We often see what we expect to see, which makes #proofreading difficult. It's even harder if there are two or three very small words next to each other. Slow down and look carefully...
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting
When #proofreading, don’t try to do everything at once. Check consistency of layout separately from reading for typos, for example – are chapter titles formatted consistently? Are the page margins consistent? What about the styling on graphics or boxes?
Turn pages just to look at these layout issues – you see them more easily when you're not also trying to check the content.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting #proofreading
Proofreading: if a bibliography contains several authors with several references, are they treated the same way? For example, they might be in increasing or decreasing chronological order or in alphabetical order.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting #proofreading
Last week I challenged you to check alphabetisation when #proofreading a bibliography. This week, an even harder task: are entries styled consistently? Are all books treated the same way? Are journal articles treated the same way? What about volume numbers or page ranges? Don't try to do this check at the same time as alphabetisation – there's too much to think about, so for me these are separate tasks.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting
It's surprisingly difficult to spot alphabetisation errors when #proofreading a bibliography, so make a point of looking for them.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting
Proofreading: these repetitions can easily happen in editing, as a result of accidentally selecting too much or too little text when deleting or inserting text. They can also be easy to miss when reading, because we see what we expect to see. Be on the lookout!
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting #Proofreading
Proofreading: beware of words that sound right but have the wrong meaning. It's easy to miss them!
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #BusinessWriting #Proofreading
This is a real example from my email this week. There must be a typo somewhere, because 22 May 2023 does not fall on a Friday (under the Gregorian calendar). It’s very easy to miss these kinds of mistakes, so if you have any dates and/or days of the week, double-check them.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #proofreading
Proofreading: if text contains cross-references such as ‘see section 7’ or 'see page 38', check that they’re still accurate – it’s easy to forget to update them when text gets moved or deleted, so before you publish check for ‘broken links’, so to speak.
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #proofreading
Proofreading: beware of unconsciously assuming contact details must be correct. Are names spelled right? Are email addresses or phone numbers accurate?
Be especially aware of: who's responsible for contact info – it's easy for everyone to assume someone else is checking it
If the info has been rolled forward from last time, has anything changed? It's easy to miss changes in role or people leaving or joining the team
#ThoughtLeadership #ProofreadingTips #CorporateCommunications #proofreading
Suzanne