Which type of mistake in a student’s paper should be corrected during the editing stage?

The use of homophones—such as "to," "too," and "two"—should be corrected during the editing stage because this phase focuses on surface-level elements of writing, including grammar, punctuation, and word choice. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings, making their correct usage essential for clarity and accuracy in writing. Correcting homophone errors helps ensure that the intended meaning is conveyed, as these mistakes can significantly alter the message of a sentence.

In the editing phase, the writer reviews their work for these types of errors to improve readability and correctness before finalizing the paper. Other types of mistakes, like sentence fragments and run-on sentences, are generally addressed earlier in the writing process, during revision, where broader structural and content issues are considered. The use of commas for items in a sequence involves more complex formatting that may also be better tackled in the revision stage to assess overall sentence structure and flow.