[Bups-dis] How do you proof-read?

[Edward Grefenstette]

I agree that a reading through a printed copy, once the mind has  
"cooled down" a bit, is a good method. And indeed it's always a good  
idea to finish a paper long enough in advance to not only have time  
to properly proof-read it, but also make revisions when the work  
isn't fresh in your mind (read: a few days later). However, even then  
it is not the most enjoyable experience (of course, it's not meant to  
be!), but I'd be curious to hear if anyone has some eclectic method  
for approaching this unpleasant task.

As I mentioned before, I might try proof-reading by presenting it  
(probably to my reflection). Maybe that will make the experience a  
bit more enjoyable (I'm weird like that, yes...)

Best of luck with end-of-term essay marking, Nick. Hopefully your  
students (current and future) will read this and go the extra mile in  
proof-reading their essays.

Regards,
Edward.

On 26 May 2007, at 26/05/200711:28, Nick Jones wrote:

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>> my mind (and body) are telling me "just hand the **** thing in!",  
>> and my will-power agrees.
>
> Sadly, Edward, many of my students seem to take the same attitude,  
> with the result that I regularly see essays that would disgrace a  
> 14 year old.  The candidate may be a genius, but how are we  
> supposed to tell, if their essay looks like it was knocked off on  
> the back of an envelope while waiting for a bus? If the student  
> doesn't take their work seriously enough to read it over and make  
> it as good as they can, why should I put in the work to understand it?
>
> Rant over, for now. I think that word processing is a particular  
> problem here, since it encourages extraneous phrases and words left  
> over from editing (grr!), and tempts students to read their essay  
> on screen and then print it out and hand it in. My advice; print it  
> out; leave it on your desk for a day (if you don't have a day, you  
> should have started earlier, and I have no sympathy). Then read it  
> when you have an hour to spare, read it as though you'd never seen  
> it before (classic problem: the mindset that says 'oh, they'll know  
> what I mean.' Clearly, we don't), and annotate it. THEN return to  
> the WP and improve it, with your printed copy to hand. Much easier  
> to think, and read, off paper.
>
> best
> Nick Jones
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