Module 6

Module 6

Essentials for Academic Writing

In this module, you will learn

What Proofreading is

Rubric

Proofreading process

Proofreading Tools

What isProofreading?

STOP AND THINK

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is the final step in the writing process, showing that you’ve taken care over it and checked it thoroughly for accuracy and consistency. The term ‘proofreading’ means to check the final draft to correct any issues of formatting, spelling, grammar and small errors like typos. Although these issues don’t reflect the quality of your ideas, they may affect the clarity of your writing and might irritate your reader. Proofreading is different to editing, which is the process of reviewing content, style and structure. Proofreading might seem like a superficial issue compared to editing, but it’s worth doing to show your work in its best light and demonstrate your attention to detail.

What to Proofread for?

You will need to proofread your assignment several times to check:• That you have met the brief and the learning outcomes. • That your work logically flows from one section to another and you have adopted the required structure. • Spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct. • The vocabulary is precise and words have not been omitted or certain words overly used. • That the citations link through to the reference list and the departmental referencing style is consistently used • The writing format is consistent throughout, including layout, text font and size.

VIDEO

Watch this video to learn more about proofreading.

Proofreading tools

How to improve your writing with AI

Generate Ideas

- Help you think, brainstorm, or consider new ideas - Learn about sources or authors you did not know - Create or fix outlines

Improve clarity

- Rephrasing ideas- Separate sentences without losing cohesion- Improve your paragraphs

How to improve your writing with AI

Grammar and style

- Find grammar mistakes you may not be aware of, Contrary to other grammar tools, AI can also explain the context surrounding the mistake - Fix long and repetitive sentences. When asking AI to help you, you can provide a sentence example for it to replicate your own "plain language style"

Cohesion and flow

- Replace or add transitions that match the content of your sentences- AI can help you balance your paragraphs and improve your paragraphing skills. Be careful, rather than just asking AI to replace words, ask it why or how it choose to change something.

How to improve your writing with AI

Research and citations

- Find other sources that get closer to your main papers. AI can be your research assistant, helping you find information- Check if your "original ideas" are actually original. AI can help you detect involuntary plagiarism. - Tired of writing references? Copy your source's link or title, and AI can give you the reference in the format you want.

Reviewing a text

Prompting is more difficult than you may expect. Feedback will be better if you are more specific. Avoid general questions like "What do you think about my text?" or "Improve my text." Instead, include traits that you know you may have problems with: "can you help me rewrite my paragraph so it is not so repetitive?" or "can you give me feedback considering only style and not content?"

Final remarks

Use AI ethically :)

- AI can be a great tool for research when used correctly. Be careful with plagiarism and always check sources.

- Another great option is Grammarly, because it checks your writing through the different platforms you use. If you see suggestions in yellow (paywall), you can ask AI to help

Proofreading Process

PEER PROOFREADING

To take an essay beyond the draft stage to a polished version, a peer editor is a great aide---though not a "tool" per se. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a professional essay editor (although that will deliver the best results); it needs to be someone who will put some effort into the process of proposing improvements. When you’re looking for someone to peer edit your essay, try and choose someone who you know well and who you can trust to be honest and methodical. You’re not looking for someone who’ll tell you how great your essay is; you’re looking for someone who will provide you with an objective criticism of your paper. The purpose of the exercise isn’t to tear you down; it’s to make you better.

HOW TO PEER EDIT AN ESSAY: PART 1

Ideally, read through the paper at least twice During the first pass, you’ll familiarize yourself with the content of the essay and the primary arguments that are put forth. During the second pass, you’ll have a chance to readily understand what is being said. If you don’t understand the content after two readings; there’s a problem the writer needs to know about. Position yourself as the target reader While you’re in the process of peer editing the essay, take the role of the envisioned reader; i.e., the person who is reading the essay to learn from someone as opposed to fixating grammatical errors. During the peer editing process, you should be concerned with content, organization, and style. If you focus purely on punctuation and spelling errors, you may not add a significant amount of value. Your role is to help the writer ensure the essay is clear and compelling.

HOW TO PEER EDIT AN ESSAY: PART 2

Resist the temptation to fix the issuesYour job as a peer editor is not to take over and correct any issues that you identify; it’s to provide the writer with constructive feedback on how the paper can be improved. Tell the truth constructively If you’re peer editing a friend’s essay, you may not want to hurt his or her feelings by pointing out areas where there is a lack of clarity. However, if you fail to do so, there’s no point in engaging in the process. Resist the urge to say everything is fine and instead focus on how you can help the writer learn someone from the process. Provide constructive feedback that highlights the positive areas of the essay while also pointing out some areas for improvement.

HOW TO PEER EDIT AN ESSAY: PART 3

Provide specific detailsDon’t make overly general statements such as, “I don’t understand your point.” Instead, provide very precise feedback on what exactly you don’t understand and what information may help you understand it better: “Perhaps you could make your point clearer by explaining why…” Take every opportunity to explain why you found something effective or ineffective. Check the style guide Universities and colleges typically follow one of six major style guides in academic writing: APA, Harvard, MHRA, MLA, OSCOLA and Oxford. When you write in a consistent manner following a recognised style guide, it is simpler for readers to understand what to anticipate and where to find further information. Effective application of a style in formal writing will distinguish your work visually and ensure you meet the university’s requirements.

THREE CORNERSTONES OF PEER EDITING

A HELPFUL PEER EDITING CHECKLIST

The Introduction: Is there a clear attention-grabing statement or hook? Are there at least three sentences in the introduction? Are the writer's intentions clear? Is mention made of the paper/article the writer is reacting to? Is there a clear thesis statement? The Body: Are there various paragraphs? Does each body paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Are there supporting ideas for each paragraph's topic sentence? The Conclusion: Does the conclusion refer back to the thesis statement? Are there at least three sentences in the conclusion? Coherence: Do the ideas flow logically and contribute to a building argument? Are transitions used correctly? Is the essay interesting and engaging? Does the analysis presented in the essay support the thesis statement? Is there are variety of sentence types?

Rubric

Rubric

REFERENCES

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/academic-skills-kit/writing/academic-writing/proofreading/#:~:text=The%20term%20'proofreading'%20means%20to,and%20might%20irritate%20your%20reader. https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/academic_writing/proof_reading https://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/peer-edit-essay-free-peer-editing-checklist/