Every writer needs to have basic proofreading capabilities. Whether you use proofreading services or whether you choose not to take advantage of things like a proofreading service, it is always essential to be able to proofread efficiently and effectively.
The purpose of this article is to highlight several of the tips you can apply to achieve efficient proofreading. If you manage to apply these tips well, you will be able to proofread a document faster and, in many cases, more effectively.
Start with editing
The key to a quick proofreading process is to ensure that your manuscript is properly edited to begin with.
Editing services can help out here since working with a professional editor will ensure that your manuscript has been revised and altered in a thorough way.
If you edit your manuscript yourself, it is always advisable to use a proofreading service (or ask another qualified person) to complete the final proofreading phase.This is because the person who edited your document will be too familiar with it, which can lead to important and obvious errors being overlooked.
This also means that it is always best to avoid working with the same person for both proofreading and editing. That’s to say, if you are planning to use both editing and proofreading services, you should find separate professionals to work on both tasks.
Take regular breaks
This may sound counterintuitive. After all, how can it be quicker to proofread a text if the proofreader is constantly stopping and taking breaks?
Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that the longer the time a proofreader reads and rereads the same document, the worse their ability to notice mistakes becomes.
Therefore, if you set aside your proofreading work from time to time (e.g., take a break to relax or work on another document), you can come back to it with fresh eyes.
Use shortcuts
Digital shortcuts like “Find and Replace” and spellcheckers are indispensable tools in today’s proofreading industry.
In the case of spellcheckers, these are the tools that have had the greatest impact on the proofreading profession in the last decade. Many excellent spellcheckers are also freely available, including Grammarly.
Therefore, for anyone who writes, familiarity with digital shortcuts can massively increase the efficiency and speed of your proofreading.
Keep a checklist
You can learn from your mistakes if you maintain an accurate checklist of all the errors that you often overlook. Keeping a checklist of common errors, therefore, is one of the most important and straightforward ways to speed up your ability to proofread well.
Common errors that you might end up including in your checklist include:
- Confusions in spelling and word choice (e.g., confusions between homophones)
- Inconsistencies in style (e.g., changing between the UK and US dialects)
- Inconsistencies in formatting (e.g., missing page numbers)
- Incorrect punctuation (e.g., misused – or missing – commas or apostrophes)
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