essay revision symbols

29 Proofreading Marks and Symbols—The Key to Error-Free Writing

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Proofreading marks and symbols, also known as editing marks, are the strange red pen scratches that an editor or proofreader applies to a written piece of work to let the writer know what needs to be fixed. From missing periods to misplaced commas, paragraph breaks, and parts to omit, these marks act like a secret code between the editor and writer.

If you’re a writer looking to work with a professional editor or proofreader or to start offering these services to writers, you need to understand what these symbols mean.

When I initially started collaborating with an editor and using a proofreading service, I had no idea what any of the symbols were when I got my draft back full of weird marks. It took a while to learn them all, and now I’m putting them together with a breakdown of each.

My guide lists each proofreading mark and symbol and defines them with quick explanations and a handy image as a visual reminder. I’ll even include some tips on how to use proofreading symbols.

Ready to master the 29 most common proofreading marks and symbols? Let’s get started!

What Are Common Proofreading Marks and Symbols?

Are you ready? Like, really ready? This list is long but includes every main proofreading mark and symbol you might need to know.

The delete symbol is commonly used in proofreading to indicate the removal of a word or letter. It helps identify over-repeated words, unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, and overused terms within the text.

The caret symbol indicates where a word or element should be added to the text. It suggests inserting a word or element to improve the sentence’s clarity or completeness.

Proofreaders use this symbol to indicate the correction of unequally wide or double spaces in writing. Remove or close the extra space between words if you see this symbol.

New Paragraph

This symbol signals the need to start a new paragraph. It’s commonly used in dialogue exchanges in stories or when the writer introduces a new idea in their essay.

The number or pound sign indicates that you should add space between the two words. It’s commonly used to correct missing spaces, especially in compound words.

It is used to indicate that two characters, words, or sections should be swapped in position.

Use this proofreading symbol if a word should start with a capital letter instead of lowercase letters. You can also use the sign for multiple capital letters in the word.

This symbol indicates that a word should start with a lowercase letter instead of a capital one.

This mark signals that a word should be styled in italics.

This mark indicates that a specific word should be formatted in bold typeface.

It’s a Latin term that means “let it stand.” Proofreaders use stet to warn the writer to disregard a previous correction or deletion.

This mark indicates that the beginning of a paragraph should be indented. One square represents a one-space indent, while two squares side by side indicate a two-space indent.

Align Horizontally

This proofreading symbol is used to let the author know that the text is not horizontally aligned and may need adjustment to ensure proper alignment.

Align Vertically

This symbol indicates that the text within those lines should be adjusted or aligned vertically with nearby text or elements on the page for better visual consistency and readability.

Center Text

It indicates that the text should be centered on the page. It is typically used for titles, headings, or any text that requires center alignment for aesthetic or formatting purposes.

This mark lets the writer know that numbers or abbreviations should be fully written in words, especially if they follow certain style guides.

Move Left/Right/Up/Down

• The move left symbol suggests that the text should be shifted to the left for proper alignment.
• The move right symbol indicates a need to shift the text to the right.
• The move up symbol signifies that the text should be moved upward.
• The move down symbol denotes a need to move the text downward.

Reduce Space

Editors and proofreaders use this to tell the writer that the spaces between words or letters should be reduced.

Delete and Close Up

This mark is used to indicate that a letter should be deleted and that no space should be left behind.

Insert a Hyphen

It is used to indicate that a hyphen should be added where one is missing between words or in compound modifiers.

Insert a Period

It indicates that a period should be added where one is missing at the end of a sentence.

Insert a Comma

It shows where a comma should be added to improve sentence clarity or grammatical correctness.

Insert Quotation Marks

This symbol is used to add missing quotation marks at the beginning and end of direct speech or quotations.

Insert Apostrophe

Editors use this one to show where an apostrophe is needed, like in contractions, or to indicate possession.

No Paragraph

It’s a symbol used when a new paragraph has been incorrectly placed, and the text should continue without a break.

Push to the Next Page/Line

Editors will use this mark when the text or paragraph should be moved to the beginning of the next line or page to improve layout or readability.

