Just think as a student, as to why you are writing an essay? Of course, you do not have a choice or say in this matter as you have been asked by your teacher or faculty to do so. Now, when one as a student has to write an essay, it is important that we do it right. Having said that, the main aim changes to incorporate all points and concepts that the marker or evaluator is expecting from it. It is like when you are thirsty, no deal of packaged Coke can substitute water. So we are checking all points in the order of their importance and impact on your grade.Check 1: Wait. The longer the better.
But as experts say wait for at least 30 minutes, and engage in some activity that makes you forget what you wrote in your essay. This is because our brain overlooks all those details which it thinks it already knows. To do a good proof reading one must not recall what he/she wrote. Alternatively, you can take the help of your friend to do it for you. There are multiple online assignment help providing vendors who can review it for you too and it can be useful especially you have very less time to carry out the review of your essay or assignment.
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This is reason why we can still read what we are reading and an error can easily be missed in your review. Also if possible, carry out each step as a separate task separated with a certain time interval or alternate task. What I personally do is proofread two articles at the same time in an alternating order.
Check 2: Do this review activity in a quiet place without distractions
Never proofread an essay in a hurry or while multi-tasking by watching TV or talking to somebody. This works in our disadvantage as our brain is not able to dig into carefully to find our own faults.
Check 3: Check your typical mistakes first
It is very important to check each of the mistakes pointed by your evaluator in the past. If needed, it is wise to get those papers out and read them too. Not only has it taken away your mind from the article in question it also reiterates the mistakes which are most likely to occur in the essay being reviewed.
Check 4: Read each sentence loudly in the opposite direction
Our brain is used to expect a certain sentence as we read through it and we would not be able to read it in the correct manner. Read these sentences and words loudly as this increases your attention to each detail in the essay.
Check 5: Is the topic and word count correct.
No matter how dumb this sounds but under stress students can make silly mistakes in front of their eyes. Always name the file in the name of the title so that you do not send the incorrect word or PDF document instead. To check the word count go to the lower bottom of Word document and check what it says.
If you would like to count the words of specific section then select the section using your mouse and check the same place again for a revised word count. Observe the change in the screen-shot below.
Check 6: Open the marking criteria shared with you by the faculty and cross-check each section.
Read your own essay from top to bottom in one go. Once done check for the marking criteria and mark those which you have already catered to. In case some section is unintentionally left out, do squeeze in a few lines in the most appropriate place. Each marking criteria section should be easily visible as sub-headings or as separate paragraphs. If that’s not the case, then segregate each section adequately so that the evaluator is impressed by making it easier for him/her to evaluate the paper.
See also: Learn to write quality university assignment
Check 7: Break down too long sentences into smaller ones
Break down any sentence with more than one “and” or conjunctives and specify them as simpler and precise to the point sentences with at max 10 to 14 words in a sentence. Crisper sentences send across a crispy thought process which easier to communicate to the evaluator.
Check 8: Check for the correct referencing style being used
Check for each internal reference and the format in which it has been specified. Also check the bibliography. Do note that incomplete information about the sources like date, publisher, etc. is too considered as incorrect referencing. Make sure all ideas used from other sources are paraphrased properly and the original form looks entirely different from the one you are submitting.
Check 9: Double-check all the facts and figures
It is very important to check the correct units being specified and the usage of comma and full stop as punctuations. Also check currencies and short forms and units. Do reference each figure for sure.
Check 10: Spelling and grammar check
Use the handy Microsoft word grammar checker which is an inbuilt feature. Look for zigzag underlines under sentences or words and right click on those words or phrases to check the alternatives.
My experience says that by catering to these points itself, most of the students who fail the evaluation can pass and others can increase their marks or points by around at least 20%. When this is carried out over a longer period of time, one can easily stop making the same mistakes you made earlier and can even submit essays without a review. Do write to us if you think there is any point which you feel helped you review and proofread your essay or assignment better in practical.
The above article is written by Emily Parker, a review expert at one of the leading assignment help service providers in Australia based on her experience over the last 5 years of proofreading.
Top10 things you must check before submitting the essay
