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7 Read and discuss.
General Strategies for Editing and Proofreading
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From General Strategies for Editing and Proofreading
While revision occurs throughout the writing process and
involves such tasks as rethinking, overall structure, focus, thesis and
support, editing and proofreading assume that the writer is working

on the final draft and is in the process of making the paper “correct.
“Correct” punctuation, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, style,
and word choice are important to the reader because they drastically
affect perceptions of the writer’s authority and credibility.

In general, effective editing and proofreading require that you
reread your writing carefully, that you play the role of reader rather
than writer, and that you use strategies to help you slow down and

examine your writing. This handout presents strategies for both
editing and proofreading.
Editing
Editing is the process writers use to catch errors typical to their

own writing. Because editing focuses on problems that are particular
to an individual writer – and that occur again and again – effective
editing requires that you know the types of errors you typically make

and that you have specific strategies for finding those errors.
1 Read the paper aloud as if you are reading a story. Listen for
errors. If you listen carefully, you will be able to correct any errors

that you hear. Listen for incomplete phrases, sentences and ideas,
as well as things that “sound funny.”
– Stop and change anything you wish as soon as you see it –

punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure. Move through the
paper at a reasonable rate.
– Read the entire paper. Listen for spots that aren’t readable, that
feel or sound awkward, or that don’t seem clear. Mark these

spots. Then, when you’re done reading the whole paper, go back
to fix them.
– Allow yourself some time between writing your paper and

editing. Ideally, wait a day; this allows the writing to “get cold,”
giving you an opportunity to "see" the errors. If you can’t wait a
day, go away and do something else for a while – work for

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General Strategies for Editing and Proofreading. – Available at:
https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php