Help! I Need a Proofreader/Editor!

It is a laudable and even sensible goal for students to try to turn in grammatically correct papers; and, on occasion, one might come to the Stone Writing Center in hopes of getting an editor to find and fix every tiny, imaginable error he might have made. His hope, however, will not be fulfilled. Tutors can and will offer reasonable, diagnostic help, though. We can point out problem areas and teach students how to do the same kind of assessment of their writing. Our goal is for each student to become his own best editor so that he will not have to rely on others. It takes time and effort, but each aspect of grammar learned pays off over time, even if the work involved is not exactly a day at the beach. It may sound as if tutors lack sympathy for the student whose aim is a perfect paper; but our main goal is to assist students to become better writers (Mission Statement ). Even though the student’s immediate concern may be the paper due, the tutor’s concern is for the student as a writer overall. Tutors critique papers and suggest strategies for improvement but will not change/correct any student’s paper line by line. To do so would shortchange the student in the long run. That said, most writers do need someone else to look over their work, since we are often blind to our own errors. The reality is that we all make mistakes now and then. A friend or relative or fellow student might be able to help by reading the student’s paper and offering suggestions. The best idea, however, is for the writer to review errors that have been problematic for him in the past and learn the ins and outs of grammar so that he can be self-reliant. A student who wants to produce perfectly correct papers might also benefit from keeping a record of mistakes teachers have pointed out along the way. Then he can double check his work to be certain those same mistakes have not landed – like pesky squawking gulls - on his pages again. See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!