Pull to Previous Page/Line

This symbol suggests pulling text back to the end of the previous line or page for better formatting or coherence.

Circled Number

When you see numbers in circles, these indicate multiple instances of the same correction.

How to Use Proofreading Marks

Whether you’re old-school with pen and paper or tech-savvy on the latest digital platform (or a combo of both, like me!), mastering these symbols is your rite of passage into the editing community. Here are some basic tips to help you become more familiar with using them.

Guidelines for Applying Proofreading Marks on Physical Manuscripts

• Grab a pen: Red is best, but any color will do as long as it’s not black or blue. Tradition dictates red, but any color that screams “Look at me!” and is legible will do just fine.
• Be consistent: Choose your symbols and stick with them. Changing halfway through is like switching languages mid-conversation.
• Clarity is key: Your squiggles, lines, and loops should be unmistakable. If it looks like ancient hieroglyphs, you’re doing it wrong. These marks are meant to make the editing process easier and quicker, but if the editor scribbles too much, the writer won’t understand what they mean.
• Margin notes are a reliable friend: Sometimes, a symbol just won’t cut it. Feel free to jot down a note in the margin for extra clarity.
• Double-check your work: Once you’ve marked it all up, go back and ensure you got everything, or mark something you didn’t mean to.

Tips for Using Proofreading Symbols in Digital Editing

• The Track Changes feature is your bestie: Most word processors have it, and it’s a game-changer for digital editing. When turned on, Track Changes will literally track and mark everything you change.
• Comments gold: Unsure about something? Leave a comment in the document attached to the text in question. It’s like margin notes but without the risk of smudging.
• Highlight like it’s going out of style: Use different color choices to highlight text and show various types of edits or to prioritize changes.
• Shortcuts and macros save lives: It may not be as dramatic as that, but they definitely save time. Learn the shortcuts for common editing commands in your word processor so that you never have to stop and search.
• Embrace editing software: Tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid are designed to make digital editing a breeze. Find your match and learn its ins and outs. Psst! I highly recommend Grammarly.

Another option is to use a proofreading mark plugin. This allows editors to proofread on word processors without having to memorize every single one of these symbols.

To insert the plugin, open your browser and go to the Greg Maxey website. Select “Resources,” then click “Proofreader Marks Add-in.” You’ll find it at the end of the page.

Then, it will open a dialog box with some prompts you need to follow. Open MS Word and you will see a new “Proofreading Marks: section on the “Add-Ins” tab. Now, you can apply proofreading marks on your document like a professional proofreader.

When proofreading, you must drag the cursor over the text that needs a mark. Then, select the drop-down menu under the ribbon and choose the correct mark. Remember to save your changes.

Transitioning from Traditional to Digital Proofreading

Gone are the days when editing meant paper cuts, White-Out, and red ink-stained fingers. Welcome to the digital age, my friends, where proofreading has gone electronic! But don’t worry; the basics of proofreading remain the same, even if the tools have evolved.

Traditional marks now have their digital counterparts: strikeouts, insertions, comments, etc. Software and digital platforms have embraced these age-old practices, ensuring that even in a world of screens, the heart of editing beats on.

Everything You Need to Know about Proofreading Marks

I hope my guide on proofreading and editing symbols with examples will empower you to spot errors in writing more effectively. We covered a pretty comprehensive list, didn’t we? We even touched on a few tips for using proofreading marks and symbols and adapting to digital tools.

Keep practicing until you’re ready to start a proofreading career. And let us know if you have questions about proofreading mark making. We always have a ton of helpful advice and tips right on our site, so don’t be shy!

Check out some others we covered:

• Why Proofreading Is Important

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Proofreading Marks and How to Use Them

SHARON’S BLOG

Let’s save them the pain by teaching them these handy, easy-to-use proofreading marks.

I’ve watched students in my writing classes scratch out whole sentences and rewrite them. They draw lines through words. They burn up their papers and crumble their erasers just to change something.

This is totally unnecessary.

There’s an easier — and quicker — way to proofread that doesn’t require a lot of rewriting, which should be good news to our students.

