the university writing center
"because writers need readers"

University Writing Center Home|Scheduler|Online/Phone|Writing Resources|Faculty Resources|Graduate Resources|UWC Staff| HIM

 

What is the UWC?
Proofreading Priority Guidelines
To make the best use of your time, and to learn from your mistakes, it's best to look for errors in order of importance, rather than in whatever order you happen to find them.

First, you'll need to review the entire paper in order to get a sense of the kinds of errors you make. (A writing consultant can help with this step.) When you've identified the types of errors you tend to make, address them in this order:

  1. Errors which affect readers' comprehension of the text
  2. Errors which you are especially concerned about
  3. Frequent occurrences of the same error
  4. Errors which can be fixed by learning a rule
  5. Errors which don't violate a particular rule, but rather are matters of idiom or preference
 
When several different errors fall into the same category, you should decide which errors to address first. Here are some points to consider as you decide:

  • Which errors is the writer interested in or ready to address?
  • Which errors are likely to bother readers the most? (You might want to refer to sources such as Douglas Cazort's Five Uncommonly Serious Mistakes. You also might consider starting with errors the teacher has complained about in the past.)
  • Which errors are most likely to recur in future papers?
  • Which errors do you feel the most comfortable explaining?