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Research Paper Editing | Guide to a Perfect Research Paper
Jun 01, 2023
5 min read
- Tags: Academic Editing, Editing, Research Paper
You’ve finally finished writing and re-writing your paper and it is finally complete! But don’t rejoice just yet. Thorough editing and proofreading can mean the difference between the rejection or publication of your research paper. It isn’t an easy process and requires significant time, attention, and effort.
The process of editing involves surface-level proofreading along with the processes of structural editing, line editing, and copy editing. To ensure that your hard work pays off, it’s crucial to highlight the core idea of your paper. This can only be achieved by meticulous editing.
In this article, we will walk you through the process of editing a research paper and help you produce an error-free paper. Let’s start with understanding what research paper editing actually is.
What is research paper editing?
Research paper editing involves the final refining of your paper before its submission. It includes correcting grammar and sentence structure, eliminating redundancies, simplifying run-on sentences, and finally, correcting tonal inconsistencies and spelling errors.
This is a highly intensive and complex process that requires significant time, attention to detail, and effort. Although you can choose to do this by yourself, consulting a professional will result in a refined, error-free, publication-ready paper.
To make things easier for you, consider consulting a professional editor who has specialized in the subject matter of your choosing. Equipped with the necessary knowledge, these professionals can not only correct tonal inconsistencies but can also make suggestions for better word choice.
Why is research paper editing important?
Editing research papers is a crucial step in the paper-writing process. It helps refine and highlight the main points of your paper and makes it coherent and reader-friendly.
Here are a few more reasons as to why research paper editing is important:
1. Helps improve the quality of your content
The process of editing helps correct structural and tonal inconsistencies, making your paper uniform, and easy to read. This check helps make your paper succinct and easy to understand.
2. Helps bring out the core message of your paper
Incorrect use of jargon and irrelevant information obscures the core message of your paper. Eliminating these errors in the content of your paper results in a more succinct yet impactful piece.
3. Helps produce an error-free paper
Mistakes in spelling, grammar as well as punctuation distract readers from the message of your paper. They also reduce the readability of your paper which can often result in it being rejected by the journal of your choice. Thorough editing is key to producing an error-free, publication-worthy paper.
What does an editor look for in your research paper?
Professional editors can discern the smallest of errors in lengthy documents such as research papers or even theses. They perform a thorough line-by-line check of your paper and point out any structural, grammatical, and spelling errors.
Here’s what an editor looks for in your research paper:
- Errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax
- Errors and inconsistencies in capitalization
- Run-on sentences, or long winding paragraphs, and incorrect use of terminology
- Use of informal language that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the paper
- Redundancies, repetitive information, and fluff content that adds no substance to your paper
- Inconsistencies in headings, subheadings, size and font
- Errors and inconsistencies in different referencing styles
- Inconsistencies in layouts such as tables, graphs, diagrams, and figures
- Logical flaws or gaps
Professional editors are trained to spot errors that are not visible to most people. Although pricey, they can be a more reliable source of consultation as compared to friends or family.
Why should you hire a human editor?
When it comes to editing, a machine or AI is unable to understand the nuances and structure of grammar, the way an expert editor can. An editor is also capable of spotting and correcting tonal inconsistencies and gaps in arguments.
A research paper is a fairly lengthy document that requires meticulous editing. To make your job easier, it is a good idea to consult an expert editor. Editing firms employ a wide range of academic experts specialized in a particular subject. They pair you with an expert of your niche for the thorough editing and proofreading of your paper.
These experts can not only point out mechanical errors and structural inconsistencies, but also logical gaps and fallacies, incorrect use of terminology and errors and inconsistencies in formatting styles. They are also well versed the the style guides of different journals and can select the appropriate style for your journal.
Steps to self-edit your research paper
The cost of professional editing can be quite a burden. If you don’t want to rely on proofreaders and prefer self-editing, there are several steps you can take to refine your paper. Here are a few key steps you can follow:
1. Take a break:
In order to detach yourself from the paper, it’s crucial to take a break before editing. This will help you spot errors and inconsistencies more effectively.
2. Look at the big picture:
Start with correcting major inconsistencies in paragraph structure. You can then move on to simplifying run-on sentences and redundancies.
3. Correct minor grammar and spelling errors:
After correcting the structural inconsistencies, you scan your paper line by line and correct all grammar and spelling errors.
The process of self-editing can either be performed online or with the help of a pen and paper. Although most students prefer online research paper editing, the pen and paper method offers a more hands-on experience. For a more intensive check, you can try using both methods.
You can use this research paper editing checklist to review your paper effectively:
While referring to this research paper editing checklist, make sure to pay attention to only one aspect at a time. Focusing on two or more aspects at once can get confusing. To make things easier for you, we have created an order in which you can proofread your paper. The research paper editing checklist ranges from broader issues to narrower ones. It is important to correct the more comprehensive issues before moving on to the narrowers issues.
We wish you all the best for the successful publication of your paper!
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