Using professional proofreading services comes with countless benefits. For example, making use of professional proofreading provides you with reassurance and peace of mind that your writing will be as great as it can be. As a business, professional proofreading adds value to your content and communications by reducing misunderstandings and improving concision. At the same time, professional proofreading services can save you time and money because you can catch errors earlier and, in this way, avoid expensive reprints.
With all these benefits of proofreading in mind, it is not surprising to learn that the proofreading industry is currently booming. Academics, students, and businesses around the world, especially in countries that do not have English as their official language, are strongly demanding high-quality writing services, including proofreading and editing, to help them ensure their written work is at its best. Nevertheless, despite the benefits of proofreading, hiring a new proofreader can be stressful and difficult.
Image: The proofreading industry is currently undergoing a boom
Given the potential difficulties associated with working with a new proofreader, especially if you are unsure about their level of experience and expertise, it is important to know what to expect from them before you begin your relationship. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to present two checklists of issues that you can use to shape your expectations of what your proofreader should do for you.
As shown below, the first checklist consists of “obvious” checks, which are the basic expectations you should have for your proofreader. These are the tasks that all proofreaders cannot compromise on. The second checklist focuses on “less obvious” checks. These are also the tasks that proofreaders should not compromise on, but they are less obvious from the point of view of the client who reviews and evaluates the service they have received.
Obvious checks
- Text makes sense by checking it word by word
- Consistency in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and hyphenation
- Consistency in the spelling of names and technical terms
- Table and figure captions match with the in-text references
Less obvious checks
- Accuracy of referencing
- Double spaces between words
- Consistency in the design, layout, or style of any material (e.g., text or images)
- Whether to use the serial comma or not
- Offer recommendations for unclear text
Image: Checklists are essential for quality improvement, even in proofreading and editing
Taken together, the two checklists above can provide you with a clear view of what you should expect from your new proofreader. If the proofreader you have hired performs well in each of these areas, they are certainly a good find and they are worth continuing to collaborate with. If, on the other hand, the proofreader overlooks any of these issues, you can hopefully spot this and ask them to prepare a second draft with the necessary corrections.
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