What is Proofreading? An Overview of Editing's Final Stage
- Phil Carlucci
- May 27
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 1
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
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Editing is a very broad term, and its scope can vary from one written work to another. A book manuscript, for example, can go through multiple levels of editing — developmental or structural editing, line editing, copy editing and proofreading. Shorter works like newspaper/magazine articles and website content might only get a copy edit and a proofread.
This overview examines proofreading, which is arguably the most common level of editing — most written work is "checked for errors" in some way after completion — while also being somewhat misunderstood.
What is proofreading?
Proofreading is the final check of a document, article, manuscript or any other written work before publication or submission. Though "proofreading" is often used as a general term to describe editing (as in, "I finished my manuscript and now I need someone to proofread it"), a proofread serves a very specific purpose within the full editing process.
The most distinctive part of a formal proofread is when it takes place: after the work has been laid out and formatted for publication. This is because the proofread is meant to catch errors that not only slipped through the earlier editing stages but also were missed or introduced during the layout phase. It is literally the last step before printing or publication, which makes the role of the proofreader so important.
What does a proofreader do?
Simply put, proofreading is a last-stage check of a written work before it is published in print or on the web. Proofreaders check for typos, spelling errors and obvious mistakes in grammar and punctuation. But just as importantly, proofreaders sniff out inconsistencies that might get lost in the wash during earlier edits. They check things like running headers and footers to make sure they remain consistent across a manuscript, as well as page references, character names, dates and places.
And since a proofread is done after a manuscript has been typeset, they check for things like "widows" and "orphans," plus issues with fonts, margins, spacing and much more. There is plenty that can go wrong during file conversion from DOC to PDF. In addition to the content itself, the proofreader keeps an eye out for all potential layout issues.
Since website writing and other digital content doesn't need to be typeset or formatted like content being prepared for print, in these cases the scope of the proofreader's job is much narrower. They essentially do a final read for errors, either directly in a DOC file or within the digital-publishing platform itself, before giving approval to publish. With short digital content like web articles and business material, a proofread might be bundled into a general copy edit.
What does a proofreader not do?
Unlike editors in the earlier stages of a written work, the proofreader does not have editorial input. They are not hired to offer thoughts on the way something should be written or how a thought or idea could be better conveyed. They are hired to find mistakes where mistakes tend to lurk, to make right from wrong.
Of course, if there is an error in the way something is written, the proofreader must catch it. For example, if an author writes a beautiful description of a character's purple dress, it's within the proofreader's jurisdiction to say, "I love your imagery here, but earlier you wrote the dress she's wearing is red."
On the other hand, in a case where the description of the purple dress is accurate but also weak and meandering, the proofreader's only input might be that the author forgot to include a serial comma.
What is involved in proofreading?
Historically, a proofreader would review a hard-copy galley proof, and with pen in hand they would notate each page using carefully studied and memorized proofreading marks. These marks allowed the typesetter to make the required changes before the work was approved for publication.
A modern proofread no longer requires red pens and hard copies. Proofreading is typically done right on the PDF proof using mark-up tools in programs like Adobe Acrobat. (As noted above, digital content is not typeset and often not converted to PDF like print content. The proofreader will make corrections within the live document itself.)
The PDF shows the proofreader what the material will look like in print, allowing them to scan the print-ready document for spelling, punctuation and formatting errors. Among the other items a proofreader will check depending on the type and genre of the material:
Running headers and footers: These elements tend to fall out of sight and out of mind. But when the wrong chapter name is printed out of place, the proofreader has to see it.
Fonts: Don't ask why, but sometimes things don't make a clean jump from DOC to PDF. We've seen plenty of instances where fonts get a little screwy during conversion.
Table of contents: A table of contents written before editing and layout is often 100 percent incorrect.
Page references: Editing and layout changes can make useless any internal page references like "as seen on page 72."
Duplicate text: Believe it or not, we've seen instances where chunks of text were copied and pasted elsewhere without the original text being deleted.
Captions: These need to be accurate and attached to the correct material.
Footnotes: Another element that's often overlooked. Footnotes need to be edited properly and checked for proper identification within the text.
If proofreaders detect such a wide range of mistakes, why should a writer hire other editors?
As noted above, proofreaders do not offer editorial input. They catch errors, but they do not help enhance your writing the way an editor does. If you are looking for someone to identify mistakes and address other elements of your writing like structure, flow, syntax, tone and word usage, among others, what you need is a copy editor or line editor.
It is very important to note that many professional proofreaders will not agree to proofread a manuscript or other long-form writing that has not been properly edited. That's because writing that desperately needs a professional edit will not really benefit from a proofread since there are fundamental issues with the content itself. And when a writer expects a proofreader to go beyond the scope of their duties and edit the material as well, it's no longer a proofread, and it often leads to tension.
How much does a proofread cost?
The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) publishes median rates for various levels of editing services, broken down by different genres. The median proofreading rate per the EFA is 1.2 to 2 cents per word for fiction works and 2 to 3 cents per word for non-fiction. To keep it simple, at 1.5 cents/word, a proofread of 50,000 words would cost $750.
Writers can certainly find proofreaders for less, whether it's on freelance platforms or through referrals, writing groups or web searches. While it's tempting to find proofreaders who offer low rates, be mindful that quotes far below market rate often come from providers who are inexperienced, unqualified or simply intend to run your content through a free grammar checker at your expense.
Can I use AI or editing software to proofread my work?
As of spring 2025, AI editors and editing software are the equivalent of a novice, non-professional proofreader. They are equipped to catch spelling errors, grammar and punctuation mistakes, and even some inconsistencies in the text. But they also "correct" material that is right and miss things that are wrong.
Overall, a proofreader needs to be trustworthy — after all, they are the final barrier preventing a whopper of a mistake being preserved in print — and today's software simply cannot be trusted to handle the job the way a real-life professional can. We put an AI editor to the test a few months ago to see if it could handle a basic proofread, and it failed.
Are you interested in a proofread of your 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.]
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