Academic Writing: FAQs: Proofreading and Revising

What is proofreading?

When you proofread your paper, you're scanning the overall composition to look for basic typographical, grammatical, and stylistic mistakes. The primary goal of proofreading is to catch surface-level issues that can be changed fairly quickly.

As you're proofreading, watch out for:

• typos
• misspelled words
• punctuation mistakes
• subject-verb agreement issues (does the subject of your sentence agree with the verb?)
• tense inconsistencies (are you using the same tense throughout your paper?)
• missing information
• citation errors
• plagiarism

Go over each sentence of your paper and watch out for mistakes or inconsistencies.

What is proofreading?

This resource defines proofreading and offers tips for doing it successfully.

What is revising and how is it different from proofreading?

Revision involves making substantive changes to the content and structure of your paper. Revising allows you to answer key questions about your work, such as: can your reader clearly follow your argument? Do you provide adequate evidence and analysis to support your thesis? Are the steps to the conclusion clear?

Your revision should include fundamental changes in:

• the construction of sentences and paragraphs (style and sequence)
• the articulation of your claims (are you adequately proving your thesis?)
• your evidence and use of evidence (integration of quotes, responding to or challenging other critical viewpoints)
• the overall organization of your paper (transitions between ideas and paragraphs)

Proofreading vs Revising: What is the Difference?

This article discusses the differences between proofreading and revising and offers tips for how to do both.

Tips for Revising a Research Paper

This article offers helpful tips for revising research papers.