essay editing college

essay editing college

The Importance of Essay Editing in College

1. The Benefits of Essay Editing

Editing is about seeing the text as the reader sees it. “Editing is about seeing the text as the reader sees it” was said by one of the most famous editors, Alfred A. Knopf. Knopf’s quote is promising to writers that it is okay to edit your paper several times to make it the best. Sometimes it is hard to edit your own paper, because you are familiar with the material and the context of the paper, but it is important to proofread it several times, so that you make sure that there are no errors, and to make sure that it is what you want to say. Knopf’s quote is also saying that you cannot create a good paper without revising it several times. People have a misunderstanding of what editing and revising a paper really means. They think that it is alright to just quickly read over your paper once, fix a couple mistakes, and hand it in. But really, that is more of a rough draft than a final draft. Editing is not something that can be done in the same amount of time it takes to write the paper. It is a totally different process that often takes longer, but it is essential to creating a good paper. This means checking for sentence structure and flow, grammar, punctuation, verb tense, and word choice. Word choice is especially important because some words have different meanings depending on the context. For example, the word trivial has a negative connotation. Most people do not know that trivial can also mean ordinary and of little importance. Editing out the negative connotation words in that sentence would have a different meaning and a different impact on the sentence. But editing and revising the paper is not only important for making sure that it is error-free, but it can also change the meaning of the paper, or improve the paper to get the point across better. Knopf was an editor for a book publishing company, and he has edited all different types of books, so his wisdom is important to aspiring writers, especially students. By revising the paper at least twice, you can safely say that you will make a significant improvement on it. This can be satisfying for students who are unsure of their writing skills. It will also improve the student’s writing skills in the long run, so that they will be familiar with the writing and editing process to create a good academic paper.

2. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Editing: Making sure above this, try the DPD method of essay preparation is important so that a mistake is not repeated. For example, “urn pin essay” is not clear what type of pin it is. If a person comes up with a pin cause it is feasible, it can best be the DPD and the question can be rephrased to best explain the answer of the question posed. This is important as in the end it will save a lot of time. Syntax errors are easy to edit and sentences can be reworded. But for other errors, make sure they are corrected as this will often change the answers to the questions. A different error is the greatest enemy to preparation, so always ensure that you read what you have typed after having edited so you know you are answering what is asked.

Process: The way to do this is to go the topic and simply jot down some ideas, if possible in list form. If you understand the topic, a rough idea should come easily and it can be shaped to suit the answer. Try to write quickly when the ideas are fresh. Many people make the mistake of trying to write an answer to a question for an essay on the first try. This method can be time consuming and not efficient if you are on the wrong path. Once you have done this, stop and read what you have written and try to see if you are able to answer the question and get the point of DPD. If you feel the answer is still yes, then try to rephrase the question and the answer. This will be what you are looking to add. At this point, you should be able to clarify the question and get the answer. Now cross out what you have said and put that aside as that will be the preparation for an essay. Now with the preparation in hand, find the question and see if it is still relevant to the topic, but not misleading. If so, you are still on the right track.

Preparation: Understanding the “adding on” method of preparing an essay is important. If you do not understand what the question is asking, or if the essay is pointless, you are likely to have done a process of an essay preparation.

2. Common Mistakes to Avoid.

3. Effective Strategies for Essay Editing

Strong and directly related to organization is the concept of self-editing. Students should attempt to take a short break from the assignment after writing it, then reread the essay aloud or to themselves. Any revised points formulated while reading should be noted and then implemented. This process allows for a critical assessment of an essay’s clarity and cohesiveness. Note that essay organization and editing is a recursive process. Any changes made during the edit of the essay will require another brief run through of the edit steps at the point at which edits were made. This way, the student can ensure that their changes were effective and no new errors have been made in the process.

Proofreading is a good start for any edit; however, students often confuse proofreading with revision and end up missing out on valuable marks or inadvertently setting the assignment back. Proofreading should be reserved for the final edit of the essay; before which there are aspects of organization and style that students should address. While better students may or may not benefit from making draft revisions, all students can benefit from rereading the essay’s introduction once the body paragraphs have been written. This serves to ensure a smooth transition into the assignment as well as refreshing thoughts on the essay’s purpose. Any information reread here that seems unrelated to the introduction could indicate off-topic writing. An essay conclusion should do more than just restate the main arguments of the assignment. Often, canning an assignment by rewriting the conclusion gives the essay a more refined feel and reduces the chance that the essay is a victim of circular or repetitive logic. The final organization revision should focus on rearranging any paragraphs of the essay that seem out of place.

Understanding the value of essay writing in college requires an understanding of the role of the essay in the college experience. Essays are a means for an admissions committee to assess a student’s readiness for college-level work and writing proficiency. Admissions essays are also a means for the college to assess a student’s writing skills and writing growth throughout their college career. Essays also serve to prepare students for the rigors of college-level writing; and while it may be a while before an underclassman’s essay writing bears the rewards of a refined skill set, an improved GPA, better comprehension of the material, and an increased ability to comprehend and articulate thoughts are among the many gains to be made through essay writing efforts. (College essay writing), with essay writing being such an important and often demanding part of the college experience, it is no wonder that many students find themselves searching for effective strategies for editing their essays.

4. Utilizing Peer Review for Feedback

Larger papers or major revisions of smaller papers (e.g., whole drafts) should be seen by all group members, and you should use a criteria sheet. You can attach your list of specific questions or tasks in addition to your paper or guidelines (e.g., “Here are the five areas I’d like most feedback on. And here’s an example of a criticism sandwich”). You may even just want to meet at a coffeehouse and work through your papers together. Peers can facilitate the editing process through direct questioning and commentary or through a written reader response. One effective way of guiding peers in their feedback is by using a series of writer’s questions which you develop as you become more metacognitively aware of your writing. These are questions which you have found to be most productive and worthwhile of your thought and the reader’s time. When facilitating response, explain to your reader that you are using him/her as a surrogate for the audience that you hope to communicate with. After all, your goal is to produce writing which has meaning and is something to talk about. You can ask questions of comprehension and interpretation to gauge the accessibility of your writing. If the reader is confused, you may need to reconsider your wording or the order in which you present your ideas. Ask questions about the reader’s general impressions about your ideas and the depth at which you developed them. Look for signs of engagement and attempts to label or rephrase what you have written. At the end of it all, the most beneficial feedback is going to be informed praise and criticism which is connected to the specific idea or the articulation of that idea. Ask for the reader’s opinion on the value of the idea and the intent of the piece. Inquire as to whether or not the reader was persuaded and tailor potential subsequent drafts around the areas in which you are not satisfied with the response you get.

5. The Role of Professional Editors

Oftentimes, people who are not native speakers or who are weak in the English language will underestimate the amount of editing a sample of academic writing needs. This group is the other side of the coin when compared with those who use editing services because they are time constrained and have to submit quickly. An example of this is when an Asian applicant to an American college or an employee of an American corporation based in a non-English speaking country is required to write an academic paper in English.

Editorial services for a manuscript from a dissertation for publication and for a job application letter vary greatly. It would be inappropriate to treat the job application letter as though it were an academic piece. Editors understand this fact and frequently adopt the style and tone of the writer in their editorial suggestions. A comprehensive edit to academic writing does, however, include an analysis of the underlying logic. Many times academic writers are trying to communicate complex ideas in language that is simply too dense. Editors are often needed because of time constraints or because the author has a very limited proficiency of the English language.