Category Archive: Thesis

Nov 10

What We Do: Academic Writing and Editing Assistance

Categories:

Academic Writing, College_University, Dissertation, Education, English Language Usage, Grammar, News and Views, Opinion, Projects, Research Assignment, Spelling, Student Projects, Thesis, Usage, Writing Types

November 10, 2010

I am a retired English and Social Sciences public school teacher and college instructor: I have a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in English, Education and Psychology; and a Reading Specialist Certification. When I started Writing It Right For You, it never occurred to me that I would be *teaching* again. But one of the largest parts of my business today involves working with graduate and post-graduate students here in the United States as well as several other countries, including those for whom English is not their first language.

There is an on-going debate whether students should have assistance with the academic papers–many people say no, however I strongly say yes. Everyone who writes books, papers, articles, etc. for someone else to read should work with an editor. For students, English is not always their best subject although they may excel in other areas. Writing is a skill that must be developed like any other, and one of the best ways to learn how to write well is to work closely with someone who does write well.

Here at Writing It Right For You, we work closely and personally with graduate and post-graduate students on their independent study assignments, dissertations and theses. Many times, we work with students for several months at a time or over an entire university year which is very helpful with continuity. Students qualify for a discounted fee structure from our standard business rates.

If you are a university student looking for professional and personal assistance with your graduate or post-graduate studies, contact us. We will be honored to work with you for your academic success.

Permanent link to this article: http://writingitrightforyou.com/home/2010/11/10/what-we-do-academic-writing-and-editing-assistance/

Apr 12

Editing or Proofreading?

Categories:

Academic Writing, Blogging, Business Writing, Client Projects, Dissertation, Grammar, Journalism, Marketing Materials, Projects, Report Writing, Research Assignment, Spelling, Thesis, Usage, Web Content, Websites

April 12, 2010

Writing your document is just the first step. Whether you are writing a letter, a report, web content, marketing materials or a dissertation, your writing must be edited. It must also be proofread. What is the difference? Many people think that editing and proofreading are the same thing, but actually they are two different processes. Think back to your school days: your teacher usually told you that the paper you were writing was only the “first draft”. (And you thought you were finished with that assignment!) Once your first draft is completed, the two-part editing process begins.

The whole process is all often called “editing”, but editing is actually the first component, and should begin as soon as the first draft is completed. There are several levels of editing:

* How well is the actual content written? Does it make sense? If instructions or guidelines were given, were they followed? Does the overall document have a smooth and consistent flow?

* How is the document structured? Is everything clear? Are the topics and sub-topics logical? Does the writing move smoothly from one idea to the next?

* Is your writing clear to the reader? Is everything explained clearly? Is everything cited or hyperlinked correctly? Is the tone and “voice” consistent? Is your writing too brief or too long or too repetitive or too bland?

These are just some of what is involved in the “editing” part of the process. Often it will take several revisions to reach the final draft.

Then the document is ready for proofreading, which is the last step of the editing process. Proofreading should be done after all of the revisions are completed. Proofreading involves checking for misspellings, incorrect or missing punctuation, grammar, and formatting.

Although all word processors have spelling and grammar checkers, they are not foolproof. A word can be spelled correctly, but used incorrectly. For example, many people confuse “your” and “you’re”. Both words are spelled correctly, but are used differently. A word processing spell checker would not recognize the difference. There are similar problems with relying only on the grammar checker in a word processor. English is a very complicated language, and the grammar checkers in word processing programs are too limited in their scope.

Finally,y the formatting and citations or references must be consistent. When your writing has been edited, proofread, and formatted carefully and in detail, it is finally ready for final distribution or publication. Your writing needs both editing and proofreading.

If you need professional editing and proofreading for your academic or business documents, contact us for a customized project plan.