What Is Essay Editing and Why Is it Needed?

An essay is an independent, creative, scientific work of modern students. In the process of its implementation, the writer demonstrates the ability to select, systematize and creatively interpret materials, work with special literature, make correct and well-founded conclusions, and formulate and logically present thoughts.

Like any other paper, the execution of an essay is completed by editing. Editing is a complex creative, formalized process, the main purpose of which is to correct language, content, and other errors in the text. The purpose of essay editing is to bring the text into compliance with current norms, as well as to carry out its creative optimization aimed at achieving a positive communicative and pragmatic effect. The main tasks of the editing process are to verify information, diversify the text, and minimize the number of mistakes and inaccuracies.

Most Common Mistakes in Essay Texts That Are Subject to Editing

The most common mistakes that occur in the texts of essays and are subject to editing are the following:

• Spelling errors (wrongly written words);

• Punctuation errors (incorrectly placed punctuation marks);

• Lexical errors (tautology, use of words in a non-attributive sense, use of an extra word);

• Grammatical errors (formation of word forms, construction of word combinations, structure of sentences);

• Stylistic errors (indicate a lack of unity of style).

Specifics of Essay Editing

After you finish writing your paper, you should definitely edit it to get rid of all these mistakes. If you do not cope well with the task, you can contact professionals with a request “edit my essay” and get effective support. However, if you want to learn how to complete an assignment on your own, read below about the stages of essay editing and find useful tips from experts.

Stages of the Editor’s Work on the Text

There are three main stages of an editor’s work on an essay:

1. Initial stage (preparation for editing, planning);

2. The general assessment of the text includes:

• topic selection (evaluation of topic selection, its relevance, appropriateness of the format);

• development of the topic (evaluation of the development of the topic), i.e., consideration of facts, phenomena, the logic of transitions, the correctness of generalizations, conclusions, etc., checking of quotations, figures, dates, and work on the composition. This assessment concludes with an editorial conclusion, observations, and recommendations to the author;

3. The main stage. It begins after the elimination of deficiencies identified at the previous stage. This stage includes:

• the first reading of the text, when the text is not corrected, but only some notes are made in the margins regarding logical and stylistic errors;

• re-reading, during which the composition is corrected, logical violations are eliminated;

• literary processing of the text when all necessary corrections are made.

Expert Tips on Essay Editing

As a result of editorial work, the essay’s text should be clearly structured and divided into sections. To a certain extent, it is necessary to strive for each section to be an independent scientific study of a certain component of the general problem. At the same time, the paper should be complete and not fragmented.

In addition to dividing the text into sections, it has a detailed division into meaningful parts and sentences. It is worth remembering that excessive text fragmentation makes it difficult to understand, so the paragraphs should be well-founded and reduced to the presentation of one thought. The text should be distinguished by its composition.

The beginning and end of paragraphs in an essay are the most informative places. Other sentences only reveal, detail, substantiate, specify the main idea, or connect elements. 

The text should be characterized by brevity and clarity of presentation. It is recommended to avoid concepts that cannot be interpreted unambiguously. The essay should also not include repetitions, verbiage, redundant words, clericalisms, etc.

The editor must check the accuracy of the scientific terminology, the reliability of the source information, the criticality of the selection of facts, the proof of content, the validity of the conclusions, and the correctness of the references. In addition, all grammatical, spelling, lexical, and punctuation errors must be corrected.

Conclusion

So, writing an essay is a difficult task, but its editing is no less simple. It is important to check the text for compliance with the stated topic, the reliability of the information provided, and correct errors and inaccuracies. An essay that has undergone painstaking editorial work really attracts readers. It demonstrates the author’s ability to create high-quality scientific texts and deserves the highest score.