But first, the other grammar tutorials

This is the last in a series of tutorials on grammar. In this one, you and your students will learn how to use these helpful proofreading marks.

If you’re dying to know what the other grammar tutorials are about, click here for one on punctuation in dialog . (Tarzan and Jane help out on that one.) Click here if you yearn to know how to handle commas in compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions.

And click here for the hard-hitting exposé on where to put the comma, period, colon, or semicolon when using quotation marks.   Here’s a tutorial on a question I suspect you’ve heard from your students about using question marks and exclamation points with end quotation marks (you know, do they go inside or outside?).

For the tutorial revealing the crazy fact that the word “everyone” is singular, click here . And to finally put to rest your students’ confusion about it’s/its, you’re/your, and others of that ilk, click here .

Proofreading Marks

As with all the other tutorials, you get a super-duper package today: an infographic to teach the proofreading marks, an example of how to use them in a real paragraph, an exercise so students can fix someone else’s mistakes , and the answers .

Proofreading marks are fairly universal and can be tremendously helpful to your students when they are editing their work. After your students complete their rough draft, have them print off the essay or short story. Reading the rough draft from a piece of paper catches more mistakes than simply reading the essay from a computer screen. Then students can apply the proofreading marks as tools to help them shape a better essay or story.

The following chart contains common proofreading marks used by all professional writers. For a PDF of this chart, click here.

The following image shows how to use the proofreading marks in an essay. For a PDF of this example, click here.

Proofreading Marks Assignment

Follow this link for the free download of a proofreading assignment.

Directions: Use the proofreading marks to catch errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing, and to make the reading go more smoothly. Use a colorful pen so you can keep track of your corrections.

Proofreading Marks Answers

Teachers, follow this link for a free download of a suggested answer to the proofreading assignment.

You can find another proofreading tutorial here . Students will proofread a letter to the editor that needs a lot of help!

This grammar tutorial is taken from The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School by Sharon Watson (that would be me). To get free samples from this course that will take the burden of teaching writing off your shoulders, click here .

Yours for a more vibrant writing class,

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Blog • Understanding Publishing

Last updated on Dec 06, 2022

What Do Proofreading Marks Mean?

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Dario Villirilli

Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

Having your work come back from an editor covered in red pen is daunting to begin with. Receiving a manuscript that's covered in proofreading marks that might as well be hieroglyphics can be even more intimidating.

But before you reach for your cipher wheel, remember that the purpose of proofreading marks isn’t to confuse you. It’s to provide a detailed roadmap to a professional and polished final manuscript . While independent authors are not likely to spring for large print runs that would be ruined by more than a couple of typos — proofreading still remains an essential step for most serious self-publishers.

These days, it’s unlikely for the proofreading process to occur via pen-and-paper, meaning that the use of proofreading marks is also becoming increasingly rare. Most proofreaders used tools such a “tracked changes” to flag issues — and many indie authors choose to forgo professional proofers for software such as Grammarly or the simple red, dotted line that signifies a typo in processors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

That being said, screen fatigue is a real thing, and there’s something about a hard-copy document that seems to draw the eye to errors more than a digital one. So if you’re working with a proofreader and want to ensure the collaboration fulfills its top potential, it’s worth getting to know the meaning of the more common proofreading marks.

So, without further ado…

What are proofreading marks?

Proofreading marks are used to highlight spelling, vocabulary, grammatical, and punctuation errors, along with formatting and layout issues.

When proofreaders are editing a hard-copy manuscript, they will leave corrections on both sides of the margins: on the left-hand margins for corrections in the first half of the sentence and on the right-hand side for corrections in the latter half of the sentence. A corresponding mark will also be included in-line to indicate where the issue is.

Alright, now let’s take a look at these formidable editing symbols.

Proofreading marks chart

The following proofreading symbols are taken from The Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition. While in-house style guides may vary from publisher to publisher, these symbols are standard across the industry.

Let’s start with operational marks, which cover everything from spelling to sentence structure to improper spacing.

• The “delete” symbol on its own will refer to a word, while “delete and close up” will refer to a letter in a word.
• The “let it stand” symbol would be used when more than one round of proofreading was done, and it indicates that a correction or alteration should be ignored.
• The “transpose” symbol indicates the order of words needs to be changed (spot the transpose problem).

