Ask someone else to look at your work

1. Another person should check and edit your work.
2. You should not check your own work because:
• you are too familiar with what you wrote. You might miss small mistakes.
• you will be less critical.
• you may be too tired.

If you have to do it yourself:

1. Leave it for a day
• Come back to it after a day or two.
• This will help you see your work with fresh eyes.
2. Focus on one aspect.
• Check your work several times.
• Check on one aspect each time.
• For example:

• look for grammar mistakes first;
• then check your choice of words;
• then check spelling;
• then punctuation.
3. Spell check and other tools
• Microsoft Word marks possible errors.

• it can spell check
• suggest words
• words or phrases are underlined in blue, green, or red
• Spell check is not enough. It will not tell you if you used the right word or not.
• Look at the word choice first. Then check spelling.
• Check spelling manually. Start from the last word in your document. Check from right to left.
• Hear the text aloud.

• Transfer text to Google translate.
• Note errors as you listen.
• Measure readability (for essays or longer works). Use the Gunning Fog Index.

• Readability is how easily a reader can understand your work.
• A fog index of less than 12 is good for a wide audience.
• 12 to 14 is good for professional texts.
• The Hemingway app is another good tool.

4. Look for common errors
• Common mistakes:

• “their” instead of “they’re”
• “your” instead of “you’re”
• “its” instead of “it’s”
• Check prepositions (in, on, at, etc.).
• Double check:

• facts and figures
• proper names
• direct quotes
• citations
• Write your sources for quotes and adapted information. It shows that:

• your work is well-researched
• you are acknowledging the source
• you do not intend to plagiarize. “Plagiarizing” means copying another person’s work.


Avoiding Plagiarism from GCFLearnFree.org

 

5. Check repeated words and sentences.
• Delete repeated sentences.
• Don’t use the same word again and again unless it is a technical term.

• Use a dictionary or thesaurus to replace repeated words.
• Check if the meaning of the sentence is the same.
• Otherwise, rewriting the sentence may be needed.
6. Check for consistency
• Check your format and fonts.
• See if you are using the same type (font), size, spacing, style of writing, and even point-of-view.
• This will make your work easier to read and understand.

 
Article updated April 28, 2023.