Prooficient Proofreading
What is proofreading?
Proofreading is the final step before publication and usually occurs after a manuscript has been typeset.
As a proofreader, my role is to be the final ‘pair of eyes’ or quality control prior to publication.This is done by checking for and correcting errors and inconsistencies in the text.
Typically, I'll check for the following:
- incorrect spelling
- poor grammar and punctuation
- omitted or duplicated wording
- material in the wrong place (e.g. illustrations) or incomplete (e.g. cross-references)
- poor presentation (e.g. unacceptable word breaks, widows and orphans)
- that any copy-editing changes have been applied.
Usually, I work on-screen by utilising the comment/mark-up tools on PDF documents and the track changes facility on Word documents. Traditionally, proofreading was done on paper. Some clients still work this way and I can work on paper using the BSI standard proofreading symbols. I proofread blind or against copy.
