Academic Research Booklet

39

PROOF READING CHECKLIST

Re-read: does it make sense? Check for spelling mistakes and missing words.

Top Tip: Reading your essay aloud is a really effective way to notice mistakes. Alternatively, you can get Word to read aloud for you: highlight your essay, click on the Review tab and choose the Read Aloud option which will look something like this:

Do your subheadings fit what you have written about in each section?

Have you have specifically and explicitly answered your essay question throughout the essay? Make sure you have summed up your sections and points by relating the information to the main essay question either in full or in part.

Have you explicitly answered all parts of your question in the conclusion?

Does your writing sound professional? Use the CTRL+F / CMD+F function to search for any instances of 1st person language and change to 3rd person (see pages 21-22). Search for filler words and cut them out! (see page 35).

Have you started any paragraphs with ‘Also…’ or similar wording? If so you may need to rethink: if you’re building on a point you should keep it contained within the same paragraph.