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Site Home –› Art & Culture –› Editing & Writing Services

Effective Editing: It Spells the Difference!

Author: Lizzie R. Santos

I f y o u t h i n k p r o o f r e a d i n g e q u a l s e d i t i n g , t h e n y o u ' r e w r o n g ! E d i t i n g i s a l o t m o r e t h a n j u s t s c r u t i n i z i n g y o u r m a n u s c r i p t f o r m i s s p e l l e d w o r d s o r m i s s i n g p u n c t u a t i o n m a r k s . A s a w h o l e : < L I > E d i t o n l y * a f t e r * y o u ' v e w r i t t e n t h e * w h o l e * p i e c e . I f y o u s t o p t o e d i t a f t e r e v e r y p a r a g r a p h o r s e n t e n c e , y o u w i l l d i s r u p t t h e f l o w o f y o u r t h o u g h t s . < L I > I t i s b e t t e r t o t a k e a b r e a k b e f o r e s t a r t i n g t o e d i t a l o n g m a n u s c r i p t s o y o u ? l l h a v e a f r e s h p e r s p e c t i v e . < L I > R e v i s e o n l y * h a r d c o p y * e s p e c i a l l y i f y o u r m a n u s c r i p t i s q u i t e l o n g . R e v i s i n g f r o m a m o n i t o r i s c o n f u s i n g . < L I > V e r i f y t h e s p e l l i n g o f n a m e s , f i g u r e s , d a t e s , a n d a d d r e s s e s . T h e s e a r e t h e m o s t m u r d e r e d i t e m s i n m a n u s c r i p t s ! < L I > B e s u r e o f w h a t y o u p u t b e t w e e n t h o s e q u o t a t i o n m a r k s ! O t h e r w i s e , r e p h r a s e t h e l i n e a n d o m i t t h e q u o t a t i o n m a r k s . < L I > D i d y o u f o l l o w t h e w r i t e r g u i d e l i n e s ? e . g . , n u m b e r o f w o r d s r e q u i r e d , f o n t / f o n t s i z e s p e c i f i e d , s p a c i n g , m a r g i n s . . . < / L I > E d i t y o u r c o n t e n t : < L I > B e s u r e t h a t y o u d i d n o t s t r a y f r o m y o u r t o p i c . A r e y o u r p a r a g r a p h s c o h e r e n t ? < L I > D i d y o u f u l f i l l y o u r p u r p o s e f o r w r i t i n g t h a t p i e c e ? I s y o u r e n t e r t a i n m e n t f e a t u r e a r t i c l e e n t e r t a i n i n g e n o u g h ? D i d y o u r p e r s o n a l i t y s k e t c h b r i n g o u t y o u r s u b j e c t ' s u n i q u e a n d d i s t i n c t q u a l i t i e s ? < L I > I f n e c e s s a r y , d i d y o u p r o v i d e e n o u g h s u p p o r t i n g d a t a ( g r a p h s , c h a r t s , f i g u r e s ) f o r y o u r p i e c e ? < L I > I f a p p l i c a b l e , d i d y o u r a r t i c l e a n s w e r t h e 5 W s a n d H ? W h o , w h a t , w h y , w e r e , w h e n a n d h o w . < / L I > E d i t f o r t i g h t n e s s : < L I > R e m o v e r e d u n d a n t a n d u s e l e s s w o r d s . < L I > W h a t a b o u t d i c t i o n ? D i d y o u u s e t h e r i g h t w o r d t o e x p r e s s w h a t y o u m e a n ? F o r e x a m p l e , " H e s t a r e d a t h e r " i s m o r e i n t e n s e t h a n " H e l o o k e d a t h e r . " " D e v o u r " i s n o t t h e s a m e a s " e a t . " < L I > D i d y o u v a r y t h e l e n g t h o f y o u r s e n t e n c e s ? C o m b i n i n g l o n g w i t h s h o r t s e n t e n c e s m a k e s y o u r a r t i c l e e a s i e r a n d m o r e n a t u r a l t o r e a d . < L I > D i d y o u c h e c k t h a t t h e b o d y o f y o u r a r t i c l e i s l o n g e r t h a n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n ( l e a d ) ? S o m e w r i t e r s g e t c a r r i e d w a y . T h e y f o c u s o n a n e f f e c t i v e l e a d t o h o o k t h e r e a d e r s b u t n e g l e c t t h e b o d y o f t h e a r t i c l e ! < / L I > W h a t a b o u t t o n e a n d s t y l e ? < L I > D o e s y o u r w o r k r e f l e c t y o u r w r i t i n g s t y l e o r d o e s i t s o u n d l i k e a c o p i e d w o r k ? < L I > D i d y o u u s e t h e a c t i v e v o i c e ? A r e y o u c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e p o i n t o f v i e w y o u u s e d ? < L I > D o y o u r t i t l e a n d t h e w o r d s y o u u s e d m a t c h t h e t o n e o f y o u r p i e c e ? < / L I > C o p y r i g h t ? 2 0 0 4 L i z z i e R . S a n t o s ( < A h r e f = " m a i l t o : l i z z i e @ i m u s e p u b . c o m " > l i z z i e @ i m u s e p u b . c o m < / A > )