The moment you finish composing your essay comes the time to begin the process of perfecting it. The final step to creating a great paper is carrying out proper edits and revisions is. Good editing, like writing, is a skill, which must be perfected over time. Even the works of the most prominent writers require skillful editing. Below is a guide on how to edit an essay.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Edit an Essay
- Take a break
It can be tempting to complete your work within minutes. Avoid your urge to get everything done in one go. Instead, take a break when you complete your writing. Spend time doing something unrelated so that you can return to your paper with a fresh eye.
- Do the basic editing
Use editing software to ensure that you followed general guidelines and formatting requirements. Simple punctuation mistakes and fixable formatting errors will seem careless and unprofessional to your reader.
- Be clear
A good piece of writing has a clear structure, coherent and obvious transitions between sentences and paragraphs. For example, a standard format would be:
- A gripping, exciting first paragraph. This is your chance to gain the attention and goodwill of your readers. This is a time to bring up interesting details and tell your readers what point you’re going to make.
- Your thesis statement declares the purpose of your writing and must appear early in your essay. It is commonly written as the first sentence of the second paragraph.
- A well-structured body. The body of your writing should cover all of the relevant points that you wish to discuss. Be sure that your piece is written with the clear goal of proving your thesis correct.
- A strong conclusion. Your conclusion should restate the strongest points that you covered in the body of the document. If the reader is expected to take further action, this is the place to advise them of that.
- Use simple sentences
Review the writing to ensure that your language is both clear and precise. Your goal is to concisely convey the relevant information. Use words that create clear, short sentences. Moreover, avoid loose language and meaningless fragments. Eliminate all jargon and colloquialisms.
- Let it go
Don’t structure whole paragraphs in the interest of one sentence. Don’t rewrite pages because you’re attached to a turn of a phrase. On the other hand, be ruthless in your editing and eliminate anything that does not make your paper more readable.
- Get your facts right
Double-check any facts or figures that you present in your paper. Don’t just make sure the numbers are accurate. However, ensure that the numbers you’ve referenced are sourced from the document you mentioned. Ensure quotes are correct, sources are cited, and relevant images are properly noted.
- Avoid repetition
You wrote an introduction that has your readers excited and engaged. So they have a solid understanding of your thesis and a vested interest in how you will prove it. Your reader is paying attention, so you only need to say things once. Moreover, repetition is a complex literary device. The shorter your piece, the harder it is to use this tactic correctly.
- Use active voice
Professional writers maintain an active voice in order to write clear projects that are pleasant to read. For example, write “I put the notebook on the table.” instead of “The notebook was put on the table.”
- Keep it simple
This is not the time to experiment with sentence structure or grammar theory. It’s best to use the simplest punctuation possible when producing a piece for an academic audience. Students should aim for standardization and simplicity in both form and structure, rather than proving intelligence or composing a sentence with an attractive flow.
- Check it again
Proofread your document a few times and check for spelling and grammar errors when the content is perfect. Also, try reading your piece backward for a fresh perspective.
- Share with friends
Share your writing with a friend or your knowledgeable family member to find areas in need of improvement. For this reason, they can provide valuable insight into the clarity of your writing and spot some issues you may have overlooked.
Review this list every time you finish writing a paper, and you will quickly find that editing according to these rules becomes second nature. After a while, you’ll find that you write your pieces with a much clearer concept of what your final product should sound like. Learning to edit your pieces well will make you a much better writer. If you still have any doubt, you can check out graduateassignmentshelp.com for more assistance.