Proofreading Checklist

Publisher’s Proofreading Checklist

Spelling · Grammar · Punctuation Before you contact a professional proofreader, there are several ways to double check your own work. The proofreading checklist below should help you identify those areas within your control and reduce the time or negate the need for paid proofreading services.

Proofreading Checklist

• Time – Try not to wait until the last minute to proofread your work. Proofreading takes time and the more you allow for proofreading, the better your final product will be. If you decide to hire a professional proofreader, opt for a second set of eyes, as the more proofreaders who read your document the better the outcome. Humans will be reviewing your material so if you give us aggressive deadlines the amount of time that we can devote to your document will be impacted. This is true for all proofreaders – not just The Proofreaders!
• Spelling – MS Word and other word processing software packages offer spell checking features. Many underline a word as soon as the program doesn’t recognize it while others force you to manually invoke the spell check function. Don’t rely on the spell checking feature alone! Print your document out, if possible, and read it slowly out loud. You will catch many errors such as missing words and other common mistakes that a spell checker would never catch.

Proofreading Checklist Rule #1

Don’t Rely on Spell Check

Spell check cannot catch all of your spelling mistakes. Below are some examples of words frequently overlooked by spell check.

Homonyms – These are words that are spelled differently but sound the same, such as “their,” “there,” and “they’re.” In the English language, there’s a long list of homonyms and your spell checker most likely won’t know the difference. It’s your job to make sure you are using the correct word. Examples:

• “Compliment” is commonly misspelled as “complement” and vice versa. Remember, the “e” means to complete; (“The potatoes complemented the fish.”); the “i” means to remark favorably; (“He complimented Mary on her stunning dress.”)
• “Prospective” is commonly misspelled as “perspective”; the former means, “potential, likely, in the future,” whereas the latter means, “seeing all relevant data, point of view.”

Proofreading Checklist Rule #2

Slow Down!

Many errors are caused by fast typing:

Forgotten prepositions: “I am going the store.” We sometimes try to type fast to keep up with our brains but our fingers just can’t do the work. As a result, we omit words and most spell checkers won’t catch these omissions. Omitted letters that don’t create misspellings, such as:

• “Your” is frequently quickly typed as “you”:
• “I am responding to you ad for a proofreader…” (Yes, we’ve received e-mails such as these!)

• “To” vs. “Too”: “He to will be coming.” – the missing commas here cause even greater ambiguity for your spell checker!

Proofreading Checklist Rule #3

Watch Comma Usage

Missing commas: These will entirely change the meaning of your sentences and are beyond the scope of any spell checking program. Misplaced commas: These examples are from Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves:

• “Leonora walked on her head, a little higher than usual.”
  In this sentence, the comma has been misplaced and belongs after “on.”
• “The driver managed to escape from the vehicle before it sank and swam to the river-bank.”
  The missing comma after “sank” suggests that the vehicle swam to the river-bank, rather than the passenger.

Proofreading Checklist Rule #4

Watch Out for Other Frequent Errors

• “Separate” is commonly misspelled as “seperate”; remember there’s “a rat” in separate.
• “Further” is frequently substituted for “farther”; the former means “additional” and the latter refers to distance.

Of course, you will not always have the luxury of time or experience to thoroughly go through your documents; please contact The Proofreaders for a sharp set of eyes!

Take our Grammar Quiz and see how well you do!