It’s no good getting the words right if your document has mistakes in it. It’s going to look unprofessional.
Mistakes are like buses, or men, or something – where there’s one, there’s bound to be another nearby.
It’s no good getting the words right if your document has mistakes in it. It’s going to look unprofessional.
Here are our ten top proofreading tips:
1. Pick your time of day
This is different for everyone, but after lunch is not a good time for most people.
2. You need quiet
Print out your work and take it to a room where you’ll be able to read over it in peace.
3. Proof once for sense
If possible, read what you’ve written out loud. You might not want to do this on a 100 page document, but it’s ideal for a press release.
4. Proof again for technical errors
Do a second proofread for captions, headings, page numbers, fact checks and upper and lower case consistency.
5. Read from the bottom up
Every sentence should make sense on its own. Start from the very last sentence and work your way up to the introduction so you’re not getting caught up in the story.
6. Read beginnings and ends of lines carefully
It’s harder to spot a word that’s been accidentally repeated at the beginning and end of a sentence.
7. Find what works for you
For example, you may want to break work up into sections, use a ruler to follow the lines or print out your work at 150% so it’s not so hard on the eyes.
8. Check for secondhand mistakes
When checking your proofing corrections have been made by a designer, be on the lookout for other errors introduced at the same time.
9. You cannot proof your own written work properly
You won’t see your own mistakes – get someone else to look over it for you.
10. Take a break
Do your first proofread for sense. Take a break. Come back and you’re bound to spot lots more mistakes.
