What are some proofreading strategies to follow?

Answer 1

If you’re talking about proofreading your own essay, I’ve got a handout that outlines my favorite basic 3-step process, plus extra tips and tricks—surprising, weird, fun, and very effective techniques. The 3 basic steps are:

1. Read the entire essay silently, slowly, from start to finish. Don’t skim or skip sentences even if you‘re sure they’re perfect.
2. Read the entire essay out loud, from start to finish. You will hear mistakes that your eyeballs missed.
3. Give your essay to someone else. They’ll be able to spot things you can’t simply because they haven’t read it and reread it and reread it like you have.

These steps are ESSENTIAL. If you haven’t done these, you haven’t proofread your paper, period. Reach out to me if you’d like to try the fun, weird techniques, or if you need help editing and polishing your work!