Can You Proofread?

Proofreaders are eagle-eyed people who love nothing more than to go over manuscripts to make sure no typos and grammar errors are there. The proofreader reads for a living, and does it anywhere, from home, an office or the beach.


Proofreading is the last job in the process of editing. It comes after structural and copy editing. A proofreader’s responsibilities include double-checking or triple-checking the text for errors and mistakes:

Typographical slip-ups,
Inconsistencies in the layout or style,
Awkward page and word breaks,
Missing punctuation,
Spelling mistakes;
And anything which could spoil the reading experience.

Levels of editing

This applies the best to books or larger manuscripts. Proofreading is an important part of making any text look professional!

1: Development edit
2: Copy edit
3: Proofread

1: Revises the whole of the text. Characters, plot, and theme.
2: Polish up by the sentence, tidy-up the style, the tone, and grammar.
3: Provides a safety net. Proofreading catches any mistakes missed earlier.

What qualifications does a proofreader need?

Having a bachelor's degree is usually expected. Preferably in English, Journalism, Communications, or technical or academic content.

Proofreading training is needed. Most courses cover more than just the syntax and grammar of the language, you should learn the standard style in certain niches. Things like the Oxford comma, or how to punctuate dialogue, or how to reference something for an academic article, are the things you need to be competent at.

Where do proofreaders fit?

Media is everywhere in our life today, which means that there’s a wealth of material that needs proofreading.

    Books
    Website pages
    Blog posts
    Legal documents
    Transcripts
    Court reports
    Essays