10 Tips for Effective Proofreading
by Jean Hanson
Published on this site: August 9th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Proofreading may not be terribly fun, but it's one of the
most important parts of writing.
Have you ever read a web page or a document that had typos,
grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes? This reflects
badly on you and your business, and you could easily lose
a customer over a simple spelling mistake!
Here are some tips for quick and effective proofreading:
- Wait several hours before proofreading. Otherwise you
might be thinking about what you just wrote, rather than
watching for typos and punctuation errors.
- Eliminate distractions. This is very detailed work so
you need to be focused.
- Print out a copy of your work, rather than reading it
on a computer screen. To make it even easier, print a double-spaced
draft copy.
- Read the document aloud. This helps to highlight punctuation
errors and missing words.
- Use a piece of colored paper as a guide. This will help
to keep your eyes on the line you're working on. If you
don't have any colored paper, use a ruler.
- Read backwards for spelling mistakes. Yes, that's right!
You'll find spelling errors much easier if you're going
from right to left. Otherwise you might unconsciously start
reading, and not "proof" reading.
- Use a different colored pen such as green or red to make
your correction marks. These colors are much easier to see
than black or blue.
- Carefully check numbers and totals. Refigure all calculations
and look for misplaced commas and decimal points.
- If you have a lengthy document to proofread, rest your
eyes every 10 to 15 minutes.
- When you're absolutely sure there are no mistakes, have
a partner check your work. Sometimes all it takes is a second
pair of eyes.
Jean Hanson is the author of the eBook, Virtualize
Your Business . For tips on learning how to virtualize your
business and a FREE REPORT, go to http://www.virtualizeyourbiz.com
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