Some general tips: Read the instructions thoroughly, use their key word counter, if necessary copy and paste the key words into the body. Learn to proof read and use spell checkers, grammar checkers and similar tools. You basically have to be your own editor, and it is tough to catch your own mistakes.
Also, check out Textbroker's own resources via their YouTube Channel. According to their own internal resources, use and misuse of commas is the single biggest difference between being a 3 star author and being a 4 star author. Here are a couple of really good ones by them, starting with their coverage of the comma issue:
Commas, Commas, Commas
Dragons with Hats: A Tale of Parallel Construction
My favorite tool for checking my work is Paper Rater. I just copy and paste my finished article into it and check it. It helps me catch typos and grammatical errors. Doing this regularly has helped improve my writing and I typically see fewer errors these days on the first check.
I also generally go looking for good grammar resources online and AP Style resources. Over time, I expect to add more grammar and AP Style resources to this site, but, for now, just know that good grammar and adhering to AP Style rules will help you a great deal.
Last, when I first worked for them, I sometimes fat-fingered it and accidentally submitted an article I wasn't really finished writing. This plus generally poor work procedures helped ruin my rating. I started as a 4 and quickly dropped to a 2 and had to painstakingly put together good procedures to make sure my writing was consistently solid.
One of the most important tricks I learned: If the title box is empty, you cannot accidentally submit your article. (It will give you an error message telling you it needs a title.) So, I never, ever put a title in until after I have thoroughly checked my article and I feel I am actually ready to submit it.
Also, check out Textbroker's own resources via their YouTube Channel. According to their own internal resources, use and misuse of commas is the single biggest difference between being a 3 star author and being a 4 star author. Here are a couple of really good ones by them, starting with their coverage of the comma issue:
Commas, Commas, Commas
Dragons with Hats: A Tale of Parallel Construction
My favorite tool for checking my work is Paper Rater. I just copy and paste my finished article into it and check it. It helps me catch typos and grammatical errors. Doing this regularly has helped improve my writing and I typically see fewer errors these days on the first check.
I also generally go looking for good grammar resources online and AP Style resources. Over time, I expect to add more grammar and AP Style resources to this site, but, for now, just know that good grammar and adhering to AP Style rules will help you a great deal.
Last, when I first worked for them, I sometimes fat-fingered it and accidentally submitted an article I wasn't really finished writing. This plus generally poor work procedures helped ruin my rating. I started as a 4 and quickly dropped to a 2 and had to painstakingly put together good procedures to make sure my writing was consistently solid.
One of the most important tricks I learned: If the title box is empty, you cannot accidentally submit your article. (It will give you an error message telling you it needs a title.) So, I never, ever put a title in until after I have thoroughly checked my article and I feel I am actually ready to submit it.
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