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Research Paper Proofreading Guidelines

17 august 2019

Research Paper Proofreading Guidelines

​​​​​​Proofreading and copyediting is the most important task you should do before submitting your research paper. Even the littlest and simplest errors can cost you a grade. Research paper writing is a huge component of your academic requirements, which may snatch you of your chance to get your college diploma. It can be the cause of your failure to graduate. Therefore, you must be extra careful and meticulous before letting your paper reach the panel.


There should be no room for errors in writing your research paper. So when reviewing your draft, remember the following proofreading guidelines to assure zero errors:

Make sure you follow instructions. One of the reasons why students fail in their research papers is due to their carelessness to follow the instructions. You must strictly follow your professor's instructions especially in formatting like page numbers, margin, chronological order and others.

Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Spelling and grammatical errors are common and inevitable mistakes committed by college students. Hence, you can still prevent your panel from seeing them by proofreading. Make sure you watch out for these errors in your paper.


Word choice and proper use of expressions. Although the use of idiomatic expressions is not recommended in writing research papers, you should take note on your choice of words. There are instances when students want to sound smart. They use colorful modifiers and highfalutin words and stay away from using simple words. There's nothing wrong with changing your writing style and make it more academic. However, you have to ensure that these words will lead to better understanding of the paper rather than add to the confusion. It should pave the way for grasping the thought and not uncertainty.

Paragraphs should be coherent. Be very careful with the order of sentences and paragraphs in your research paper. Flow is very important. You cannot skip from one topic to another in the same paragraph. Do not jump from one topic to another and then go back to the previously discussed topic. If you want to discuss another topic, write an effective transitional paragraph. This should comprehensively introduce the new topic for discussion.

Check your facts and information. Compared to essay writing, research papers are more technical. You are presenting a point of argument in research paper writing. In doing so, the evidence is needed to support your conclusion. Therefore, you cannot afford to have unconfirmed information. Your study should have reliable resources that provide enough proof for the validity of your opinion.

Cite your sources and quotes. Plagiarism is probably the most serious offense a student can get when one forgets to cite his sources. Citations are vital in research writing. You cannot just borrow an idea from an author as if he is just lending you a mug or a jar. You are messing with intellectual property in this situation. So as much as possible, cite and quote your sources. To avoid confusion, do not mix your thoughts with ideas of an author. Get a pad and write down your quotes as well as the source of these quotes on the side.

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