This guide will give you a valuable insight into how you may effectively edit your school/college and university assignments. Here you will learn about the 3 important phases of editing-
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Content checklist
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Structure and Style
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Spelling, grammar and punctuation
As a student, it is very important for you to know how to edit your school/college or university assignment effectively. The following strategies give you easy tips on the above-
- It is recommended that you should take a break from your assignment before you edit the draft. This can only be done if you have a day to spare before the submission of the assignment. Taking a break will help you make edits to the draft in a better way as fresh eyes help a lot!
- When you are editing the draft, it is important for you to ensure you have time on hand. If you hurry, you will miss out on important points.
- You should try to read your work as if you are a reader who has not read the draft before. It is a common thing that when you devote a lot of time to writing the assignment, you can fill in the gaps and skip things to make the content clearer.
- You should start scanning your draft and see if there is any point that tends to jump out at you. If you find these points, it is recommended that you read them in detail.
- For correct punctuation, it is important for you to read your work in a loud voice.
- If you have someone else, read your work aloud to them or allow them to read your work.
- As for the word count, you should always stick to it. Do not exceed the word count or keep it below the specific limit. Check to see if you have included too many examples or have used long-winded sentences. In case, you have not used too many examples, it is time to include them in your work.
- Ensure you have correctly referenced your sources of information in the assignment. You should also check on the appropriate referencing style you are required to use. For this purpose, you may refer to a Referencing Style Guide. You may find these guides on Google. You just have to type the name of the referencing style you need to use in the search string. The results will be displayed to you.
Know the 3 phases of editing
Editing is important for your assignment and helps you fine tune the draft. It helps to eradicate errors and improve your marks. Given below are the 3 phases of editing you should pay heed to-
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Editing the content checklist
The following table will help you edit the content checklist-
Editing Your Assessment Checklist
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Have I? |
Yes/No |
Comments/Notes |
| Have all the parts of the question been answered? | ||
| Checked to see if my introduction is clear so that the main points are correctly identified on what I should write on? | ||
| Checked that my vision or viewpoint is clear | ||
| Checked my response to the content or the topic in discussion | ||
| Used a critical analysis of the topic? | ||
| Does every paragraph illustrate a clear topic sentence along with evidence and supporting information | ||
| Provided sufficient evidence and illustrations | ||
| Displayed a clear and logical sign of reasoning | ||
| Addressed the all the points needed for creating the assignment | ||
| Included details or information that are unnecessary or irrelevant? | ||
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Editing the style and structure
The following table will give you the correct guidelines as to how you may edit the style and structure of your assignment-
Editing for style and structure of the assignment
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Have I? |
Yes/No |
Comments/Notes |
| Used the right format/style for the assignment- case study, essay report etc | ||
| Included the page numbers and followed the requisite formatting | ||
| Avoided inappropriate language or slangs | ||
| Presented ideas in a logical manner | ||
| Used linking words in the paragraphs | ||
| Used linking words between the paragraphs | ||
| Checked whether quotes and paraphrases have been cited correctly in the content and reference list | ||
| Checked if the referencing style has been used correctly – checked if the standard referencing style has been used like Harvard or APA6 |
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Editing the spelling, punctuation and grammar checklist-
The following table will show you how to carefully check for spelling, punctuation and grammar-
Editing for grammar, spelling and punctuation
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Have I? |
Yes/No |
Comments/Notes |
| Checked the spelling and have not depended on the spell check feature of my computer | ||
| Double checked the spelling of the technical terms that I have used in the assignment | ||
| Used the right vocabulary | ||
| Avoided the use of emotive or discriminatory text | ||
| Checked whether punctuation is correct or not | ||
| Checked the sentence and the grammar structure of the assignment | ||
| Reflected on own writing to check error patterns made by me | ||
| Double checked the referencing and in text citations, Ensure the names of the authors have been spelled correctly | ||
| Checked the words that I have taken from thesaurus to ensure they convey the appropriate meaning |
Therefore, with the above guidelines, you effectively are able to edit your assignment and score good marks!