The best researched dissertation will attract the lowest grade if it contains grammatical and typographical mistakes, among other errors. In fact, some of your ideas and arguments will be distorted by poor language use, choice of words and poor sentence organization. Editing, therefore, becomes a paramount part of the writing process.
The editing exercise helps to improve the quality of your work. As such, it should be approached with the following in mind to ensure that it delivers the best results.
When planning for your paper, set aside enough time to complete the work long before the set deadline. This will prevent a rush that leaves you vulnerable to numerous mistakes. With ample time on your side, you can peruse through the work slowly and keenly to identify as many errors as possible. Providing enough time to edit will increase your chances of identifying all the mistakes.
Regardless of your confidence in language, always engage a third party. The fact that you are the writer increases the chances of missing on some errors. A third party will identify these errors since he or she has not interacted with the document previously.
The editor should only correct obvious errors like missing words or missed spellings. This will prevent alteration of ideas which changes the meaning of your arguments. It is advisable that the editor should highlight areas that need correction especially if the alteration will change the meaning. It is upon you to make the recommended changes.
Editing is a professional undertaking. There are professional dissertation editors available online and on other work platforms. Pick a highly trained and experienced editor to safeguard the quality of your work. The expertise and experience of your editor will be reflected in the quality of the final paper. While at it, settle for specialists in your area of study e.g. sciences, arts, law, etc, as opposed to a general editor. The specialist understands the vocabulary and ideas better than a general editor.
Go through the edited dissertation before submitting it to your supervisor or committee. You understand the topic and field better than the editor. Consider the comments and highlights by the editor and make changes where necessary. Focus on areas that are likely to alter the meaning of sentences and paragraphs. You are the final decision maker in approving or disapproving these changes.