The last step in the revision process is proofreading. This is the final look through your writing. The proofreading process can help you catch smaller errors, such as spelling mistakes that you might have missed when you were editing for things like context and clarity.
✓ Take a step back. Give yourself time between editing and proofreading so that you can review your writing with fresh eyes.
✓ Use spell-check and grammar-check apps. Apps like Grammarly or the built in features of writing programs like Word or Google Docs are not perfect, but can be useful.
✓ Read your work out loud. Your ear can sometimes be more helpful than your eye. If it doesn’t sound right to you, it probably isn’t.
✓ Consider reading your paper from the end to the beginning. You may not see an error if you read from the beginning to the end because the brain overpowers the eye. It knows what you wanted to say and therefore may "see" what it wants to see and not what is actually there.
✓ Use a pencil to point to each word. This is another technique to make you focus on what you have actually written, not what you think you have written.
✓ Consider working with a partner. A partner may spot mistakes that you have missed.
Use this checklist as a guide when you are proofreading your essay.
Higher-Order and Lower-Order Concerns
Use this tip sheet to help you know what you should be looking at in each phase of the revision process
Use this tip sheet to identify and correct common grammar errors.
Use this list of prefixes and suffixes as a reference for your writing.
Proofreading is the stage where we check for the "final touches" or the minute details to clean up the essay. Check that you've followed the proper citation style and the assignment's expectations, that proper punctuation is used, and that you've chosen accurate words.
Watch the video below (The Learning Portal Ontario, 2017), to learn about proofreading and what you should look for when you are reviewing your essay one final time. You can also download the Proofreading Video Transcript if you wish.
Following citation styles is an important part of writing in post-secondary, and the emphasis on indicating where your information is coming from is an important part of professional writing.
Check out the TedEd video below about nominalizations. Using a lot of nominalizations in a sentence, might make us sound smarter, but it's superficial. Too many nominalizations can make your writing difficult and confusing to read.
Punctuation is a key part of helping convey your ideas clearly. Forgetting or misusing punctuation can confuse your reader, or turn an innocent sentence such as "Let's eat, Grandma" to the darker "Let's eat Grandma!"
The comma in the first instance indicates that the writer is speaking to their grandma, and suggesting that they begin eating. In the second instance, the lack of a comma leaves the reader thinking that the writer is proposing to eat their grandma.
Below are a couple videos on commonly misused punctuation marks (e.g. commas and semicolons) and their uses, followed by a list of other resources to help you use punctuation effectively and construct clear sentences.
Commas are most commonly used to divide items in a list, but they have other uses too. Check out this fun TedEd video covering the rules of comma use.
Semicolons are used to help clarify lists or show a connection between two separate sentences. Watch the fun TedEd video below for some of the rules of the use of semicolons.
NWP's punctuation guide
Using Commas, Semicolons and Colons tip sheet from Seneca Learning Centre
Run-On Sentences tip sheet from Seneca Learning Centre
Unless otherwise stated, the material in this guide is from the Learning Portal created by College Libraries Ontario. Content has been adapted for the NWP Learning Commons in June 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0 International License.
All icons on these pages are from The Noun Project. See individual icons for creator attribution.
