Self-editing a manuscript involves revising and improving your own writing after completing the initial draft. To ensure the manuscript reaches its best possible form, several drafts should be created. In this concise guide, we provide valuable tips for effectively self-editing your research paper.
Self-Editing a Paper: What Does It Mean?
Self-editing a manuscript means the author revises and corrects their own writing
after completing the initial draft. This involves creating multiple drafts until the manuscript is in its best possible condition. The aim is to ensure the paper clearly communicates the author’s intentions to any reader. Submitting a thoroughly self-edited and refined paper achieves three key outcomes:
- It simplifies the job for reviewers and editors.
- It allows reviewers and editors to more accurately evaluate the paper’s validity.
- It increases the chances of the paper being accepted for publication.
How to Edit Your Paper Yourself Effectively
Refrain from submitting a manuscript right away after finishing it. Even though writing it was difficult, the task is not yet complete. Your goal is to get the manuscript published, and if you don’t put in enough work now, it can be rejected. You may improve your manuscript and get it ready for submission in the best possible manner by following these steps.
1. Review a Printed Copy
Always print a hard copy of your manuscript. This allows you to see any differences between what you wrote and what appears on the computer screen. A printed version can refresh your perspective and help you detach from your own work. Start by quickly reading through the entire paper. Then, use a red pen to mark any corrections or changes.
2. Take Time to Refresh
After finishing your first draft, take a break for at least a few hours, though a day or more is ideal. This pause allows you to return to the paper with a fresh perspective, making it easier to spot mistakes and problematic sentences.
Don’t try to revise the whole document in one sitting. Take frequent breaks instead to ensure mental focus while you self-edit. Give yourself enough time to thoroughly self-edit your manuscript—a few days or maybe a week.
3. For clarity, read aloud
Making sure your paper flows naturally can be achieved by reading it aloud. Mark any sections that don’t make sense or give you trouble so you can move on and finish reading. Once you’re done, go over the highlighted mistakes again, make the required changes, and read those parts again to make sure everything makes sense.
4. Adopt a Reviewer’s Perspective
To self-edit effectively, detach yourself from your role as the author and assume the perspective of someone who has never read your paper before. Imagine you’re the reviewer having a tough day, which will help you adopt a critical mindset and identify every possible flaw that could lead to rejection.
5. Analyze and Critique your paper
Those who analyse papers without holding back are great editors. Put your ego aside and take on the role of the paper’s harshest editor. Make extensive use of your red pen and take into account the following strategies:
- Minimize Adverbs and Adjectives: On your hard copy, cross out every adverb and adjective. Only add them back if they are absolutely necessary.
- Simplify Sentences: Reduce each sentence to its essential components—subject, verb, and object. Keep sentences as straightforward as possible.
- Keep Paragraphs Short: Avoid redundancy by sticking to one sentence, one idea. If a paragraph has more than five sentences, check if it can be shortened.
- Limit Subordinate Clauses: Instead of writing, “When mice became stressed because of lack of sleep, we administered an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections,” write, “We administered an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections in sleep-deprived mice.”
- Assert Authority: Avoid hedging phrases like “we believe,” “it appears,” or “seems to be.” Be confident and definitive in your statements. For example, “The cause of resistant bacteria is the overuse of antibiotics.”
6. Try Reading Backwards
Give your paper a reverse read. Start from the end and work your way back to the beginning. It might sound odd, but this trick can uncover sneaky mistakes you might have missed otherwise. It slows you down and helps you catch things that your brain might have skipped over because it’s too familiar with the text.
7. Purposeful Editing
Understanding the WHY behind your editing process is crucial. Identify your specific goals: Are you organizing sections, enhancing persuasiveness, or correcting language errors? This clarity will streamline your editing efforts effectively.
8. Logic and Coherence Check
Maintaining logical flow and coherence is vital in editing a research paper. Ensure each paragraph transitions smoothly, supporting your thesis without contradictions. Check for clear and concise arguments, consistent tense, tone, and language usage. This attention to detail enhances the overall coherence and impact of your research paper.
9. Edit in Phases
Breaking down your editing process into manageable phases is key to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Start by editing for grammar and punctuation, then move on to sentence structure, and finally focus on overall coherence. This phased approach keeps you focused and makes editing your research paper more manageable.
10. SpellCheck Isn’t Perfect
While SpellCheck is handy for catching typos, don’t put all your trust in it. It won’t catch words that are used incorrectly, like “their” instead of “there.” So, give your paper a thorough manual check after using SpellCheck.
Self-Editing Is Important
The first draft is simply the beginning. Making sure your work expresses your ideas clearly is the actual challenge. That is the purpose of self-editing. After you’ve given your paper the best polish you can, gather other people’s opinions to refine it even further before submitting it for review.