How to proofread your work

What is proofreading?

Proofreading, the process of checking text for errors and mistakes, is a vital academic skill that can improve the quality of your written work at university and beyond. 

Proofreading is important in all writing because it's frequently the small details that matter. You don't want your reader – whether that's a lecturer, a potential employer or anyone else – to be distracted by errors on the surface of your text. You want them to engage with all the good things you have to say.

But there is more to proofreading than just checking your work. The guidance below will introduce you to some of the main things to watch out for when you are proofreading and some useful strategies to make sure that you are getting the most out of your proofreading and producing polished written work free from avoidable errors.

There are lots of factors to consider in your proofreading, from grammar and punctuation to the use of numbers, referencing and the overall formatting of the work. Download our handy checklist (PDF, 570KB) for your assessed work.

Our editing and proofreading workshop will share a number of key editing and proofreading techniques and give you the skills you need to improve the quality of your own written work:

Book a place at an Editing and Proofreading workshop

Getting to grips with grammar

If grammar is an issue and you would like some further training and guidance, check out the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) online grammar bank.

It provides interactive online training in the use of academic grammar with a series of short activities that you can apply to your academic writing.

Access the ELTC grammar bank

Using translation tools

GenAI is built into a number of popular translation and writing tools including Google Translate and Grammarly. Used appropriately, these tools can help you to develop and refine your use and understanding of academic English. However, it is important to recognise that demonstrating a proficiency in written English may be a requirement of your programme. With this in mind, you should ensure that you are using GenAI tools to enhance your writing skills, rather than replace them. 

You may wish to use GenAI translation tools in the following ways:

• Clarifying instructions and course materials: if you are not sure what something means in an assignment question or in your course materials, you could try using a translation tool to seek clarification. Please remember that you can also ask your tutor for clarification if you are still not sure.
• As a language-learning tool: are you finding it difficult to understand a complex concept in your notes or in a source? Try using a translation tool to engage with it in your first language. Compare the translation to the original to help understand the language and grammatical structures that have been used in the original. This may be especially helpful if you are trying to paraphrase an idea in English using your own words.
• Sense-checking your own writing: if you are not confident that you have expressed something accurately in your writing, you could use a translation tool to translate it into your first language. Does the output reflect what you wanted to say? If not, try adjusting your writing until you are satisfied that it does. 

You should be aware of the following issues when using translation tools:

• Writing generated by a translation tool does not count as your own work. You should not submit sections of translated text for assessment. Instead, use generated text as a way to inform the process of expressing yourself using your own words.
• Translation tools often make mistakes. You should not accept the output of a translation tool uncritically. Instead, ask yourself what you can learn from it to influence your own writing?

Over-reliance on translation tools can impact negatively on your learning. Using academic English may not be easy, but it gets easier with practice and feedback. Try to avoid reaching for a translation tool if you can avoid it and you will soon develop your own academic voice.

Using Generative AI

Generative AI can be a very useful tool to help you improve both your general and academic English. It can be used to check the correctness of your written or spoken work, give feedback on your English help you to develop your understanding of grammar your vocabulary range. 

Below are different ways it can be used to help refine your writing including some example prompts:

Checking if a phrase or sentence you wrote is correct in English

PROMPT: Is the following phrase correct in written academic English? "[insert phrase]"

Getting linguistic feedback on your writing

PROMPT: Look at the following text and identify the most common types of grammatical errors. Do not correct them, but give me explanations for those grammatical structures. "[insert text]"

PROMPT: Look at this extract from my essay and identify common grammatical and vocabulary errors. Do not correct them, but suggest general improvements I need to make my language clearer. "[insert text]"

Developing your vocabulary

PROMPT: What are the most common phrases used in academic writing in this text? [paste in text].

PROMPT: Give me a synonym for "[word or phrase]"?​​​​​​

PROMPT: Explain the word/phrase "[word or phrase]" and give me a variety of examples of how it could be used.

PROMPT: Explain the difference in meaning between "[word or phrase]" and "[word or phrase]"  and give me examples of each word in use.

Getting feedback on the tone and clarity of your communication

PROMPT: Assess the clarity of language and expression in the following text. Are concepts and ideas communicated in a way that is easily understandable? Provide clear and simple feedback on areas where the writing could be improved. "[insert extract of your work]"

PROMPT: Evaluate the academic style and tone of the writing in the following text and provide constructive feedback on areas for possible improvement: "[insert extract of your work]"

Remember: GenAI will not always know best so you should use your judgement at all times when you are deciding whether or not to accept a recommendation or feedback on your work. 

