Proofreading is More Than Spotting Spelling Errors and Tossing Typos

This post is part of our Self-Publishing Series, designed to provide important information for writers considering the editorial responsibilities, benefits and costs associated with publishing their own work. For details on available editing services or to learn more about getting your writing into print, contact PJC Editing for a free editorial consultation.

ALSO IN THE SELF-PUBLISHING SERIES

What is Proofreading? An Overview of Editing's Final Stage

Creative Versus Critical Eyes: Why It's So Hard to Edit Your Own Writing

The Difference Between Writing and Self-Publishing a Book

Proofreading is More Than Spotting Spelling Errors and Tossing Typos

Problems Arise When "Someone" Edits Your Work

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Of all the various levels of editing, proofreading is the one that is most clearly defined. It is the final check of a manuscript or other to-be-published material, only performed once the work is typeset (or digitally formatted) prior to printing. Unlike other editors who work with the material in earlier stages, the proofreader does not have editorial input; instead, they review the material solely with a mechanical eye.

Is this word misspelled?

Is there a spacing error?

Is a punctuation mark missing or misplaced?

Is this a typo?

Proofreaders have long been armed with specialized marks used to indicate mistakes on a "galley proof," though as hard-copy paper proofs have evolved over time to digital, the use of those marks has given way to simply making on-screen edits and notations.

What has not changed over time, however, is the primary focus of the proofreader. They are the last line of editorial defense before content is approved for printing or publication.

But there is much more to the proofreading process than the basics listed above, especially in the digital age when text, photography and graphic elements can be moved and touched up with ease. For example:

Page Numbering

Wherever there are in-text page references, like in an academic paper or certain types of booklets and manuals, moderate edits can throw the accuracy of those references off course. Let's say a booklet is laid out by a designer but the author decides to remove or change the placement of several photos. Such movement can disrupt internal page references, and it will be up to the proofreader to catch that faulty information. The same goes for material with a table of contents. Any changes to the body of the text can fill the contents page with errors. (Which is why the table of contents and page references should be saved until the end.)

A proofreader will double-check all page references and ensure any placeholder text (if used) is filled in properly and accurately before publication.

Running headers and footers

No matter what information a writer chooses to place in running headers and footers — book title, chapter title, author name, etc. — those elements tend to fall into "out of sight, out of mind" territory, even for editors. That's when inconsistencies and errors creep in. Like chapter 4's title mistakenly printed in the headers throughout chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Proofreaders are trained to comb through the out-of-mind material and filter out those types of elusive errors.

Contact info

Speaking of out-of-mind material, nothing evades eye contact quite like phone numbers, location info, URLs and email addresses. And when it's your own contact info, your brain is wired to skim right through it without a second thought. What does that mean? In website content, business writing and any other platform where direct contact with readers is vital, wrong information leads to missed opportunities, broken connections and lost revenue.

A proofreader treats contact info like any other text and makes sure it is accurate and up to date.

Duplicate text

Believe it or not, duplicated sentences and even paragraphs can slip through to the final proof. And we know because we see it often. The ease of copy-and-paste allows for quick movement of content, but sometimes the writer forgets to clean up any lingering text left behind. So duplicate content remains out of place — until the proofreader spots it. This is especially true in business and web writing that doesn't first go through a traditional line or copy edit.

Proofreaders have a knack for identifying material that has been repeated or duplicated by mistake.

Style/spelling inconsistencies

The more you write, the more opportunities you have to introduce inconsistencies. Serial commas, use of dashes and hyphens, spelling of names and locations — these are all items, among many others, that can be used differently from page to page, chapter to chapter, and so on. Consistency indicates professionalism and attention to detail. In cases where writing must follow particular style guidelines, it is required.

Proofreaders have style guidelines in mind and pay close attention to consistent use of punctuation, spelling and other technical elements when reviewing a final proof.

Need a proofread of your manuscript, dissertation, business content or other written work? Inquire about a sample edit and see if PJC is a proofreading fit for your project.

[PICTURED: Proofreading marks as published in the AP Stylebook.]