By: Steve Patterson
Submitted: 2010-10-18 05:25:06 | Word Count: 508
Students don't always realize how their unedited, unpolished essay is perceived by their peers and instructor. Sometimes if a student doesn't take the time to make his essay the best it can be, his instructor and fellow students might think he just doesn't care. Other times, though, a lack of editing can make the difference between a paper that gets the grade of A and one that doesn't do so well.
Knowing that polishing a paper is important is only half the problem, though. Students should know what to look for and what to fix. Below are the kinds of editing fixes a student will want to make before turning in a final draft.
Spelling Should be Corrected
It's difficult if a student doesn't consider herself a good speller, and it's true that spelling checkers aren't entirely accurate. However, a spelling checker can be considered a first line of defense.
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It's also true that if a student doesn't know how to spell a word in the first place, a dictionary can't always help. Dictionaries can still be helpful, though, even if not in every instance. A lot of English books will also have lists of commonly misspelled words; students would do well to review these lists on occasion and pay special attention to words they have problems with.
Punctuation and Grammar Cause Some Students Problems
If a student has particular problems with certain punctuation issues, it's something she should be mindful of. For example, if her instructor continually marks the student down for overusing commas, she should take the time to look through her grammar book and try to learn how to fix those mistakes.
She can also take her papers to a writing lab, tutor, or fellow student and explain that commas are her weak spot. If someone who understands the rules looks over her papers, he can give her some ideas of where she keeps having problems. For example, if she continually forgets to use commas in a series, a tutor might be able to explain to her that there should be a comma between each word in a series (apples, oranges, and bananas).
Students Should Check for Typographical Errors
Typos are usually easier to catch because they're usually just a sign of typing too quickly. Again, not all spelling checkers will find these sort of mistakes. But careful reading can usually find these errors.
Students should read through their drafts carefully anyway while they look for other mistakes. If they don't read through their drafts at least once, they don't have a chance of catching these generally easy-to-correct errors.
Editing Essays is Important
Sometimes students think that just having written an essay is important, but not taking the time after writing to carefully edit a paper can sometimes make a student seem sloppy. Making a little extra effort can often make the difference between receiving an excellent grade and a so-so one. It does take more time, more careful reading, and sometimes finding other resources, but if a good grade is important, it's worth the time and effort.
