No college or university student needs to be taught how to write; still it would be a salutary lesson for some of them to be told the basic rules of editing a text. It is not a problem to write an e-mail letter, a note, or an ICQ message, but more sophisticated and complex works (such as research papers or proposals, personal statements and essays) demand post-writing attention. The editing procedure, as a rule, starts after the first draft of your paper is ready. You edit by extending, enlarging, and choosing appropriate vocabulary and grammar constructions as well as by other means. Still, there are several secrets of more effective editing and they presuppose several text layers to work with, including:
- paper content;
- structure of the proposal;
- style of your narration;
- citation and formatting rules, etc.
After the entire process of research proposal writing is finished, you need to devote special attention to careful editing and proofreading. It is useful to have a little rest after writing and before editing a research proposal, so change the occupation for a while and give your tired eyes and brain a little relaxation. In several hours or days it will be easier for you to catch the mistakes in the text.
Sometimes, even simple and “child’s play” rules are of great value while editing. For instance, you will need to use the appropriate voices (active or passive) in your paper, place the modifiers before modifying objects, and avoid repetition of grammar and vocabulary constructions within the proposal, etc. As a result of the research proposal editing process, your paper should be well-organized, well-thought out, and reasonably structured. The generally accepted structural components of a research proposal include its Title (Proofread it three or four times! According to statistical data, most of the mistakes appear on the title page of the paper), Abstract, Introduction, Theoretical Framework, Literature Review, and Methodology followed by Significance of Research and Timeline. The References and Appendices follow. Also, all components of the paper are to be logically connected with one another. What is more, you need to ensure a strong transition between paragraphs and sentences inside the paragraphs. This will help the audience catch the flow of your thoughts.
Following the correct citation and formatting styles while composing a research proposal is also of vital importance. For clearer paper formatting, you need to consult corresponding guidelines on APA, MLA, Turabian, Chicago or other styles and follow them. Besides, you need to be sure that you have satisfied all your tutor’s requirements and standards.