Proofreading is the final step of any writing-related work to ensure error-free text. It involves combing through text to spot mistakes such as typos, grammatical errors, formatting errors, and inconsistencies. Whether you are a seasoned writer, business professional or student, proper proofreading can significantly enhance the quality and credibility of your work. However, proofreading isn’t just about giving your text a once-over – there are quite a few factors to take note of as you. Here’s a checklist that can help you smoothen your proofreading process!
1. Spelling and grammar
These are no-brainers, so instead of going into details, I’ll share tips on how you can increase your level of error-free text. Personally, I like to read the text out loud because I find that doing this helps me pick up errors more effectively. There are some errors that can be easily missed by the human eye (yes, even for professional writers, editors and proofreaders), especially when it’s long-form text. Here’s where you can use evolving technologies and software to your advantage. Besides the built-in spell checker in Microsoft Word, you can also use spellcheck platforms such as Grammarly. I’ve also found that copying and pasting your text into a Google Document can help catch additional errors sometimes. That said, don’t over rely on spelling and grammar checkers as they can miss out on typos too – for example, they sometimes don’t pick up words that are spelt correctly, but are grammatically incorrect (e.g. “He excepted the offer” vs “he accepted the offer”).
2. Country-specific spelling
Ever been unsure which to choose “endeavour/endeavor”, “organisation/organization”?, or “traveller/traveler”? These are the differences between US and UK spelling conventions, which can be tricky if you aren’t used to them. Here’s an overall checklist to help you avoid these regional mix-ups. With time, you’ll get the hang of them!
| Pattern | UK Convention | US Convention |
|---|---|---|
| -re / -er | centre | center |
| metre | meter | |
| litre | liter | |
| Double ‘L’ | traveller | traveler |
| counsellor | counselor | |
| jewellery | jewelry | |
| -our / -or | colour | color |
| honour | honor | |
| labour | labor | |
| -ce / -se | licence | license |
| defence | defense | |
| practise (verb) | practice | |
| -ise / -ize | organise | organize |
| realise | realize | |
| recognise | recognize |
3. Country-specific terms
Besides spelling, different countries also use different terms. There are many variations, and it can be difficult to grasp them all if you don’t specialise in language localisation. What you can do, however is to look up terms whenever you are in doubt. Below are some examples to give you an idea:
| UK Term | US Term |
|---|---|
| Biscuit | Cookie |
| Boot (of a car) | Trunk |
| Car park | Parking lot |
| Chemist | Drugstore/Pharmacy |
| Crisps | Chips |
| Flat | Apartment |
| Holiday | Vacation |
| Lorry | Truck |
| Nappy | Diaper |
| Petrol | Gasoline/Gas |
| Post | |
| Postcode | Zip code |
| Rubbish | Trash/Garbage |
| Sweets | Candy |
| Tap | Faucet |
| Trousers | Pants |
| Underground/Train | Subway |
| Wardrobe/Cupboard | Closet |
| Windscreen | Windshield |
| Zebra crossing | Crosswalk |
4. Corporate style guide consistency
Some companies, especially large ones, have brand guidelines to follow. For anything text-related, these guidelines usually contain aspects like tone, voice, different ways of writing dates, specific terminology, preferred spelling variations capitalisation standards and citation styles. The style guide can be quite a handful to follow at times, so it helps to print out a checklist and keep it handy as you go. The more you proofread, the easier it gets, thanks to muscle memory!
5. Logical flow
This does spill a little bit into editing work, but a good proofreader would do it anyway because maintaining coherence is essential for readability. This means making sure that every sentence, as well as the sentence it follows, makes sense. If you find an illogical leap from one sentence or paragraph to another, you don’t necessarily have to fix it if you’re strictly tasked to do proofreading – sometimes, at the proofreading stage, there is no leeway for edits. Often, the gaps are because of missing text or paragraphs, so what you can do is mark it and point it out to a client, along with suggested edits.
6. Links
Check for broken links, whether the links bring readers to where they are supposed to go, or that the pages are still in use. You’ll have to do this by opening every link or QR Code you see. I get that some people may think that this is the designers’ or web developers’ job, but ensuring accurate links is also part of enhancing readability. Plus, you’re going to need the designers’ or developers’ help sometimes, so a little give and take never hurts!
7. Visuals
Proofreading also includes checking the visuals and how they flow or if they match with the text. You can look into fonts and formatting styles – for example bold, italics and headings – to ensure consistency. Verify that diagram text and numbering are correct and consistent and flow correctly. Captions are important to look at as well – you’ll have to review them to see if they match the images. I like to pay special attention to captions that contain names because I’ve found that they often get mixed up during the design process, or the designers may decide to type the names manually instead of copying and pasting from the original document, which increases the probability of unexpected typos. Make sure that page numbers are in running order, and that they tally with the content page. Lastly, make sure that all data and images are properly attributed – if they aren’t, do leave a note for the client or designer.
Prefer to get professional proofreading services?
You might like to enlist the help of a professional proofreader, so that you have an extra set of (expert) eyes to help you ensure that your final text is polished and perfect. Here’s where we can help. Reach out to us here, and as we always say, we’ll get back to you in a flyin’ moment.