by Chris Pearce

Created on: November 15, 2011   Last Updated: May 09, 2012

Proofreading is the final check of a document before it is sent out or published. Traditionally, it refers to the process of checking material that has been typeset ready for printing, where a proofreader verifies that everything in the original document has come across correctly into the typeset version. These days, most documents are not typeset, and proofreading no longer usually involves checking one version against another. Nevertheless, the principles and the importance of proofreading remain. Here are 10 proofreading tips to ensure a better, more professional document.

1. Time between writing and editing

Leave as much time as possible between writing a document and editing or proofreading it if the author is also the proofreader. This allows you to come back to the document with a fresh pair of eyes, and chances are you will pick up errors that you hadn’t noticed while writing, rewriting and editing. Try to put a document aside until at least the next day before proofreading.

2. Find quiet place free of distractions

When proofreading a document, you need as few distractions as possible. Try and find a quiet place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. That might mean shutting yourself in the back room or waiting until the kids have gone to bed. For some people, it might mean heading to the local library. In the workplace, it might be possible to find an empty office or a small meeting room that isn’t currently being used.

3. Get someone else to proofread

In some situations, it might be a good idea to get someone else to proofread your work. Any writer can get too close to their work and a different set of eyes might pick up things the author has missed. Even expert writers will often use a proofreader. In the workplace, see if there’s a colleague who might have time to check through your report before it’s submitted to management.

4. Proofread on paper

Proofreading is easier on printed copy rather than on a computer screen. Research has shown that people read faster on paper. Printed copy also allows you to move back and forth through a document easier, looking for inconsistency in such things as page layout, paragraphing, margins, indenting, headings, font type and size, and so on. Corrections and comments can then be transferred to the electronic document (where an editable file type has been used, such a word processed document), making it easier for the author to accept or reject suggested edits.

5. Don’t rely on spelling

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