Writing a dissertation is one thing, but editing is another and the most important one that is ignored. You might have written a perfect document with so much creativity, but if it has mistakes, nothing will work. Therefore, you must always edit it before submitting it. To do this, there are various dissertation editing services available, where the experts will help you rectify the mistakes. So, let us begin to learn what these mistakes are:
What Are the Mistakes in Editing a Dissertation?
Grammar Mistakes
The grammar of content is used to structure the language and create sentences in proper formation. There are numerous errors that you can make while writing; some of the most common are:
- Unnecessary shift in verbs
- Vague use of pronouns
- Wrong words used
- Fragmentation of sentences
- Incorrect pronouns
These mistakes can change the entire meaning of the thought you want to convey through your words. When the message of a sentence changes in a dissertation, it can affect the content.
Misspelling and Typos
Spelling errors are the most basic and frequent type of blunder you can make while writing. These can be unintentional, like typing errors, and sometimes they come out of confusion. As the languages or spellings used in different countries are different.
Punctuation Errors
Punctuation is the system of marks and symbols that you can use to separate, clarify, and enhance the meaning of something. The common mistakes in punctuation includes:
- Missing or unnecessary capitalization
- Misplaced apostrophes
- Misused or omitted commas
- Poor integration of quotations
- Absent hyphens
Without rectifying the punctuation errors, you cannot create an effective dissertation. These look small but have the highest impact.
Writing Weaknesses
Everyone has some or other weakness, and knowing it at an early age can help you overcome it easily. These can be:
- Crutch words
- Improper usage of language techniques
- Inconsistency in paragraphs
- Repetition of words
- Confusing sentences
All these are the weaknesses a writer can have and which can be seen in his piece.
Wrong Words
Spelling mistakes can be forgiven, but using the wrong words is not. These can make you look amateurish, and at the same time, you lose control over your meaning. It can turn the entire content upside down by changing the meaning. Therefore, while writing a technical dissertation, ensure to use proper words with correct spellings.
Structural Blunders
The structure is a crucial thing that you need to create properly in a dissertation. There must be guidelines and requirements provided by your professor for the structure. While evaluating your dissertation, these are the first things to consider. These mistakes can be the wrong font size, mismatched font styles, margin spacing, and more.
Editing While Still Writing
Editing and writing are two distinct and independent activities. It's crucial to avoid overlapping them. You use your creativity while writing. A process based on logic and principles is called as editing. Let yourself appreciate each phase on its own. You can start self-editing once your creative presentation is finished.
How to Overcome These Mistakes?
Start Editing in Your Mind
Editing the document does not always mean that you have to check the content. But sometimes, it starts with the writing process itself. It means that, when you are clear about the guidelines, the mistakes that can occur and more, you will be more alert when you write the document. It is also the editing that is done by being careful and alert.
Plan Your Editing Process
Planning your editing process is a must for a dissertation, as it is a lengthy write-up that needs time to be corrected. Therefore, if you do not plan it the chances are that you cannot finish it on time. So, plan your time accordingly to ensure you have finished it before submission. To do this, you must be rational while allotting time to a particular section. It should not be too long and not too short.
Know Your Main Writing Concerns
As there is a limited time in which you have to edit your document, knowing your strengths and weakness will help you a lot. So, you must understand the loopholes and blunders that you can make while writing a piece. When you focus on correcting these first, you will be completing the half of the work.
Become Familiar with the Writing Conventions
Writing conventions are the crucial thing that you need to know when you are working on formal documents like dissertations. These are different for different disciplines, so you need to work accordingly. It is the area where most of the students make mistakes and need assistance from editing and proofreading services. These professionals will help you to make your document appropriate according to the requirements.
Language Use in Your Subject Area
Language is another necessary criterion to consider while working on a dissertation. As different languages have different terminologies, sometimes the meaning of the words is also different. Therefore, you need to consider the language that your institute demands and stick to that in the entire content.
Chapter By Chapter
Each chapter in a dissertation serves a distinct purpose and is essentially an independent section. A data and findings chapter, a conclusions chapter, and a chapter on literature reviews, all accomplish quite different things. You have to ensure the appropriate content is in the appropriate chapter at this point in the editing process.
Spelling and Grammar Check
As already discussed, spelling and grammatical mistakes are the worst things you can do while writing your dissertation. So, in the editing process, you need to ensure if all the words are correctly spelt. In addition, you must also check the appropriate usage of punctuation and other things to make a perfect document.
Conclusion
So, there are the most common pitfalls that you can make while working on the dissertation. In addition, this article has equipped you with the techniques to avoid these mistakes. Even after this, you have doubts and cannot edit your document, you can seek help from dissertation editing services.
