Avoid Costly Mistakes by Becoming a Good Proofreader

Okay, so writing might not be your forte. But, that is no excuse to be a sloppy proofreader. The fact of the matter is that you most likely do some type of writing in your line of work whether it is preparing a new business proposal, sending a congratulatory e-mail to your team for a job well done, or developing marketing materials for your company.

Believe it or not, you will strengthen your writing by learning to be a good proofreader. Having a keen eye is especially important if you are creating custom marketing materials that require an investment in design and printing.

One of the best ways to hone your proofreading skills is to learn to edit your own writing. Tools that are especially helpful to keep handy include a dictionary, a style guide (such as the Associated Press Stylebook*), and a copy of “proofreader’s marks,” which are standard editing marks used by editors and graphic designers. Always use your word processing program’s spell check, but don’t rely solely on it as a means of proofreading.

When working with a graphic designer, use the following steps to be a good editor of the materials they are creating for you:

• Submit Finalized Text. When giving initial text to a graphic designer, make sure it is as complete as possible and that you have had multiple people review it. This will save you time and money by greatly reducing the number of potential edits a graphic designer would have to make. Also, your project will be converted to a PDF file, which does not have spell check, so the fewer edits made at this stage the better. Always e-mail the information or drop off a hard copy on a disc to the designer. Avoid faxing the text since it is hard to see margins or colored boxes.

• Proofread Hard Copy. Proofreading a document on a computer screen is not effective. Always print out a hard copy of what you are proofing. The designer usually will provide you with a PDF proof of your project. Only make changes to the PDF file, not to the original word document because the designer would have to lay it out again. Keep in mind that the text you originally submitted in a regular Word document will look vastly different once it has been designed.

• Use a Red Pen. Arm yourself with a red pen when proofreading a document. This helps your changes stand out. It is also helpful to read the text out loud.

• Use Electronic Editing. Some PDF files have a “Post-it® Note” feature for making changes. If this feature is not available, type the changes in an e-mail so the designer can easily copy and paste the information into the document. Explain where the changes are in the document (e.g., page number, paragraph number).

• Line Up Multiple Proofreaders. Always have more than one person proofread text and preferably use someone who has not yet seen the documents. Include different staff members in the various proofreading stages. Be sure to include everyone from your receptionist to your IT person. This is a great opportunity for them to hone their proofreading skills. Plus, a fresh set of eyes can often point out the most simple of mistakes.

• Think Upside Down. It helps to literally turn the page upside down to look at it from a completely different viewpoint. Spacing errors and things that don’t line up will jump out.

Remember, proofreading is not about being an expert writer. It is more about ensuring that spelling and grammar are correct, a sequence of numbers is in order, there is proper punctuation throughout the document, spacing and fonts are consistent, and that dates and times are accurate. For very specific information, such as figures used in an annual report, be sure that you have people with knowledge of that information to verify that it is correct.

If you would like a free copy of proofreader’s marks, send me an e-mail at karen.p@moondesign.com with “Proofreader’s Marks” in the subject line and I will send you a PDF copy.