The more you proofread, the sharper your eye will become. Need to upskill your team in proofreading to ensure consistency and accuracy in your output? We run tailored in-company proofreading courses which include bespoke, practical exercises built using your own content. Get in touch if you think we can help. Catie joined Emphasis with an English literature and creative writing degree and a keen interest in what makes language work. Having researched and written dozens of articles for the Emphasis blog, she now knows more about the intricacies of effective professional writing than she ever thought possible.

She produced and co-wrote our online training programme, Emphasis , and these days oversees all the Emphasis marketing efforts. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level. The first draft of a document is usually something like the proverbial first pancake: a less-than-ideal shape, a little thin in some parts and undercooked in others. It can take […]. Toggle navigation. info writing-skills. Editing Services Blended learning Remote learning Editing for companies Executive coaching Bespoke webinars Writing analysis Coaching clinics Developing your style guide Business-writing services Bid consulting. Blog About us Our story Our approach Our people Our clients Our case studies Our pricing Our locations FAQs. Courses Courses for companies Browse all our courses for companies Build your own course Courses for individuals Browse all our courses for individuals Individual coaching Browse our online courses for individuals e-learning e-learning for companies e-learning for individuals Services Editing Executive coaching Writing analysis Remote learning Blog About us Our story Our approach Our people Our clients Our case studies Our locations Contact us.

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Proofreading techniques for perfect results 1. Get some distance If you try and proofread straight after you finish writing, you will be blind to your typos and everything will appear exactly as you expect it to. Set up for success Speaking of fresh, aim to proofread at a time when you will be. Print it out when it counts Working on a hard copy is still the most surefire way to spot errors in a document. Be methodical Take the text line by line, using the ruler or blank paper as a guide to cover the upcoming text and pointing to each word with your pencil or stylus.

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Thanks, Liz. This is a really helpful article. I am a great one for reading something several times and not spotting obvious typos! Grammarly has been a bonus since Aesta advised me to download the free version. Even so you can guarantee that Hub Page editors still find mistakes despite several proof reads by me. Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Laura. Printing out work is good, but it ends up being twice as much work because you then have to copy your changes on the computer. I agree that the more edits you do, the better; for your own work, it's fine, but for clients' work with deadlines, you want to be able to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Good topic. It can be hard to proofread documents on a screen. I like to print my work out and proofread with a pen before making the changes in Word. Even then, I still catch things while I'm entering the corrections and changes. Also, proofreading backwards helps to catch any rushed mistakes at the end of a document. In the end, the more edits you do, the better off you will be. Tech News. Social Networking. Internet Culture. Internet Entertainment. Internet Security. Internet Browsers. Computer Repairs. Cell Phones. Consumer Electronics. Voice Assistants. Cameras and Photography. Smart Watches. Home Theater Equipment Information. Industrial Technology. What's the Best Mobile Device Photo Scanning App?

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Proofreading is an important skill for any writer. Whether you are a researcher or an academic, writing and publishing are important parts of your career. Before you submit any article for publication, you must proofread it thoroughly. How is proofreading done? In this article, we will review the key parts of proofreading, discuss how it differs from other types of editing, and give you some tips on ways to effectively proofread your own papers. We will focus on English proofreading, but you can apply these tips to proofreading in another language as well.

What is Proofreading? Proofreading is when you carefully check a document for errors such as basic grammar, style and consistency before it is published or submitted for publication. Items that a proofreader should review include proper spelling, capitalization, spacing between words, punctuation, and formatting. For writers who are submitting an article to a publisher that requires a specific citation format APA, Chicago, etc. How do you Proofread Documents? Professional proofreaders develop their own style and process for effectively proofreading documents over time.

This process can vary depending on the type of document. Technical documents that have formulas or complex figures may require a proofreader to pay special attention to punctuation or capitalization. For example, while in English, there is generally a space between a word and a parenthesis, in chemical formulas, there is no space. Many proofreaders who offer professional proofreading services find it most effective to begin their work by reviewing different sections at a time. For example, a proofreader may begin by reviewing all of the heading and chapter titles to ensure they are consistent and correct. Next, the proofreader may then go back through the document focusing on any tables or figures. It is only at the end that a proofreader will read through the entire document to see if there are any problems or errors that they missed the first few times.

Tips for Proofreading Effectively While each proofreader has their own methodology, all proofreaders should keep several things in mind. The following are some tips from experienced proofreaders that can help make the job easier. The first five tips are general recommendations for anyone who is faced with the task of proofreading, particularly proofreading their own work. The second five tips presume that you are using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word to perform the task of English proofreading. Proofreading your own work can be difficult and tedious. Fortunately, there are numerous professional proofreading services available. Hiring proofreading services can be particularly useful for anyone who needs to strictly adhere to a particular citation style.

Professional proofreading services have the expertise and resources to ensure that your document meets all of the requirements. Whether you hire someone or you do it yourself, proofreading is an essential step for any writer before publication. Home Knowledge Base how-to-proofread. How to Proofread Proofreading is an important skill for any writer. Take a break from the text. You should never finish writing a text and then directly begin proofreading. You need a break of at least several hours and preferably several days so that you can approach the text with a fresh set of eyes. Approach the text in sections. Begin by focusing on headings, then address tables and figures. Read different paper sections out of order. Reading the entire paper through should be your final step. Stay consistent.

If you make a change to a word, phrase, punctuation mark, etc. Print out the text and review the hard copy version when you do your final proofreading round. However, it is well-documented that reading on paper allows people to catch errors they might miss when reading on a computer screen. Read aloud. Sometimes it is easier to catch errors when you hear what you read. Reading aloud can also help you stay focused. Review your spellchecking settings before you begin. Do you love the Oxford comma? Never, ever rely fully on spellchecking programs. While spellcheckers can be a lifesaver, you cannot depend on them to do the entire job for you. Spellcheckers will not pick up on words that are used incorrectly to vs. too vs. In addition, if you are editing a paper or article that incorporates foreign language terms, spellcheckers will have difficulty properly distinguishing errors.

Know your language and citation style. Should the paper be in American English? British English? Are all of the citations correctly formatted? In many documents, if an error has been made once, it has been made throughout the text. Get familiar with the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus. English is a complex and inconsistent language with numerous variations. Sometimes there can be more than one right answer. Both are available online for free.

Now, every time you change something in the document, it becomes visible. Also, proofreading backwards helps to catch any rushed mistakes at the end of a document. By Heidi Thorne Jan 14, Voice Assistants. Internet Entertainment. Sometimes there can be more than one right answer.

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