Next up are the punctuation marks, which — you guessed it — indicate that punctuation needs to be added .

Then there are typography marks, which denote formatting corrections.

Lastly, these are common abbreviations used by proofreaders to indicate issues related to the copy itself.

The importance of proofreading

Ensuring that your book is polished and error-free is just as important to the reader experience as the writing quality. Your book can’t effectively communicate if the reader is constantly paused by spelling mistakes, awkward sentence structures,       or      uneven       spacing.

Here's what these proofreading marks look like in use, when a proofreader returns a manuscript, and when their suggestions have been incorporated:

Looking to get your book proofread?

First, we recommend doing as much of the work yourself as possible. Here are a few resources that will help:

• Reedsy Studio will point out spelling and grammatical errors as you go.
• How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro is a free Reedsy Learning course covering the ten most common writing mistakes — how to find and how to fix them.
• What to Expect From Beta Readers is an informative blog post about how to work with beta readers to get your book ready for publication.
• What Are Sensitivity Readers? is all about the controversial topic of sensitivity readers and what they actually do .

Free course: How to self-edit like a pro

Rid your manuscript of the most common writing mistakes with this 10-day online course. Get started now.

Once you’ve done all the proofreading work you can, we encourage you to consider working with a professional. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process and will ensure your book fully meets its potential for success.

The average costs of working with a professional proofreader on Reedsy are:

• $350 for a 40k-word book
• $520 for a 60k-word book
• $700 for an 80k-word book

Head to our marketplace to request quotes from a variety of professional proofreaders for free, or check out this post for more information on what you might expect to pay for professional proofreading services.

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Editing and Proofreading Marks in Composition

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

When your instructor returns a composition , are you sometimes puzzled by the abbreviations and symbols that appear in the margins? If so, this guide should help you decipher those marks during the editing and proofreading stages of the writing process .

Common Proofreading Marks Explained

The following proofreading marks have a brief explanation of the definition your instructor is likely trying to convey for your revisions.

ab: Abbreviation  (Use a standard abbreviation or write out the word in full.)

ad: Adjective or adverb  (Use the correct form of the modifier.)

agr: Agreement  (Use the correct ending to make the verb agree with its subject .)

awk: Awkward expression or construction.

cap: Capital letter  (Replace a lowercase letter with a capital letter.)

case: Case  (Use the appropriate case of the pronoun: subjective , objective , or possessive .)

cliché: Cliché  (Replace the worn-out expression with a fresh figure of speech .)

coh: Coherence  and cohesion (Make clear connections as you move from one point to the next.)

coord: Coordination  (Use coordinating conjunctions to relate equal ideas.)

cs: Comma splice  (Replace the comma with a period or a conjunction.)

d: Diction  (Replace the word with one that's more precise or appropriate.)

dm: Dangling modifier  (Add a word so that the modifier refers to something in the sentence.) 

emph: Emphasis  (Restructure the sentence to emphasize a key word or phrase.)

frag: Sentence fragment  (Add a subject or verb to make this word group complete.)

fs: Fused sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

gloss: Glossary of usage  (Check the glossary to see how to use this word correctly.)

hyph: Hyphen  (Insert a hyphen between these two words or word parts.)

inc: Incomplete construction.

irreg: Irregular verb  (Check our index of verbs to find the correct form of this irregular verb.)

ital: Italics  (Put the marked word or phrase in italics.)

jarg: Jargon  (Replace the expression with one your readers will understand.)

lc: Lowercase letter (Replace a capital letter with a lowercase letter.)

mm: Misplaced modifier  (Move the modifier so that it clearly refers to an appropriate word.)

mood: Mood  (Use the correct mood of the verb.)

nonst: Nonstandard usage  (Use standard words and word forms in formal writing .)

org: Organization  (Organize information clearly and logically.)

p: Punctuation  (Use an appropriate mark of punctuation.)

' apostrophe

—   dash

? question mark

" " quotation marks

¶: Paragraph break  (Begin a new paragraph at this point.)

