To effectively proofread a research paper, one must meticulously check for mistakes like misspelled words, typos, incorrect punctuation, subject-verb agreement errors, and spacing issues. Common proofreading mistakes include issues with spelling, punctuation, grammar, and missing words. It is recommended to proofread out loud, backwards, and have a colleague review the paper. One should not solely rely on spell check and must carefully proofread each sentence. Additionally, proper usage of commas, semi-colons, pronouns, and sentence structure should be examined along with adherence to formatting guidelines like margins, headings, references, font, and more in order to submit a high quality paper.