What are some effective strategies to proofread your own writing?

One thing that helps me with this important point: I always write my headline first. This helps me figure out if I'm confused about what I'm trying to say or who I'm trying to say it to. If I can't come up with a headline, I'm flat out confused. If I have a headline that's a list of things, I'm going to confuse the reader on what's important. But when I nail the headline, I know what it is I'm trying to say and can go back to it when I get stuck while writing.

What will the reader do after they go through your piece? Will they mindlessly scroll to the next thing? Will they pause and reflect? Maybe chime back? It helps to determine the reader's response before you hit publish. We think we have short attention spans these days but that's not true. If there's something which holds our attention, we can binge on it. Your writing could be THAT thing which inspires, motivates, or elevates. During revision, think of what kind of response you are going to evoke. Usually, we are objective after stepping away from our work - sometimes for a day. Read it again. If something needs fixing, make the appropriate edits. We write for a purpose - identify it and go deliver! Happy writing! :)

Revision is a must to ensure that whatever is in the mind, gets interpreted on the paper in the true sense. Thought travels at a lightening speed, whereas writing happens much slowly; the chances of some part of the thought not getting included or some inclusion making a different sense than desired cannot be totally ruled out. Auto correct feature in software has made revision before submission all the more imperative

My best strategy for effective proofreading is to pretend it is not mine and start reading it as if I am reading it for the first time, every time. Also, since English is my second language, I often have my husband review the draft if the grammar and punctuation are not in order. Here are some tips for you: 1. Give yourself time between writing and proofreading. 2. Use spell check and grammar tools. 3. Read aloud and read backward. 4. Print out your writing to proofread on paper. 5. Read slowly and carefully. 6. Change the format or font to see your writing differently. 7. Check for consistency in style, tone, and formatting. 8. Watch for commonly confused words.

This is a topic dear to my heart. It's something I've always struggled with. It's very difficult to self-edit your own work if you are a freelancer and have no one to help you. This what I do: 1. Make the computer read back to you. You instantly hear the typos and mistakes you make. In Word, you can do this in the review tab and on a Mac, right click, go to speech and select start speaking. 2. Read out aloud what you have written in a nice dramatic voice. It actually works really well. 3. Ask ChatGPT to proofread your work for you – this also works really well. Those are my main tips. Hope they help.

Think of proofreading like a treasure hunt 🗺️! Your thesis and outline are your maps, and those sneaky errors? They're the hidden treasure. 1️⃣ You're Indiana Jones, and the first tool in your archaeological kit? Reading aloud! Your ears can catch things your eyes might miss. Imagine you're narrating an epic adventure 🎤. 2️⃣ Your magnifying glass? Printing it out! Staring at screens makes us miss those pesky grammar gremlins. Paper is old-school cool, right? 3️⃣ Lastly, remember those Scooby-Doo episodes when the mystery gets solved backwards? That's right, read from the end to the start. It feels weird, but it works like a charm, making sure no clues escape our super-sleuthing!

If you find that you're having trouble fitting your essay into your thesis, consider if you need to tackle it in reverse by fitting your thesis into your essay. Sometimes the scope of an idea changes as we develop it; rather than fighting against the grain and spending hours editing, be mindful of when it's time to take a step back and say, "This piece isn't going where I thought it was, and that's okay." Altering your thesis is a quick way to better align your piece without introducing extensive revisions.

One of the things I have found helpful is to read the article backwards. It forces me to pay attention to the structure and what I am writing. I also ask myself “so what” what’s the so what of what I have just written? Is it clear what the call to action or takeaway from the article is?

I begin my work on a new essay with this : Write down a statement mentioning target audience, intent and style of writing on tip of the article. Everytime I lose sight of my end goal, I am able to tune right back in with a glance at this statement. Another thing I like to do is a little surprising but it helps me: I read the content out loud. It helps me catch those sentences which are unnecessarily complex , find sentences that are too long and eliminate content that does not sound like a conversation. Reading aloud makes it easy to identify places where the flow breaks. Content must feel easy to read from start to end. The reader must slide ( like on a slippery slope) from one paragraph to the next till the very end.

One Line at a time. Read aloud, if you can. Hold your nerves from the urge to publish immediately. Edit wherever you can. Don't be too emotionally attached with the first draft. Consistency, relatability and construct is necessary for a good write up.

I find that phrases like “for example” as a transition are often redundant - it’s often clear to your audience that you’re providing an example, and getting straight into the meat reads in a much more compelling way.

I tend to read my paragraphs out loud rather than whizz through online; it's only then when I notice words I've missed out or spelling mistakes etc.

Transitions are notoriously difficult, but they don't have to be. If you feel that two paragraphs are too disconnected, say aloud to yourself what the connection between them is or should be. Then, explain it simply (verbally or in writing), as if you were explaining it to a child or a teenager. Somewhere in that explanation is the connecting thought.

