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The Research and Writing Process: A Step-by-Step Guide: Proofread Your Paper

Proofreading your paper

BEFORE YOU PROOFREAD:
Click each tip for further detail.

Don't make corrections at the sentence and word level if you still need to work on the overall focus, development, and arrangement of the paper, of sections in the paper, or of individual paragraphs.
Establishing some distance between the writing your paper and proofreading it will help you identify mistakes more easily.
Throughout your paper, you should try to avoid using inflated diction if a simpler phrase works equally well. Simple, more precise language is easier to proofread than overly complex sentence construction and vocabulary.
Make a list of mistakes you need to watch for based upon the comments of your professors on previous drafts of your paper or for papers written in other classes. This will help you to identify repeated patterns of mistakes more readily.

To help ensure that you identify all the errors in your paper, consider the following:
Click each tip for further detail.

Besides sparing your eyes the strain of glaring at a computer screen, proofreading from a printout allows you to easily skip around to where errors might have been repeated throughout the paper.
This is especially helpful for spotting run-on sentences, but you'll also hear other problems that you may not have picked up while reading silently. Reading your paper out loud also helps you play the role of the reader, thereby encouraging you to understand the paper as your audience might.
…to cover up the lines below the one you're reading. This technique keeps you from skipping over possible mistakes.
This forces you to pay attention to each mark you used and to question its purpose in each sentence or paragraph. This is particularly helpful strategy if you tend to misuse or overuse a punctuation mark, such as a comma or semi-colon.
Using the search [find] feature of your word processor can help you identify common errors faster. For example, if you overuse a phrase or use the same qualifier over and over again, you can do a search for those words or phrases and in each instance make a decision about whether to keep it or not or use a synonym.
Move from the most to the least important, and following whatever technique works best for you to identify that kind of mistake. For instance, read through once [backwards, sentence by sentence] to check for fragments; read through again [forward] to be sure subjects and verbs agree, and again [perhaps using a computer search for "this," "it," and "they"] to trace pronouns to antecedents.
But remember that a spell checker won't catch mistakes with homonyms [e.g., "they're," "their," "there"] or certain typos [like "he" when you meant to write "the"].
Since many errors are made and overlooked by speeding through writing and proofreading, taking the time to carefully look over your writing will help you catch errors you might otherwise miss. Always read through your writing slowly. If you read through the paper at a normal speed, you won't give your eyes sufficient time to spot errors.
Offer to proofread a friend's paper if they will review yours. Having another set of eyes look over your writing will often spot errors that you would have otherwise missed.

Adapted from the University of Southern Californa, http://libguides.usc.edu/content.php?pid=83009&sid=1037992

 

Using Generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, MS Copilot, etc.)

Generative AI tools, when used responsibly and intelligently, can sometimes be helpful in this phase of the writing process. You can either upload your draft, or copy-and-paste the text of your draft into the prompt/query box. 

If you are allowed to use these tools for basic proofreading of your paper, we recommend sticking with these tasks. GenAI tools can help to check:

  • spelling 
  • grammar
  • basic writing mechanics and syntax

These tools can also give suggestions on the clarity and organization of your ideas.

KEEP IN MIND...
Because of these tools' tendency to hallucinate, we do not recommended using them for:

  • deep revision of your writing
  • citation help / citing sources
  • paraphrasing

Another thing to keep in mind is bias. Because of how GenAI tools are trained, their output will likely contain a certain amount of bias. If you use these tools beyond just basic proofreading help, your paper will eventually not sound like you at all; you risk having your unique writer's voice reduced to an AI amalgamation (referred to by some as "AI slop"). Additionally, you risk violating SFCC's Academic Integrity Policy. 

GOOD PROMPTING
GneAI tools will try to be "helpful." This can mean re-wording, re-organizing, and often wholesale rewriting of YOUR hard work. So you'll not only need to be specific regarding what you WANT it to do, you'll also need to tell it what NOT to do. 

You do NOT want the GenAI tool to:

  • rewrite any parts your paper
  • change essential ideas or concepts

EXAMPLE PROMPT
Instead of simply prompting: "Here's my paper, please edit it" a good prompt might be: "Here is the draft of a paper I've written. Please help me edit for spelling, grammar and basic writing mechanics. I'd also like suggestions on the clarity and organization of my ideas. But do not rewrite any part of this paper or change essential ideas or concepts. Do you understand what I'd like you to do?"

Yes, you read that last part right! Silly as it may seem it's often a really good idea to literally ask whatever GenAI tool you're using if it understands what you've asked to do/not to do. 

 

"Am I allowed to use AI?"

Use of Generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, etc.) has increased exponentially since late 2022. But that doesn't mean these tools are always appropriate to use. It is your responsibility to know whether or not their use is allowed. Use of these tools if they are prohibited by your instructor constitutes a violation of SFCC's Academic Integrity Policy. Inclusion of GenAI tools in this guide does not indicate SFCC Library's endorsement of said tools.  

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