//: Parallelism  (Express paired words, phrases, or clauses in grammatically parallel form.)

pro: Pronoun  (Use a pronoun that refers clearly to a noun.)

run-on: Run-on (fused) sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

slang: Slang  (Replace the marked word or phrase with a more formal or conventional expression.)

sp: Spelling  (Correct a misspelled word or spell out an abbreviation.)

subord: Subordination  (Use a subordinating conjunction to connect a supporting word group to the main idea.)

tense: Tense  (Use the correct tense of the verb.)

trans: Transition  (Add an appropriate transitional expression to guide readers from one point to the next.)

unity: Unity  (Don't stray too far from your main idea.)

v/^: Missing letter(s) or word(s).

#: Insert a space.

wordy: Wordy writing (Cut out unnecessary words.)

ww: Wrong word (Use a dictionary to find a more appropriate word.)

• When and How to Use Strikethrough
• Strategies to Proofread Effectively
• The Drafting Stage of the Writing Process
• 140 Key Copyediting Terms and What They Mean
• Definition and Examples of Correctness in Language
• A Look at Personal Letter Writing
• 7 Secrets to Success in English 101
• What Is an Indentation?
• A Critical Analysis of George Orwell's 'A Hanging'
• Exercises in Proofreading for Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement
• What Is Sprezzatura?
• The Mechanics of Writing Composition
• Definition Examples of Collage Essays
• What Is Proposal Writing?
• personal statement (essay)

Your Guide to Proofreading Editing Marks

Proofreading marks, also called  “proofreaders’ marks ,” “ proofreading marks ,” and “ editing marks ,” signify mistakes in printed copy. Proofreaders and editors generally note mistakes on the page with a red pen . 

Though much editing, like the editing done here at EditorNinja, is now done digitally within shared docs and other word processors, written proofreading marks are still vital to all kinds of students, teachers, freelancers, and publishers.

Looking for proofreading services? EditorNinja’s professional proofreading services can save you hours of time per week  so you can focus on what yo u love more. Schedule a free Intro Call to learn more. If you’re a proofreader looking for work, apply to EditorNinja’s extended network of writers and editors .

All the Proofreading Editing Marks That are Fit to Print

Here’s a list of some of the most common proofreading marks, culled from well-established sources like Northwestern University and the Chicago Manual of Style. 

Two Proofreading Symbols — In Text and In Margin

Lastly, you should know that many proofreading marks have both a textual mark and a marginal mark. 

• A textual mark means that the symbol is written on the text to be changed
• A marginal mark , which is placed in the margin, is a symbol or abbreviation that explains the textual mark. 

However, many editors may forgo the marginal mark, and in many cases, the “marginal” mark will be written immediately above or below the text. That’s the reason your teachers always wanted your essays double-spaced.

Proofreading Marks have Wiggle Room

Now, proofreading marks are not a hard science. Though most “official” organizations, like style guides and big publishing houses, agree upon a number of symbols, there’s plenty of wiggle room—meaning, you will find a lot of variation among sources. 

To illustrate the point, let’s consider insertion, i.e. , putting in a missing letter or a bit of punctuation. 

While many kinds of insertion have their own particular symbols in theory, these rules aren’t always followed in practice. For example, to insert a period, most guides will say the proofreader should draw a period with a circle around it, but to insert a letter or word, a carat (^ or ⌄) is used. Further, to insert a parenthesis, the proofreader will write a parenthesis with two horizontal lines through it. 

However, proofreaders and editors may not always follow these individual rules. Instead, they may use circles or carats at will, or they may only write what they want to be inserted without any extra symbols at all.

Additionally, publishers, editors, and English teachers often have their own systems of proofreading symbols. Personally, I use arrows when I find that material needs to be reorganized, and, following in the footsteps of my middle school English teachers, I will use the abbreviations “CD” and “CM” for “concrete detail” and “commentary.” (Shoutout to Mrs. Randall.)

Proofreading Mark Examples & Symbols in Context

Below, you’ll see a sheet with all the symbols and examples of their usage, as well as what the edited text would look like. (Or, in some cases, might look like — though inserting a period or fixing a word’s spelling is pretty objective, responding to a comment like “awkward” or “too wordy” is more open-ended.)

