Proofreading Your Paper

Here are some helpful tips to help you proofread your school paper and get the grade you deserve!

One of the the biggest helps in editing your papers is to read them aloud. When you do this, you will be able to see and hear if your paper flows properly. You’ll also notice any words that are in the wrong place and any sentences that need to be modified.

When editing a paper, be sure and look at your sentence structure. Does each sentence have a subject, verb and a complete thought? Is there correct punctuation at the end of the sentence: period, question mark, exclamation point, etc?

Have you done your punctuation correctly? Are commas where they need to be? Does each sentence end with a punctuation mark?

Do your sentences flow? Make sure that they are all relatively close in length. If there are some that are very long and others that are very short, this may mess up the flow of your paper.

Have you used apostrophes where they were needed to indicate proper possession?

Always double check your spelling. If there is a word that you are unsure about, look it up. Misspelled words can lose you a lot of points on your paper. Don’t always trust spell-check!

Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence? Does the topic sentence support the thesis statement? Do your sentences use transitional words wherever necessary? Have you used examples, facts, and or quotes that support your thesis statement and the supporting body paragraphs? Is there a concluding sentence that wraps up the idea for each supporting paragraph?