Sep 12, 2022
Writing Center: Offer of proofreading assistance for students of the TU Dresden
The final proofreading is usually more than the finishing touches to a paper. During the writing process, which often takes weeks, one has researched, conceptualized, perhaps experimented, written and revised, written and revised. A lot happens during the writing process. That's why taking a critical, detached look at your own text at the end is so important. The Writing Center of the TU Dresden ("Schreibzentrum der TU Dresden", SZD for short) supports students free of charge in this important work step with an offer of proofreading assistance .
Not everyone has a grandma who can proofread the final paper
However, since not all students have someone in their circle of acquaintances or relatives who can help with this, the Writing Center has been referring students who would like a final proofread to a volunteer editor or proofreader since the beginning of last year. These are people, mostly retired, who come from a wide variety of disciplines, are well versed in grammar, spelling, and expression, and offer their free support to students of the TU Dresden, mediated by the Writing Center, for this important step in their work.
Editors and proofreaders are not ghostwriters
While proofreading focuses on checking spelling and grammar, editors additionally support stylistic text revision. Neither proofreaders nor editors interfere with the content of the work. Both mark errors in the submitted texts and make suggestions on how the text can be linguistically improved - The revision itself is then again up to the student.
(Further) development of an idea
Originally, the offer was intended as support for international students who, in addition to the content of their studies, are confronted with the challenge of writing their papers in a foreign language.
In the meantime, the offer has been extended to German native speakers who feel insecure with the German language or whose lecturers refer them to the Writing Center for better readability of their work.
A good consultation is the be-all and end-all
Students who inquire about the offer are invited to a brief discussion after registering by e-mail with the Writing Center. The most important general conditions are clarified: By when must the work be finished? In what time frame is there time for proofreading or editing? What is the scope of the work? What should be paid special attention to during the review? With this information, a search is then made among the editors and proofreaders for someone who can take over the proofreading or editing at the appropriate time. If one is found, the contact is forwarded to the student. From this point on, all communication between the student and the editor/proofreader takes place.
Individual schedules and writing types
The exact schedule then varies greatly. Students can register early and let us know when they plan to have their work proofread/edited. In order for placement and independent revision to take place well after proofreading/editing, there should be at least two to three weeks left until submission at the time of request, depending on the size of the paper. Because sometimes it takes a few days until the contact can be established.
However, it is also possible to get in touch early without knowing exactly when the proofreading/editing is to be done. This way, you can give an approximate time frame and the writing center team can clarify which proofreader would be available in the requested time frame. As soon as the schedule is more precise, you can contact us again to agree on a more exact time frame for the proofreading/editing.
In addition, it is not uncommon for students to individually agree to send their work piecemeal, so that only a few pages can be corrected and then revised at a time. With this model, students can also contact the Writing Center early, even if they are not yet clear about their own schedule. This is how Stephanie Wenske, one of the editors, and her students proceeded, for example:
"We agreed that the student would send a part of the work little by little as something was completed. Finally, I reviewed the work in its entirety before the deadline and noted any minor issues."
Feedback from students and proofreaders so far indicates a pleasant working relationship. When students feel unsure about spelling or grammar, it is a relief to know that someone will be there to correct them.
And proofreaders also report good experiences, whether it's meeting students for coffee or cooking while they work, or having a stimulating exchange. Stephanie Wenske writes:
"My proofreading experience was very positive. Contact can be established easily and quickly by mail and I am glad that I could support the success of the thesis."
More information about the service is available on the Writing Center website under Services "Offers for students" > "Correction help".
text: Robert Bosse
Further information
- website "Good Scientific Practice at TU Dresden" [12.09.2022]
- on the concept of scientific editing (in German): Verband der Freien Lektorinnen und Lektoren e. V. [09.09.2022]
Contact for inquiries
© privat
Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft
NameRobert Bosse
Schreibberatung, Workshops
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© TUD
Writing Center of TU Dresden
Send encrypted email via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
Visiting address:
Fritz-Foerster-Bau, room 571 Mommsenstr. 6
01069 Dresden
Postal address:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Zentrum für Weiterbildung/Career Service
Schreibzentrum
01062 Dresden
The Writing Center of the TU Dresden (SZD) supports students and lecturers with offers for planning and writing various texts in studies such as vouchers, protocols, seminar papers and theses and for teaching academic writing in teaching and supervision. All information about offers and possibilities of support can be found in the areas for students and lecturers.
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