REMEMBER: We don't edit; we teach.
What's the difference between working with one of our tutors vs. working with an editor?
| Writing & Communications Center Tutors | Editors/Proofreaders |
|---|---|
| Aim to help students improve overall competence, independence, and autonomy in the subject | Aim to correct and perfect student work on individual assignments |
| Comment on strengths in student work and discuss opportunities for improvement without judgment | Focus on errors or weak points and judge the effectiveness of the work |
| Ask exploratory questions intended to guide students in reflection on higher-order concerns, such as thesis, purpose, audience, genre, and meeting assignment expectations | Focus primarily on lower-order concerns, such as spelling, grammar, and syntax |
| Guide students in the development and application of their own ideas | Provide ideas and tell students how to incorporate them |
| Encourage students to take ownership of their work by taking notes throughout the session | Mark “line-by-line” errors on student work |
| Guide students in identifying and correcting lower-order concerns, such as spelling, grammar, and syntax, and introduce students to resources for further reference and development of self-sufficiency in proofreading | Correct errors without providing explanation or resources for further study |
| Guide students to develop revision plans and/or goals for future assignments or projects | Create short-term revision plans for students to perfect one assignment or project |