Editing: reviewing structure, format, flow, language, style, and tone.

Edit by paragraph

Check each paragraph to make sure it has a topic sentence; most of the time, there should be one.  

Edit by sentence

Here you will go through your paper making sure each sentence is complete, begins with a capital letter, and ends with the appropriate form of punctuation.  Make sure your word choice and spelling are correct.  Make your language active not passive, meaning that as often as possible make the subject of the sentence act rather than acted upon.

​Edit by word

Are you sure what each word means...really?  If you have any doubt, look it up!  Have you used any clichés? Make sure the expressions you use (if any) are fresh and alive. 

Proofreading: checking for errors.

• misspelled words
• missing punctuation (periods, commas, quotes)
• missing or incorrect capitalization 
• font size and consistency
• spacing and indentations 
• run-on sentences or sentence fragments
• the use of "I" or "my" or other first-person voice
• consistency in  tone and phrases
• missing or doubled words (common examples: a, an, the)

TRY THIS! Draw three columns on a sheet of paper and label them:

SENTENCE BEGINNINGS  |  SENTENCE LENGTHS  |   VERBS. In the first column, list the first word of each sentence.  Substitute any repeats.  In the second column, record how many words are in each sentence. Strive the vary the number of words in each, making sure you vary between short and long sentences. Lastly, check for verbs...are you using any action words? Be sure to show rather than tell.