Tips for Editing and Proofreading Your Writing

8 things that I do to edit my research manuscripts as an award-winning researcher: ✅ CARVE OUT SHORT PERIODS FOR EDITING Good editing requires focused energy. It’s helpful to edit over multiple, short periods to maintain focus. So, find 30 to 60-minute periods in your day that you can dedicate to the editing process. Once this time is over, stop and schedule another editing phase for a later date. ✅ PRINT OUT A PHYSICAL COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT Reduce distractions in the editing phase by having a physical copy of the manuscript. Doing so helps to increase focus on the content by limiting computer interruptions. An alternative is to edit the manuscript on a tablet. Either way, making physical edits with a pen and paper can be beneficial. ✅ READ YOUR WRITING OUT LOUD You can hear bad grammar or awkward phrasing easier than you can see it. Additionally, if you find yourself running out of breath while reading a sentence, it may be that it’s a run-on. This simple step will help you to understand how your audience will perceive and interpret your writing. ✅ FOCUS ON ONE LINE AT A TIME Treat each sentence as a standalone piece of the editing phase. Avoid glossing over your writing by highlighting each sentence or using a sheet of paper to cover the sentences below. It’s all about focus, so do whatever you need to concentrate on each sentence. ✅ COMPARTMENTALIZE DIFFERENT EDITING PHASES You can edit a paper for (a) structure and format; (b) narrative flow; (c) grammar and spelling; and (d) writing style. It’s difficult to edit for each type all at once, so do each one separately. ✅ FIND GOOD READERS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK It’s difficult to edit your work with complete objectivity. So, find trusted advisors and colleagues who can provide you with critical feedback to improve your manuscript. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, others will need readers too. ✅ REALIZE THAT EDITING IS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS The editing process is not something that is done once. You have to edit your research proposal, outline, and each section of your manuscript multiple times. Every time that you do so, ask yourself, “How can I make this 10% better?” 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY Editing is a key step in the research process. It helps to make sure that your findings and implications are communicated clearly to your readers. So, take the time to go over your work carefully using the strategies shared above. P.S. Do you like to edit your manuscripts electronically or on paper? I like paper, but maybe I'm just old school. ➖ ➖ ➖ ➖ I'm Joseph Rios, the founder of Grad Student Academy. Follow me if you enjoyed this. I write about graduate school and professional development issues for PhD students. My mission is to unveil the hidden PhD curriculum to all, not just the privileged few. Learn the strategies I used to go from being rejected by nearly every PhD program to: ✅ obtaining a top-notch industry job ✅ landing a tenure-track faculty position ✅ becoming an award-winning researcher

✨🎬 Behind the Scenes: Crisp Writing 🎬✨   New Year! New Goals! New Ideas! This means lots of new communications - emails, papers, presentations - are currently being drafted. Here are my Top 5 TIPs when reviewing✳ my writing. ✳And yes, I mean reviewing and not drafting. If I overthink format when creating a first draft, I don't focus on getting out my ideas. I usually brain-barf an outline with all my major concepts and themes, then write a bad draft. After the major content is on paper, I review and rewrite. If possible, I share with a trusted reviewer. If I am self-editing, I change the font on screen or print out a hard copy. Why? Changing the way words look decreases my blindness to my own mistakes. 📍 Over-Modifying: Look at what modifiers are in a sentence. Are they redundant? Do each of them add unique value to the sentence? Chances are you can remove some without diluting your point. 🔎 TIP: Search for "and". When I got fired up about something, my boss told me "Only Nouns and Verbs". This great advice helped me avoid modifiers filled with emotion I would not feel in the morning. 📍 Passive Voice: I admit it - as a techie who spent most of my career in government, I struggle with passive voice. 🔎 TIP: Search for all forms of the verb "to be". One way I self-correct is to search for every has, had, is, have, are, will, would, etc in my writing and consider if I really need that word. Often it can be removed or reworded to become more active. For example, "I had a boss who would tell me" becomes "my boss told me" 📍 Caveats & Hedges: Adding caveats or hedges to soften the message undermines the strength of your message. Some people call these weasel words. 🔎 TIP: Ending recommendations with "Does that make sense?" because it's a confusing, nuanced topic can be mistaken as insecurity. Using "some people think" or "it's possible that" to present alternative ideas can be viewed as unvetted. Be mindful of your caveats as some are needed! 📍 Own It: Similar to caveats, adding polite words creates distance for the reader to get through before they find out the point. When the reader is short on time, this decreases the time left to focus on your reason for writing in the first place. 🔎 TIP: While doing something, are you stating that you want to do it? For example, starting an email with "I wanted to drop a quick note because I am wondering if you had an update on if you saw my paper?" instead of "Did you have time to read my paper?" or even "Did you read my paper?" 📍 Be Brief. Be Brilliant. Be Gone. - President Woodrow Wilson and others 🔎 TIP: If your sentence is longer than 3 lines, you risk lost readers. Before you break it into smaller sentences, check for modifiers, caveats, and passive voice. When breaking sentences apart, check for focus shifts. Most of my long sentences occur when I am trying to pack in too many ideas. What TIPs do you use when reviewing written products? Thanks for joining me on this journey. 💖

Proofreading and spellcheck are not the same. Yes, you should run spellcheck on your documents, but spellcheck won’t catch everything. It won’t catch the “clam” that should have been “claim” or the “then” that should have been “than”. So after you run spellcheck, you still need to proofread. Be aware of your own common typos. For example, my fingers often type “form” when my mind is thinking “from”. If you have trouble finding your common typos, let your computer do it for you: Use the “Find” command to search for them. I do that for “form” and confirm for each find that I meant “form”, not “from”. Some other hints for effective proofreading: ✅ Proofread on paper, if possible. As you read, put a ruler or a sheet of colored paper under each line as you work down the page. The switch from screen to paper will help typos jump out and the ruler will help focus your attention. ✅ If you can’t print out your document, change the font or the margins. The change may help you see typos you otherwise might not notice. ✅ Read out loud. This will slow you down so you’ll be more likely to see your typos. ✅ Check all headings and titles. Examine anything that is ALL CAPS very carefully. The spellcheck default ignores ALL CAP text, so you need to be extra careful. ✅ Check all numbered lists: Are the numbers all there and in the right order? ✅ Some people find it helpful to proofread backwards, reading from the end to the beginning, paragraph by paragraph or sentence by sentence. #LegalWriting  #WritingSkills  #Proofreading