor on your team, you can take your writing game much further, much faster!
(more…)
Tags: editing, editors, Proofreading, writing tips
Posted in Proofreading | No Comments »
|
