By Chaze Patrick, Outreach and Engagement Marketing Assistant
In the writing process, development is continuous. The process typically looks like this when comprising any professional publication: research, draft, proofread and publish. The proofreading segment is the most important, because you must check your work (or someone else’s) to ensure the best quality.
How embarrassing would it be to have misspelled words, incorrect capitalization or elongated paragraphs? Here are four editing marks you need to ensure you produce the best content.
We have all been guilty of this at one time or another; the use of unnecessary words when drafting documents. Don’t be afraid to scribble the delete symbol or press the button if you feel there are words or phrases that didn’t make the cut.
“I” before “E” except after “C.” How often have you misspelled a word and not noticed it? The spelling error symbol is a lifesaver for identifying words with errors. A quick tip: In an electronic document, you can always press “F7” to complete a quick spellcheck.
Brevity is extremely important in writing. We get into the habit of writing endlessly without breaking up paragraphs. The sign to insert a new paragraph works wonders because it provides your reader with a break. Generally, it is recommended to write five to seven sentences or seven to ten lines per paragraph.
Sometimes when you are writing, it can be difficult to distinguish the right distance between words within an electronic document. Print out your document and carefully analyze where excess space may exist.
Delete, check your spelling, separate new paragraphs and reduce the extra spaces as needed. You are now ready to further enhance your writing skills.