Resources and posts about how to edit your own work
This reference is for tables and appendices only. Be sure to consult your department/program handbook to view the dissertation formatting requirements. Figures (e.g., photos or graphics) may have different formatting requirements. For formatting photos and [...]
DOIs & URLs in Dissertations From time to time we field questions about how to properly style URLs within the References section of a dissertation. In this post I will outline our expectations and some [...]
ORCID Scholar Number: AU students are required to include their ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) number on the title page of their dissertations/theses. Doing so, will ensure that the dissertation and your identity are protected [...]
WEX Editors on Common Errors Seen in Dissertations We’ve asked the WEX editors about the common APA errors they’re seeing in dissertations and have created this list in the hopes writers might have an advantage [...]
We’ve spent much time talking about editing, and now it’s proofreading time to take the front stage. We’ve all had the experience of reading a professional text and noticing a typo. The immediate response is [...]
Proofreading Checklist So many of us focus our writing time on the composing process and forget that the final product deserves a finishing touch. Don't neglect this final polish that all writing requires if [...]
Have you been told that your writing lacks direction or unity? If so, the following list of questions might help you edit for content. Focus on one or two areas below and revise for style [...]
Have you ever wondered what all the commotion was between hyphens and dashes? If you're writing for publication (esp in APA), you might have been given feedback from a reader or an editor about the [...]
Proofreading your own writing can be a difficult enterprise. You’ve read the material so many times that your eye doesn’t catch what can be glaring to an outside reader. Errors or typos are too quickly [...]
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently. For many writers, homophones are the number one reason for misspelled words. It’s not necessarily that we don’t know how to spell a certain [...]
Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize winning physicist who famously challenged colleagues to explain difficult concepts in simple language rather than “hide behind” the esoterica and arcane language of their fields. A popular [...]
If writing is a public act, then, your purpose as a writer is to ignite reader’s interest and understanding of what you are writing about. The “Show, Don’t Tell” strategy emphasizes the reader’s experience of [...]
