Editing and Proofreading

Strategies

1.)  Edit and proofread on a hard copy -- research shows that we "see" a text differently on the computer screen; thus, we may find errors on a printed copy that we wouldn't find on the computer screen.

2.)  Temporarily change the font size, the font type, and the size of the margins before you print a draft -- this will make the draft look differently to you, and maybe then you can find errors you wouldn't have seen otherwise.

3.)  Edit and proofread several times -- wait several hours or a day between sessions.

4.)  Read the draft aloud -- sometimes we pick up errors by "listening" to the draft; notice things that do not "sound" right.

5.)  Use a ruler to hide lines below the one you are reading -- this will force you to slow down.

6.)  Point to each word and punctuation mark as you read -- this will also force you to slow down.

7.)  Read the draft out of sequential order -- this will prevent you from lapsing into a regular reading rate (faster), and then you might miss something:

• Go through each paragraph backwards, from the last sentence to the first sentence.
   
• Go through the draft backwards, from the last sentence to the first sentence.
   
• Go through the draft and skip paragraphs; perhaps read odd numbered paragraphs first, then even numbered ones.

8.) Have someone else proofread after you. Have them point out whatever they see, but they should not fix it -- YOU should!