How to Proofread Your Paper
Set Your Paper Aside
Before you begin proofreading, set your paper aside for at least 10 minutes. This will allow your brain and eyes to rest and will help you see mistakes more clearly. When you come back to your paper, you will be reading it with fresh eyes and new objectivity.
Read Aloud
Reading your writing aloud allows you to hear mistakes that you may have missed while reading silently. When you read your work out loud, you are more likely to read slowly, making it easier to notice mistakes in your writing.
Check Separately for Different Types of Errors
Instead of reading your paper and correcting every mistake you see, read through and correct the same type of errors. If you know that you often misspell words, read through your paper and correct all spelling mistakes. You can then read through again and correct other types of mistakes, like fragments.
Isolate Each Paragraph
Take the paragraph you are editing or reviewing and paste it into a blank document. This technique keeps you from moving past mistakes too easily. This process may take up some time, but you are less likely to become overwhelmed when there is only one paragraph on your screen at a time.