# Proofreading

**Source**: https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/mohamed-taymour-writing-and-communication-center/writing-tips-and-resources/proofreading
**Parent**: https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/mohamed-taymour-writing-and-communication-center/writing-tips-and-resources

No matter how careful you are with your draft, you are most likely going to make some common mistakes. To catch these mistakes you need to:

1. Take a break from your paper; a few minutes will do.
2. Read with a “cover” (sliding a blank sheet of paper down the page as you read).
3. Read out loud.
4. Read slowly.

If that doesn’t work, try to read backwards. When we read, our mind focuses on content and tries to establish meaning, and can thus sometimes forget about mechanical errors. If you read the last sentence first and then the sentence before that, your mind will not get distracted by meaning and will be able to focus on [grammar and mechanics](https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/mohamed-taymour-writing-and-communication-center/grammar-and-mechanics).

If you find that you make consistent errors in one or more areas, try reading your draft multiple times, focusing on a different kind of error each time. For example, the first reading you may try only looking for sentence fragments, and then in the next reading, you may look solely for capitalization errors.