Schedule a free Intro Call today to learn more about how EditorNinja can help you improve the content you’re publishing.

Your Word Balance is Zero!

It looks like you’re making great use of EditorNinja. Nice work!

You have a few options from here:

• Keep adding documents to your account, knowing that they’ll be edited after your next billing cycle begins.
• Add some Anytime Words (one-time purchase, use in the next 12 months) and we’ll start on your overflow documents sooner. Click here to see options .
• You can also increase your monthly subscription. Reach out to your contact on our team about this

Remember, you can always adjust priority on documents if you need specific ones back sooner. Just remember to let your editing team know in Slack.

Proofreaders’ Marks

Common Editing Marks

• Marking/Grading

Early in the Structure and Style for Students courses, Andrew Pudewa exhorts his students to hire an editor . While a variety of editorial roles (content editors and copy editors, for example) exists, in this case Andrew is specifically requesting that the editor take a light touch and focus only on grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. He also reminds his pupils to compensate their editors accordingly.

Most of the time the editors hired are parents or teachers although neighbors, grandparents, and siblings are sometimes tapped for the honor. This short post is dedicated to all of those special people. If you are one, keep reading because it will hopefully condense your editing time by sharing some common editing marks designed to make your work less time consuming. With luck this will open up more of your day for other tasks or pleasures, as the case may be. Share this post with your students so that they will be able to understand and react accordingly to the rather quizzical notations that you will be inserting into their compositions. Editing marks are helpful for both the writer and the editor!

(The above image is pulled from the Student Resource Packet , a PDF of which is included with IEW’s Premium Membership .)

Having your students adjust to understanding these editing marks will save time. Because they are standard, students will likely see them used by future instructors as well and will not be intimidated by them. All in all, using editing symbols makes the writing process more efficient for everyone.

Proofreading Marks: What Do They Mean?

#scribendiinc

Last updated: June 1, 2017

An overview of commonly used proofreading symbols

If you've ever had a hard copy of a document proofread, chances are that you're familiar with the strange typology of professional proofreaders. Your returned document is so full of symbols (hieroglyphics? squiggles? cuneiform script?!) that you think it has been translated into Martian!

These strange markings are the "footprint" that your proofreader has left on the document to highlight where changes need to be made to the text. The proofreader uses a series of symbols and abbreviations to suggest changes, correct spelling errors, improve punctuation, and generally enhance the quality and readability of a hard copy document.

Locating proofreading marks

In hard copy proofreading, corrections typically appear in the left or right margins beside the line containing the error. A mark is also placed in the text to indicate where the correction needs to be made. A caret (^) indicates an addition, and a line through the text indicates a deletion or a replacement. Proofreading marks are traditionally written in red ink for better visibility.

Frequently used proofreading marks

Delete a letter: a diagonal line through the letter with the delete mark in the margin

Delete a word: a straight line through the word with the delete mark in the margin

Frequently used abbreviations

Faulty diction: DICT

Awkwardly expressed or constructed: AWK

Wordy, too verbose: WDY

Wrong word used (e.g. to/too): WW

Eliminate the need for proofreading marks

Deciphering a proofreader's suggested changes used to take hours; fortunately, it doesn't have to any more. Submit your document to any of our proofreading services today for a speedy, easy-to-use document review that makes use of Tracked Changes instead.

Image source: Kay Ransom/BigStockPhoto.com

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Mark-Up Symbols

Improving a draft: suggested analysis.

Sometimes a reviewer completes the final revision of your composition. In some cases he or she is your peer or your instructor. In other cases the reviewer may be an editor of a professional journal.

Although in most cases people use electronic markup tools to suggest changes or just make them outright, it is still useful to understand "old fashioned" markup symbols in case you have a physical copy of a paper the reviewer used to mark up. The actual marks made on the document indicate the changes that the reviewer wants you to make. Knowing what the symbols mean and how to interpret them is a useful skill.

