Why should you Proofread and Edit your Literature Review?

Every academic thesis or dissertation will have a literature review as an essential component. It usually forms one of the first chapters of a thesis or dissertation. A literature review can also find its place in a research proposal, an application for a grant from the government, a journal article, etc., but it is the literature review in an academic thesis or dissertation that needs all the care in preparing for it, designing it and writing it.



A literature review is a systematic written summary of all available literature on a specific research topic. That will be the gist of all the research that has gone into that subject over time. Great care has to be taken in collecting the literature because that data is going to be material for the literature review write.

Take care to collect all information regarding the material you collect as they will be needed when you cite the information in the literature review and follow it up with a reference. Before you write the literature review ensure that you have understood all the requirements prescribed by the university or institution and the specifications put forth by the style you are to follow, such as the APA style, Harvard style, MLA style, etc. Even if you have written it in conformity with all the above instructions and regulations, you will still need to proofread and edit it after completing it. Sometimes you will need to review and edit it more than once. It is better to review it at last one day after completing it. If you do it immediately after composing it you are likely to miss some of the usual errors.

Why do you proofread and edit your literature review? You may have the conviction that you have carefully drafted it and reviewed it you may have even done a spell check. However, several mistakes may remain even after all those attempts. Mistakes may include grammatical errors, punctuation problems, typos, repetitions, ambiguity, incorrect words or phrases, etc. Then come the citation and reference which will often have so many pitfalls that only a very careful proofreader will spot them. A careful proofreading and editing will also enable you to change a few phrases or connectives to make it flow better. In short, proofreading and editing will definitely make your literature review more refined and presentable.