Things to watch out for include:

• Use of personal pronouns and the first person: GenAI may recommend that you express things directly using ‘I’. Sometimes that may help to improve the clarity of your writing, but it may also compromise your academic tone.
• Use of hedging language: hedging language (such as ‘literature suggests’, ‘it seems that’ etc) is an important feature of academic writing that allows us to avoid overstatement. Gen AI tools may recommend that you drop hedging language in favour of more assertive language, which may not be appropriate to the evidence available. 

Things to watch out for

GenAI will not always know best so you should use your judgement at all times when you are deciding whether or not to accept a recommendation or feedback on your work. Just because GenAI tools are available, it doesn’t mean that you either have to or will want to use them in every situation. Specific issues to watch out for when using GenAI to to proofread your work include:

• GenAI tools can’t match human levels of creativity and you need to ensure that your own style and voice shine through in your writing.
• GenAI tools usually produce a generic and surface level output which is likely to lack the critical insight required of good academic writing.
• Use of personal pronouns and the first person: GenAI may recommend that you express things directly using ‘I’. Sometimes that may help to improve the clarity of your writing, but it may also compromise your academic tone.
• Use of hedging language: hedging language (such as ‘literature suggests’, ‘it seems that’ etc) is an important feature of academic writing that allows us to avoid overstatement. Gen AI tools may recommend that you drop hedging language in favour of more assertive language, which may not be appropriate to the evidence available. 
• Issues have been reported with AI tools outputs being presented in American English. Consider this when proofreading your work.
• Outputs from AI tools sometimes contain inaccuracies and biases. You therefore need to undertake your own research and due diligence to ensure any such errors are not carried forward into your own work. 

Although GenAI can do a reasonable job of approximating human generated text, it will often use formulaic or generic language that avoids adopting a critical stance on an issue. Such language will stand out to a reader as a red flag that GenAI has been used.

The following phrases are examples of 'AI speak' that should be avoided:

Remember: you should never copy and paste from a GenAI tool as it is a form of plagiarism. 

Finally, recognise the importance of logging how you have used AI tools throughout the process of planning and writing your essay or report. Keep good records of what you have used GenAI tools for, how you have used them, and what the outputs were. Many departments will require you to complete a declaration using the Acknowledge, Describe, Evidence model. 

Access the Generative AI Assessment checklist:

Access the Generative AI Assessment checklist (Google doc)

Access the Acknowledge, Describe, Evidence template:

Access the Acknowledge, Describe, Evidence template (Google doc)

Please note: some schools may use a different template for acknowledging GenAI use. Check with your school or tutor to ensure you are following the correct process for your programme or module.

Using paid proofreading services

There are a large number of companies offering paid proofreading services to students.

Be aware that the University of Sheffield does not endorse any of these services. If you use them, you do so at your own risk.

All writing submitted for assessment must be your own work, so any external input into your writing carries with it a risk of plagiarism.

Proofreading your own work is free, carries no risk of plagiarism and will teach you a new transferable skill.

For more information on plagiarism, collusion and unfair means, see our guidance for students on academic integrity:

Visit the Academic integrity page

Proofreading top tips

• Build time into your plan for proofreading, preferably allowing a day or so after you have finished writing to allow you to approach your work with fresh eyes. 
• Don’t start proofreading until you're completely finished with the actual writing and editing.
• It may be easier to spot mistakes if you proofread from a paper printout of your text rather than from a screen version.
• Forget the content or story and focus on each paragraph or section. One way to do this is to begin proofreading from your last paragraph to your first paragraph. If you read in the order that you have written the text, the brain is lulled into a false sense of security and it is easy to miss errors. Reading in reverse helps concentration and noticing.
• Make several passes for different types of errors, e.g. check for correct referencing throughout the whole document, then check for grammar, punctuation and spelling, then check layout and structure
• If you do make a last-minute change to a few words, make sure you check the entire sentence, or even paragraph, over again.
• Check facts, dates, quotes, tables, references, text boxes, and anything repetitive or outside of the main text separately.
• Get familiar with your frequent mistakes.
• Check your formatting last of all. 

Next steps 

• Academic Writing
• How to format your work

Further Resources 

• Open University – Editing and checking
• BBC – Editing and proofreading