Thursday, November 8, 2007

Editing - the ultimate writing makeover



Makeovers can offer good value!

Everyone has seen programs on TV and articles in magazines where ordinary people improve themselves by changing their looks, their bodies, and sometimes their total appearance. You see young singers made over if you watch Idol where see awkward ugly ducklings are transformed into pop stars.

When you draft an assignment it could be fairly ordinary until you give it a makeover with your editing and proof-reading.

Keep in mind that a good makeover takes time and effort.
If possible:

  • Take a break between writing and editing. This allows you to re-examine it as an editor rather than a writer.


  • Read your paper at least a couple of times: separate reading for meaning from your proof-reading for expression, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Proof-reading needs to be done sentence by sentence.


  • Note: spell-checkers don’t pick up incorrect words or homonyms e.g. ewe for you.


  • Ensure your headings and text match.


  • In your text refer to tables and figures and ensure all tables and figures are correctly labelled


  • Schedule referencing time. If you have a lot of sources you may need several hours to ensure every in-text reference is correct and has a corresponding acknowledgement in the Reference List.


  • Don’t mix and match referencing styles. You can’t simply copy and paste citations from other sources. You’ll need to adjust every one to the required style. See the Referencing Guide


  • Attend to presentation features like matching headings and sub-headings


  • Find a critical friend, someone who understands the content area to see if they understand what you have written. Ask them to point out any sections which confuse them but also ask them to avoid correcting the text. That’s your job.


  • Meeting the deadline is part of the task so make sure you know how and where to submit to ensure you meet the requirements.

Here's an editing resource developed by learning advisers to help you on your way to a writing makeover.

Your assignment makeover will help your reader see the quality of your learning. Then work done, you can enjoy your holidays.

Best of luck



Helen

No comments: