No time for an editor? Or did you revise substantially after your paper was edited?
Before you hit submit, give your paper a final review to ensure you catch any errors that can result in a lower grade or a “revise and resubmit.” Follow this self-editing checklist to make sure your paper is polished before you turn it in.
1. Change passive sentences to active ones.
Active voice is more concise, more engaging, and, as a result, preferred over passive voice. Revise passive constructions into active ones for a cleaner paper.
2. Give long sentences a second look.
Longer isn’t always better. Short, concise sentences are easier to digest, so if your sentence spans three or more lines of text, consider breaking it into shorter sentences to improve clarity.
3. Look for consistent use of language.
Present any industry-specific terms consistently throughout the paper. Run a search to ensure that these terms, such as model and theory names, are consistent throughout the document.
4. Double check those references.
Did you add any sources to your paper when you revised? If so, make sure there’s a parenthetical citation as well as a reference list citation for every source.
5. Look for vague pronouns.
Pronouns like “it” or “this” are often vague, especially if these words are the subject of your sentence. Search for these words to ensure every pronoun is clear.
6. Make sure your tense is correct.
In academic papers, verb tense will vary. Make sure references to published literature are in past tense and references to current studies are in present tense.
7. Check for unintentional plagiarism.
Make sure you properly cited all paraphrased or directly quoted material.
8. Check your paper against guidelines.
If your professor provided a rubric or set of guidelines for the assignment, check your finished paper against it to confirm you’ve met the expectations of the assignment.
9. Double check your lists.
Lists, whether they are in a paragraph or bulleted or numbered, should be in parallel structure (all nouns, all verb phrases, all gerunds, etc.). Paragraph lists should include the serial comma before the conjunction.
10. Run your paper through a grammar checker.
The computer can’t replace a good writer or reliable editor, but grammar checking software can be a solid backup plan. I like Grammarly and the Hemingway Editor.
Following this self-editing checklist can give you confidence that you’re submitting a paper that’s ready to go. Want to submit a paper polished by a professional editor? Contact me today!