Tip: Common Writing Errors and Issues

Many people find that they tend to repeat the same kinds of errors in their writing. One way to avoid making the same mistakes is to make a list of them. Use a word processing program to keep a log of the mistakes you make most often. When you revise your compositions, use this list to help you eliminate the more common errors.

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• Read the draft out loud to see if the sentences are in a logical order.
• Review the sentences in each paragraph to make sure they are arranged to support the paragraph topic.
• Review the order of paragraphs to make sure they are arranged to support the thesis of your report.
• Review the draft for spelling errors, incorrect punctuation, typographical errors, etc.
• Make sure that any work cited has an appropriate reference within the text.
• Review the conclusion and make sure it supports the thesis of the report and gives the reader a sense of finality.
• Read the essay again after making revisions to find ways to improve the connection between sentences and paragraphs to help the reader move through the essay. Sometimes rearranging the components of a sentence facilitates this connection. Transitional terms such as "further," "nevertheless," and "whereas," etc. may also be useful signals to show relationships to readers.

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Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about.

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

• Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours, days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh eyes.
• Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
• Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size, spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a different perspective on what you’ve written.
• Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
• If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
• If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding assignments and developing an argument .)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions .)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development .)

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language .)

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading, especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished, you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below. Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

• Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type “your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of “their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.
• Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.
• Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting one kind of mistake won’t catch others.
• Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud , which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
• Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy, try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the line you’re working on.
• Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.
• Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.
• Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.
• Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure about something, look it up.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you are drafting the paper.

Think you’ve got it?

Then give it a try, if you haven’t already! This handout contains seven errors our proofreader should have caught: three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors. Try to find them, and then check a version of this page with the errors marked in red to see if you’re a proofreading star.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Especially for non-native speakers of English:

Ascher, Allen. 2006. Think About Editing: An ESL Guide for the Harbrace Handbooks . Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Lane, Janet, and Ellen Lange. 2012. Writing Clearly: Grammar for Editing , 3rd ed. Boston: Heinle.

For everyone:

Einsohn, Amy. 2011. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications , 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Tarshis, Barry. 1998. How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes . New York: Three Rivers Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Steps for Revising Your Paper

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When you have plenty of time to revise, use the time to work on your paper and to take breaks from writing. If you can forget about your draft for a day or two, you may return to it with a fresh outlook. During the revising process, put your writing aside at least twice—once during the first part of the process, when you are reorganizing your work, and once during the second part, when you are polishing and paying attention to details.

Use the following questions to evaluate your drafts. You can use your responses to revise your papers by reorganizing them to make your best points stand out, by adding needed information, by eliminating irrelevant information, and by clarifying sections or sentences.

Find your main point.

What are you trying to say in the paper? In other words, try to summarize your thesis, or main point, and the evidence you are using to support that point. Try to imagine that this paper belongs to someone else. Does the paper have a clear thesis? Do you know what the paper is going to be about?

Identify your readers and your purpose.

What are you trying to do in the paper? In other words, are you trying to argue with the reading, to analyze the reading, to evaluate the reading, to apply the reading to another situation, or to accomplish another goal?

Evaluate your evidence.

Does the body of your paper support your thesis? Do you offer enough evidence to support your claim? If you are using quotations from the text as evidence, did you cite them properly?

Save only the good pieces.

Do all of the ideas relate back to the thesis? Is there anything that doesn't seem to fit? If so, you either need to change your thesis to reflect the idea or cut the idea.

Tighten and clean up your language.

Do all of the ideas in the paper make sense? Are there unclear or confusing ideas or sentences? Read your paper out loud and listen for awkward pauses and unclear ideas. Cut out extra words, vagueness, and misused words.

Visit the Purdue OWL's vidcast on cutting during the revision phase for more help with this task.

Eliminate mistakes in grammar and usage.

Do you see any problems with grammar, punctuation, or spelling? If you think something is wrong, you should make a note of it, even if you don't know how to fix it. You can always talk to a Writing Lab tutor about how to correct errors.

Switch from writer-centered to reader-centered.

Try to detach yourself from what you've written; pretend that you are reviewing someone else's work. What would you say is the most successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be made even better? What would you say is the least successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part be improved?

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