Editing Essays

Once you’ve done your research and written your essay, with every quote and citation in place, before you go any further, it is time to do some editing. Many people find the terms editing, copy editing and proofreading confusing, and for good reason – though they are separate and distinct, they are often wrongly interchanged, even by professors and editors.

Copy editing is a term most often used in the book industry, referring to a deep editing process of a manuscript before it is returned to an author for a final work over. It doesn’t look at the content so much as the formatting and style, before the book is typeset. Proofreading is the final read-through of the work, be it an essay or a manuscript, which looks for any grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. Editing, sometimes referred to as a general edit, is when the reader works through the work, making sure all the content is accurate and in the right place, properly supported and consistent with the rest of essay or manuscript.

There are several things to look for when you edit your work. It is important to check that all your points are properly supported, and that you completely cover all those points, that no thoughts are left unfinished. You also want to make sure that your essay reads smoothly and flows well, with no jarring breaks in the writing.

When you’re editing, try to maintain some distance from it if possible. Take a break between writing and editing, so that you are fresh when you begin. Make sure you have a clear thesis and that you support it in both an introduction and a conclusion, and that the conclusion echoes the introduction. Do the same for each section, and indeed, each individual paragraph. Ensure that you start each with an introductory sentence that is supported within the section and paragraph.

Once you’ve finished your edit, go back and make any changes necessary, and then do another edit. Only when all your edits are completed is it time to give your paper a final proofread, looking for more specific mistakes in grammar or punctuation. The end result will be a well written, well edited paper.

By: Jon Ginsburg

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