Is the Research Paper Completed?

Proofreading the paper

There are several steps in proofreading a research paper:

  • Use the spelling and grammar checks available in the word processing software
    • Vocabulary commonly used in health sciences may need to be added
    • Thesaurus can also be helpful
  • Read your paper aloud
    • Do the hypothesis, conclusion, and format make sense?
    • Reading helps find grammar and spelling errors that spelling/grammar checkers miss.
  • Have someone else read your paper
    • Another person will be a good judge about the format and content
    • If it makes sense to them, then the professor will probably be able to understand your paper as well.
  • Verifying all citations

Verifying that all citations are present and accurate

The purpose of citing material or including references is to make it possible for a reader to find these citations again and to avoid plagiarism.

  • Make sure that all information requiring citations has citations in the paper. To verify this, review Citing My Resources.
  • Verify the format of the citation versus the style manual. To review this again look at Style Manuals
  • Check the typed citation versus your photocopy of the article, book, or web sites, to make sure the numbers and dates are accurate.
  • Since web sites frequently change addresses, or are revised, verify citations or references again so that your information is as accurate as possible.

If you need further information, click Research Assistant to go back to the Research Assistant.