Editing and proofreading are some of the most critical aspects of submitting an assignment. Being able to read and edit your writing is difficult. But not as difficult as coming up with new theories. This article will discuss 8 important tips that you need to follow while editing your college assignment.
If you are not feeling like editing, or even writing your assignment, the best research paper writing service rankmyservice.com can help you. But for those, who’ve decided to take the long way, this article is for you.
1. Check Your Introduction:
A college assignment doesn’t need to be creative. Typically, a college assignment consists of technical terms and long blocky paragraphs.
But, to intrigue your peers and professors into reading or citing your assignment, you need to be thoughtful and analytical on the introductory words.
If you are someone who writes the introduction first, you might even have to revise it. As CTL suggests, for a technical document, you’re better off with writing the introduction last.
As you are writing each point through continuous research, your thesis can and will change throughout the assignment. If you write your introductions first, the chances of the main topic deviating from it rise significantly.
To write a great introduction, ask yourself four questions:
- Have you made clear what the topic is about?
- Have you hinted at your methodology?
- Did you mention the knowledge gap that your assignment intends to solve?
- Does the introduction indicate how to solve it?
After you’ve edited the introduction, it’s time to review the headlines.
2. Check the Sub-headings:
Your headings should indicate the solution, not how your thesis solves it or which methodology is used.
A good heading is what hints to the reader about what to expect in the following paragraphs. An example of a good heading is: “More Efficient Data Analysis”. And not “Python and Data Analysis”. The key is to objectifying your point. Don’t leave that on the understanding of your reader.
As you are writing a technical document, clickbait and cheesy headings should be avoided. Keep it simple. Your marks depend on your assignment. And as with every other document, your intention should be to make your professor read it as much as possible.
For that, your heading and subheadings are critical. Don’t disregard that element from your editing checklist.
Heading Checklist:
- Focus on the adjectives.
- Curtail cheesy words.
- Keep it short and simple.
Let’s now get into the minuscule details of your assignment.
3. Check the Sentence Structures:
Each paragraph of the main body should discuss a single topic. Don’t keep going back and forth between things over a single discussion.
Try to use as simple words as possible. If you must use technical jargon, try to break them up to the minimum. Describe what the term means. Assume that your audience is not as technically sound as you are; even if they are.
“When we talk, we try to omit as many sentence fragments as possible.”
This sentence can be repaired by saying: “While talking, we keep the conversation simple.” Although the meaning does change a bit, the sense remains the same.
Joining two simple sentences to make a complex one is not always a good idea. If your topic is too complex, try breaking your sentences up into parts. Use a lot of stops and punctuations as applicable.
Take care of the subject-verb agreement.
Grammatical errors can also upset your audience.
4. Check for Grammatical Errors and Spellings:
Nothing is more embarrassing than loads of misspellings and silly grammatical errors in your assignment. When editing your draft, consider using Grammarly to correct the spelling and grammatical errors.
When your writing is put under stress, like when you’re writing your assignment. Clumsy expressions, incomplete logics, and spelling mistakes are noticeable. Which wouldn’t have been the case when writing a letter to your friend.
Always check for errors even if you’re confident about your writing.
A very effective way to catch errors is by listening to your writing carefully. If listening is not a viable option, you can try reading your piece aloud. By reading or listening, you’d notice mistakes that your reader would stumble upon. Revise them.
Once in a while, you’d feel that a sentence is correct, but doesn’t seem right. That could be a case of the clause.
5. Be Careful of Dependent Clauses:
Dependent clauses are very common in writing. But, they are pretty useless when used independently.
“She knew that Sam was not cruel.” – The clause “Sam was not cruel” is a complement to the verb “knew”. None of the clauses could exist without each other. If you part them, both would fail to make sense.
Often, you’d make this mistake. Whenever a sentence makes no sense, consider completing them with independent clauses.
I sometimes keep independent clauses intact in my writing for the sake of readability. But, as you are writing an assignment, try revising.
6. Check for Repetitions:
Check the beginning of each sentence and paragraph to check for repetitive words and phrases. No two consecutive sentences should have a similar beginning.
Try using synonyms if you must use the same sentence structure.
Consider changing the mood of the sentence. If you’re using too many affirmative sentences, drop double negatives in the mix.
And my favorite, change the voice without changing the mood. While it’s not always practical to talk formally, some situations call for it.
Passive voices should be used whenever the subject is subjected to or victimized.
“The teacher teaches the students.”
“Students are taught by the teacher.”
Follow gerunds closely. Throwing one or two of those is elegant, dropping tons of them in a single paragraph isn’t.
You have to decide what works the best for you.
7. Fact-check once again:
Put your research to the test once again. Don’t leave anything out. Check the theories and facts that you’ve cited to erect your assignment once again. Reconsider using them if they aren’t from a reliable source.
Always try to support your logic with ample data. If something feels lacking while editing, check the resources again, or set their priority low. But, don’t ever misinform your readers.
8. Restructure the Conclusion:
After you’ve edited the whole document. Your conclusion ought to change. Revise that.
A conclusion should consist of the main research points and the strengths of your research. Don’t introduce new points in your conclusion. If you’ve missed something, try inserting that in the body, or leave it out altogether.
Most technical reports include a summary of the findings without going into too much technical detail.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