One the best technique I used during my dissertation was the following: -Take a blank sheet of paper and write down the main message of every paragraph/section depending on how long your manuscript is. Then; -Cut ✂️ every section and put them on the floor. -It will help you see which ideas/arguments work best where in the flow of your text. -Taking physical distance from your writing will also give you a screen break and fill you with fresh energy.

If you are looking to catch minor errors in form/grammar (even if writing in your native language), editing backwards sentence by sentence, and reading each sentence out loud, is a good way to catch problems at this level. Lots of good advice here for editing for content, structure, evidence, etc.

One tip that has helped me revise my language & style is reading out loud my draft - If that's to myself, a friend, or colleague. Through reading my draft and hearing my voice, I can quickly adjust tone or cut out words that make it a bit too wordy. If I want to be extra mindful of tone and I'm alone, I use Microsoft's presenter mode to record and hear myself back.

By far the best thing you can do as you revise is to give the piece distance. Run through it, let it sit, and then come back with fresh eyes. If you don't give yourself this kind of break, then biases and fatigue set in, which means you'll miss errors and fail to consider alternatives that could improve the draft.

One thing that I find helpful is using the word, document voice, to have the computer read back to me what I typed. This helps me go into the paragraph and make sure that my sentences are concise and clear. I also avoid jargon, and I adapt my document to my audience. For an example, if I am working with someone with low literacy levels; I’m going to adapt my document to their literacy level.

One of the key ways I refined my writing style over time: select a small group of trusted friends whose first language is NOT English to review my writing! I write for a global audience, which means over time I abandoned context-specific writing style like “English expressions” because it could make my writing inaccessible.

Reading out loud is GOLD. When I read out loud, I identify the breaks in the content. My theory is simple, "If I can't read out loud smoothly, without having to catch my breath, then the audience can't too." As soon as I identify breaks, I try to write it differently. Maybe use different words, use different style of writing, shorten or lengthen the sentences, etc.

Use exclamation points sparingly. Save them for times when you truly need maximum emphasis. And by the way, I'm frequently guilty of violating my own advice!

I would suggest reading your work out loud and look for places that you naturally pause or change your inflection. That doesn't necessarily mean a punctuation mark will go there but, often, it does.

My best tip here is to download an extension on your desktop or laptop called Grammarly. They have free and paid versions, however, both are great. This extension, if activated, will travel with you all over LinkedIn, WordPress blogs, social media posts, Google Drive, anywhere you write. It has saved me thousands in hiring an editor for grammar and sentence structure, and has made me a better writer.

Be sure to treat grammar or punctuation as more than an afterthought. You can have the most thought-provoking piece of writing in the world, but a simple spelling error or a "their/there/they're" goof can kill your credibility just as quickly as you earn it. This is where a second reader can really come in handy. All too often, basic errors become invisible to authors whose brains trick them into seeing what "should" be there (it definitely happens to the best of us).

When using spell-checkers or grammar-checking software you need to be mindful of the language type e.g. UK 🇬🇧 or American 🗽 English.

The one thing I *always* do: Read anything I've written out loud. I had an old editor teach me this trick and it's ridiculously effective: You can hear the rhythm of your writing and whether you're going to bore your readers; you also spot mistakes easier, like double words or weird word choices. The one thing is: You do have to get used to people looking at you weirdly as you stare at your computer talking to it...

In my experience, I try to let the document sit overnight and come back to it the following day fresh; and then have Microsoft Word read it to me, using the read-aloud feature. It prevents your eyes from adding words in your mind that actually are not on the paper and helps with grammar, etc.

I do a lot of writing every week, and I, like many other writers, are crashingly busy and distracted throughout the day, stuffing in other work tasks in between our writing time. That can lead to an unfocused or distracted mind. My top tip regarding proofing and finalizing your writing is that when you believe you're fully done with your article or piece, step away from your desk and take a break. Engage in a task that is very different from writing, for at least 30 minutes. Then come back and re-read your piece. Invariably, you'll find things that don't work well and need revision or rethinking, so that the fullest and richest meaning of what you've intended to share can come through more clearly and powerfully. Enjoy the process!

I often have difficulty seeing my own errors -- My eyes skip over poor writing because I know what I intended. I've generative AI tools to be quite effective for providing non-judgmental feedback, catching small errors and greatly improving readability. One thing I'll note is that I typically accept proposed changes from the AI in less than half of the cases. Still, the process really helps me identify areas that need more work. Seeing the proposed changes helps me re-examine my own writing with fresh eyes.

I've yet to find a more effective alternative for proofreading than reading what I've written "aloud" (literally, or reading entire sentences in my head). That's how I catch the minor mistakes (incorrect transition words, omitted letters etc.). It's also how I catch more major flaws - for instance, sentences that are too long and will hinder your audience's comprehension. If you find yourself reading a sentence and you've lost track of the point, time to chop it up. For bigger / more important pieces especially, I ask someone else I trust to read it. They'll find small errors that are in your blind spot, or occasionally catch something that might not be meant the way it was intended. No shame and lots to gain with a second set of eyes.