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Proofreading is the final stage, when everything’s in place and you’re just looking for consistency of style and final errors.
The final stage of editing is proofreading. The Skills Team cannot proofread your essays for you but we can give you some tips on doing if for yourself:
Eight proofreading tips
1. NEVER rely on the computer’s spelling and grammar-checker to do the work for you.
This is fatal. It is extremely unreliable. Remember that a computer is a mindless machine and no match for the human brain; the software often underlines words in red where there are no errors and, conversely, fails to spot blatant errors. Don't ignore underlined words but remember that you will still need to check the work yourself too.
3. Use British spelling
As you are studying for a British qualification in a British institution, you must follow British English spelling and punctuation conventions (except, of course, when quoting from an American or other foreign publication). This means that you should make your word processor’s default language setting ‘English UK’.
5. Work backwards
Try proofing backwards! Read your work from the end to the beginning, either sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph. What this does is to destroy the flow of argument, sequencing of ideas or chronology, thus forcing the brain to look only for ‘mechanical’ errors in the text.
For more editing and proofreading tips, go to "100 editing and proofreading tips for writers".
Official Proofreading Guidance
The University have produced guidance on proofreading including what is acceptable practice for third party proofreaders. You can find it here:
