What does a Proofreader do?
Proofreading is the last step before you hit “Publish.” It is the process that involves an examination of a document to check for spelling and grammatical errors, incorrect punctuation marks, and lack of consistency in the text style e.g., bold and italics, spacing, fonts, highlights, underscore, etc. It mainly ensures that nothing has been missed in the copyediting process. Proofreaders ensure that documents look and read their best before being sent to print or published online. This action is done after copyediting has been completed.
Your copy will contain the following edits:
- Correct grammar and punctuation.
- Correct typos and misspellings.
- Correct unmistakable factual inaccuracies.
- Ensure there’s consistency in style, capitalization, and spelling, etc.
- Observe the style guide of choice.
- Utilize your house style sheet if you have one.
- Check graphs, images, charts, etc.
- Proofread using Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Adobe Reader for PDF files.
- Use of comment bubbles and “Track Changes” to communicate any questions with the author.
- Ensure there aren’t grammatical errors in this final stage of editing.
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