Editing and proofreading your work as part of the writing process 

Writing is a central to your learning as a student in higher education and it is also likely to be an important feature of your working life once you graduate. Writing is a process from the planning stage to completion of your project or assignment. Think about the process you work through as your prepare your assignments and consider the ways in which you currently review your work. This means that when you are working on an assignment, do you have a routine you work through or do you get everything down you want to say and then leave it at that? Developing editing practices by getting into the habit of reviewing your work will support the development of your writing skills.  

There are two parts to the reviewing process: editing and proofreading.  It can be useful to consider editing and proofreading as zooming out of and zooming into your text.  

Editing generally involves undertaking a wider review of a draft. Zooming out of the detail of the work to focus on issues such as following the guidelines, ensuring that the structure follows the assignment brief and that there is a clear flow to your writing.  

Once the editing process is complete and you are happy with your draft, it is important then to move to the final stage of the writing process. This is proofreading your work. Zooming in on details such as spelling, grammar, page numbers and referencing will allow you to check your work for accuracy.