“OK, I’ll bite,” you decide, joining us in this second part of our series The Power of Proofreading. “What is the definition of proofreading?”
In the simplest terms, proofreading is going through a finished document to check for errors. It is the last step before a document is printed, e-mailed, or posted and is a safety check for any errors that might have been missed previously. What that means exactly, and in practical terms, is a little more complex.
A thorough proofread will include looking for all of the following, either on separate read-throughs or all at once (usually depending on the complexity and length of the document):
Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Well, it is! That’s why people can spend their whole lives doing this for others—it’s a lot of work and very time consuming. But because each error puts a dent in your credibility, it’s super important to identify as many as possible and get rid of them.
What’s also incredible is that this doesn’t even begin to cover all the things you should do when you’re editing a document. Our next post in the series will identify how proofreading is different from editing.
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