After the Deadline

Very few of us are able to churn out perfectly error-free writing every time — we’re all constantly editing and proofreading, and many of us are on the lookout for tools and tips to help. (After all, that’s why you use After the Deadline!)

Colleges and universities are great resources for editing and proofing. Many of them have dedicated writing centers for those very purposes, and many of those centers publish online resources that are accessible to the public.

Here are a few we think are especially useful:

• Colorado State University’s Writing Studio has a wide range of tips, from how to tailor your writing to your audience to how to track down every last typo. There’s also a print-friendly version, if you prefer to read hard copies or want every resource in a single document for easy skimming.
• The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill has a handy quick-reference guide to help you develop a proofreading strategy. It’s also a test — the guide contains seven errors. Can you spot them all? Take a second look, and then check out the edited version.
• The University of Wisconsin – Madison Writing Center publishes a writers’ handbook that lays out simple techniques for improving your proofing and answers common grammar questions. Confused by semicolons? Not sure about your conjunctive adverb? They can help.

You don’t have to go back to school to take advantage of these helpful resources!