Proofreading

How to proofread efficiently and accurately

What is proofreading?

Proofreading is the final series of checks you run before submission or publication. Pure proofreading is normally limited to checking for spelling and punctuation errors and making sure that the style of the document is consistent throughout. However, there are some elements of the editing process you should recheck before submitting your work. This is especially important if English is not your first language. Proofreading is the final stage of the writing and editing process so don't start this unless you are sure that your text is complete.

Methodology

• Leave plenty of time for proofreading before your planned submission date. You need time to check everything carefully.
• Put your draft aside for a day or two before you proofread. Looking at the text with fresh eyes can help you to spot errors you hadn't noticed before.
• Print a copy and check from that - you may spot errors which you didn't notice reading from a screen. You can also try using a different font (but remember to set it back to the correct font before submitting).
• Keep a list of common errors you know you make (or which have been pointed out to you) and check for those.
• Read your paper aloud. This is a good way to spot if there is a sense of flowThe sense which the reader gets that there is logical movement through the text, and that because of this the ideas in the text are not difficult to understand or relate to each other. to your writing. You can also record yourself reading the paper and then listen back to check if this sense of flow is present. This is also a good way to prepare if you need to explain or defend your ideas orally. Alternatively, get a colleague to read it aloud while you listen.

Punctuation

• Punctuation: Check that you have used capitalizationThe use of a capital (UPPERCASE) letter at the beginning of a word. correctly.
• Check for comma splicesAn error in a sentence where a comma is used to incorrectly join two independent clauses.: commas used to incorrectly join two independent clauses.
• Punctuation: Check that you have used quotation marksPunctuation marks which enclose a quotation to show that these words were written by someone other than the author of the text. correctly (according to any style guide you need to follow).
• Check that any acronymsAn abbreviation of a series of words (usually a noun phrase) consisting of the first letter of each word in the phrase. you have used are correct and check whether you need a glossary of these in an appendix. Except for very common ones, acronyms are used only after the first mention in full.

Spelling

• Use a spell checker, but be aware that a spell checker won't highlight typos like homophonesA word which sounds the same as another, but has a different meaning or a different spelling or both. such as "there" for "their" (although grammar checkers should).
• Check your style guideA guide for writers outlining required or suggested conventions to be followed (in terms of formatting, language use, referencing, etc.) when writing for a particular journal or institution. to see whether American or British spelling is required.

Style

• Check that you have followed any required style guidelinesA guide for writers outlining required or suggested conventions to be followed (in terms of formatting, language use, referencing, etc.) when writing for a particular journal or institution.. These may include requirements concerning, fonts, font sizes, line spacings, margins, indents, headers, footers, page numbering, cover pages, titles, headings and so on.
• Check that you have followed the required referencing styleFormatting rules for references. (MLA, APA, etc.). If you have any more than a very few quotations or paraphrases which you need to acknowledge you need to use referencing styleSee the source tracking page. software or you will waste a lot of time keeping track of these and checking them.
• Check that very long quotations (more than 40 words) are formatted as block quotesA quotation formatted by placing it in a separate indented paragraph..
• Check that your reference list is complete and properly formatted according to the given style manualA set of rules governing the style of academic writing including grammar, referencing, citations, bias-free language..
• Check that the style of language you have used is appropriate for the intended audienceThe person or people you as a writer expect will read your text.. There should be no inappropriate jargon, biasLanguage which is free of prejudice towards others especially regarding questions of race, gender, age, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, and so on., offensive language or unsuitable idiomsA fixed phrase in which normal rules of grammar may be broken and whose meaning may not be obvious from the words themselves..

Grammar

• Use a grammar checker but don't accept every suggestion without checking it yourself first.
• Check for sentence fragmentsNon-clausal material consisting either of a single word or a group of words which does not form a clause.: words or groups of words which do not form a clause.
• Check for run-on sentencesA sentence where uncoordinated independent clauses are not properly separated by a semicolon.: uncoordinated independent clauses not properly separated by a semicolon.
• Check for subject-verb agreementAgreement between the subject and the verb (singular or plural)..
• Check for pronoun agreementPossessives and pronouns must agree with the words they refer to. They must agree by number and gender..

Paragraph Unity and Flow

• Check that each paragraph has a clear topic sentenceA sentence which provides the controlling idea (the subject matter) of a paragraph, section, or an entire piece of writing..
• Check paragraph unityA sense of focus and coherence in a paragraph achieved when every sentence in the paragraph is related to the topic.: that each paragraph has supporting sentences which are clearly related to the topic sentence.
• Check that any claimsA statement of the writer’s belief. you make have adequate support.
• Check that there is a natural, logical flow to your paragraphs and that you have used appropriate transitionsA change from one topic to another. where necessary (not every transition needs to be signalled if the logical flow of the argument is clear).

Technology

• Technology: Use a grammar checker, but be aware that they are not infallible. Check carefully that any corrections they propose are acceptable and that they don't change your intended meaning.
• Technology: If you use AI make sure you also check the results yourself. It is not foolproof and it may make "corrections" which are not in fact correct or it may change the meaning of your sentence or paragraph.