Editing is one of the most important parts, if not the most important part, of the writing process—whether we’re working on a business report, an academic paper, a blog post, or a novel.

Editing serves several important purposes: it refines ideas, improves clarity, and increases the readability of content. However, many writers and editors make mistakes that undermine the result. In this guide, we look at the most common mistakes and show you strategies for making your editing process as effective as possible. 

The role of editing and proofreading

Before we talk about common mistakes, let’s look at the difference between editing and proofreading. Editing is about improving content, structure, style, and clarity. It involves rewriting sections, improving the flow, and ensuring coherence. Proofreading, on the other hand, is the final stage of the process and focuses on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If you don’t separate these tasks, errors can be overlooked and the revisions can be ineffective. 

Structural and organisational editing mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes editors make is not checking the overall structure of the text and rushing to correct the content at sentence level. By not ensuring that the overall structure of the document is sound, editing efforts can be wasted on surface-level corrections while deeper structural issues remain unresolved. 

In academic texts, this often means that the introduction, body, and conclusion do not match the thesis statement. In non-academic texts, such as marketing and business documents, it can mean that there is no logical progression of ideas or a clear call to action. 

To avoid this mistake, first read the entire document without making corrections. Then outline the main points and check that they follow a logical order. This ensures that the introduction sets clear expectations and the conclusion emphasises the core message. 

Another common mistake is not paying attention to consistency. A lack of consistency in terminology, names, and formatting can confuse the reader. In academic papers, this often happens when key terms are referenced differently throughout the paper. In business writing, it’s often about inconsistencies in company branding, tone of voice, or terminology, which can negatively impact the credibility and professionalism of your work. 

One way to maintain consistency throughout the document is to use a style sheet with preferred terms, spelling, and formatting rules. In most word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, you can use the “Find and Replace” function to identify inconsistencies. 

Another common editing mistake is not adapting the content for readability and audience. Editing should not be limited to correcting errors, but should also make the text clearer and more appealing to the reader.

In academic contexts, it is important to use clear and concise language and to avoid overly complicated sentences and excessive jargon in order to maintain readability. In non-academic texts, such as business documents, marketing materials, or blog posts, overly technical language can confuse readers. Simplified phrasing and a tone of voice adapted to the target audience improve readability in both cases. 

See also: How to make your writing more readable for academic success

Line editing mistakes

Correcting grammatical errors is important, but it is equally important to refine the rhythm of writing and eliminate redundancies. Many writers often fall into awkward phrasing, repetitive sentence structures, and unnecessary filler words such as “really,” “very,” and “just.” The solution is to improve sentence variety, delete unnecessary words, and read the text aloud. 

The overuse of the passive voice and weak verbs is another point you should be aware of. The passive voice is not wrong per se, but overuse can make your text seem weak and impersonal. By changing passive constructions to active ones, you can improve clarity. For example, instead of writing, “The results were analysed by the researcher,” it’s better to say, “The researcher analysed the results.” 

Replacing weak verbs with more precise alternatives can also make your sentence more impactful. For example, it is more concise and effective if you use “improve” instead of “make improvements.” 

Another mistake that can weaken the readability of content is ignoring transitions and logical flow. Without proper transitions, even well-written sentences seem disjointed. Additionally, without clear connections between the ideas, it would be difficult for readers to follow the author’s argument. The use of transition words such as “therefore,” “however,” or “consequently” can improve the reading flow. Also, make sure your paragraphs follow a logical order to improve readability and coherence. 

Proofreading mistakes

Proofreading too soon after editing is another common mistake that can compromise the effectiveness of the final revision. Editing and proofreading require a fresh perspective, and if you review your content immediately after writing or editing, you can easily miss errors because you’re over-familiar with the text. 

Taking a break before proofreading, ideally for several hours or a day, helps improve accuracy. Changing formats, such as reading the text in a new font or with a different background color, or on a cell phone instead of a computer can help you spot errors that you might not otherwise notice. 

See also: Why you should draft, edit, and proofread separately

Another mistake is reading the text too quickly while proofreading. Skimming the document increases the likelihood of overlooking typos and small punctuation errors. A deliberate, slow approach is necessary for effective proofreading. Using a ruler or a finger as a reading aid is helpful for some people as it helps them focus on each word. 

It is also advisable to read the text backwards, sentence by sentence. This forces you to focus on individual words rather than the overall meaning and makes it easier to spot spelling errors.

Ignoring formatting and typographical errors can make an otherwise well-written document look unprofessional. Even if the content is flawless, inconsistent fonts, font sizes, spacing, and alignment can distract the reader. Check the consistency of fonts, make sure spacing is correct, and verify that  bullet points and numbers are formatted correctly. 

Citation and reference mistakes

Inconsistent or incorrect citation styles is a mistake that academic writers often make. Mixing APA, Chicago, and MLA formats in the same document can lead to confusion and affect credibility. To maintain consistency, you can use citation management tools like Zotero or EndNote. Also, don’t forget to check the formatting against the official style guidelines to ensure accuracy.

Failing to match in-text citations with references is another common mistake when editing academic texts. It is easy to cite a source in the text but forget to include it in the reference list, or vice versa. To avoid this mistake, cross-check all in-text citations against the reference list. It is also advisable to use a checklist to ensure that all sources have been correctly cited and included in the reference list. 

Relying on a single review

Relying on a single review is another mistake that can lead to errors being overlooked. Even experienced editors can overlook errors if they have read a document too many times. Having someone else review the text gives you a fresh perspective and a higher chance of spotting errors. Using text-to-speech software to listen to the text out loud is another helpful way to spot awkward phrasing and missing words.

InstaText: An editing assistant to help you avoid frequent pitfalls

As discussed, careful and systematic revision of an academic paper, business document, or creative work is the key to a polished, professional text. Using the right editing assistants can improve the editing process immensely, making it faster, more accurate, and more efficient.

InstaText is one such tool that allows you to edit your text iteratively and interactively, helping you convey your ideas with accuracy and impact.

If you are already a user, you can find more tips on writing and editing on our blog. If you’re not a user yet, you can try InstaText for free and see how it can improve your editing experience.

“Using InstaText is intuitive and simple. We use it by copying previously created texts (emails, offers, project descriptions…) and checking them for possible improvements. The main advantage is that InstaText suggests how to rewrite the whole text and automatically selects more suitable words. This allows us to get the improved text faster and easier.”

— Enya Caserman, Business Designer

“This tool is outstanding, exceeded my expectations. I’m used to using Grammarly but InstaText is a more thorough tool and comes up with much better suggestions for rewrites. A game changer for editing.”

— Stephan Skovlund, Business Consultant

“What I liked about InstaText was its great customization capacity that allowed us to generate content completely adapted to each client based on their needs and sector of activity. I could create copy that was a perfect extension of each company’s brand voice. In addition, its very intuitive interface facilitated the creative process when coming up with ideas and writing new texts.”

— Valentin Cordoba, Marketing Specialist