17 Proofreading Tips for Non-Proofreaders
I have always admired proofreaders.
Their symbols. Their arcane grammatical knowledge. Their disdain.
I can say that. I’m one of them.
I have always admired proofreaders. Their symbols. Their arcane grammatical knowledge. Their disdain.*
I can say that. I’m one of them.
I, however, am also a proofreading realist. I have seen that a draconian approach to proofing too often backfires. People see all that red and back away. They read sentences that have been forced into awkward but grammatically correct shapes and recoil. They find the symbols cryptic and the proofreader pedantic.
So I pick my battles. I proof for clarity, consistency and correctness. I seek the errors that will pull a careful reader out of the narrative and make them question the quality of the content and source. If my client is by the book, so am I. If they are casual about certain rules, I note those rules and adapt.
Regardless of clients’ personal style and preferences, here are tips that serve me for every job, every client and every style guide:
Focus.
You cannot multi-task and proofread. Close your door. Put on your noise-canceling headphones. Choose “focus” mode to minimize visual distractions, and better yet…
Print what you’re proofreading.
I don’t know what the magic is, but you can often catch more errors on the printed page than onscreen. That may mean marking up a hard copy and then going back into a digital copy to make notes, but if it’s important, it’s worth it.
Proof like content in batches. For example:
Proof all page numbers
Proof all header/footer content
Proof all headlines for consistent formatting and capitalization
Proof all subheads for consistent formatting and capitalization
Proof all bullets for consistent formatting and capitalization
Proof all charts or infographics for consistent formatting
By proofing in batches, you look for inconsistencies between like content while also revisiting each page several times. This helps oddities stand out more than if you only encounter each page once.
Go slow.
Hold your finger under each word and move it as you read – read out loud if it helps you slow down. Your goal is to make it harder for your brain to fill in words that aren’t there but should be.
Read the content.
Some people prefer to proof text by reading it backwards to force your brain to focus on each word. I find more errors by consciously reading the text for meaning as I proof. It helps me catch when words (or whole paragraphs) have been omitted, repeated or if editing by committee has resulted in content that no longer makes any sense.
Know your style guide.
Does your work follow AP Style? Chicago? No idea what this means? An organization’s style is typically grounded in a commonly accepted style guide that sets documented rules for punctuation, capitalization and word choice. Learn more here.
Call every phone number.
Check every link.
Do the math.
Double check calculations.
Don’t overlook the always-there copy.
I’m referencing the copy that repeats again and again on materials. Footers. Headers. Addresses. Phone numbers. Mousetype. Read and proof that copy too.
Check names and titles against another source – a company website or email directory.
Trust your gut.
Does a word look odd to you? Do you think it should be two words instead of one? Have you never seen it used in this context? Does the spelling look weird? Take the time to do a quick search and check it. Do that enough times, and you’ll begin to know when it’s weird and right or weird and wrong, saving time in the long run and improving your own writing skills.
Know your weaknesses.
Not great at grammar? Note common rules that come up again and again and keep the company’s style guide close at hand. Spelling an issue? Use spell check, but teach yourself common errors because #14.
Do not depend on spell check and grammar check.
Spelling and grammar aids are good, but they’re far from infallible. I overrule at least one incorrect correction on the majority of the projects I proof.
Proofreading isn’t just for words.
Good proofreaders get the words right. Great proofreaders also look at design and identify inconsistencies or oddities. (I remember one instance when a logo was left off the cover of an annual report. Uh oh.)
Remember the purpose.
At its core, proofreading is about helping a communicator reach people more effectively. When your work is rooted in that motivation, meaning you and the writer share a common goal, your notes feel more like help and less like criticism.
Proofreading is personal. It’s good to remember that so you don’t get so chuffed about the ‘gotchas!’ that you forget the person behind the words and the point of the exercise.
In a blog about proofreading, there is always a proofing error.
It’s Murphy’s Law. And it’s truer than true. If you found one, email me. And if you have another tip, add it to the comments!**
* But these are fragments! Yes. I love a purposeful fragment. Feel the rhythm of this text? It’s not grammatically correct, but it gives you a very real sense of talking to me.
** And you can totally start sentences with a conjunction now. The Grammar Girl says so.
