How to Improve Your Proofreading Quickly

Proofreading is an important and in-demand task today. The growing importance of high-quality text, articles, and business or technical documentation for mission-critical activities is reflected in the rise of proofreading services as an affordable option for consumers, as well as a rich source of employment for proofreaders.

It is well-known that using a proofreading service can transform the workflow that a student, academic, or researcher adopts. At the same time, professional proofreaders know about the value of a career in this field, along with the opportunities to specialize further and enter world-leading companies.

While many companies today are outsourcing the proofreading function, some firms still operate in-house writing, editing, and proofreading teams. This is still common in companies that deal with technical, design, or administrative tasks that require extensive documentation.

With all these considerations in mind, it is worth knowing about some of the tips you can use to get better at proofreading quickly. If you know how to perfect and improve your proofreading skills absolutely, as well as in a short space of time, you will be able to apply for the best jobs and begin improving the work of your clients as soon as possible.

This article offers a brief introduction to the ways you can get better at proofreading quickly.

 

1. Read the text aloud

Before publishing any document, a great author knows about the importance of ensuring the manuscript sounds reasonable – and ideally even good – when it is read aloud.

If you need to stop and take a breath in the middle of a sentence, consider revising the length. Also, if there are places where you find it difficult to articulate certain words, those areas may confuse readers, too; it’s often a good idea to try writing these passages differently.

 

2. Know what errors you don’t need to correct

For style-related reasons, or reasons relating to context or convention, there are some errors that – as the professional who is providing the proofreading service – you don’t need to correct.

Examples of errors that usually shouldn’t be “corrected” in a client’s document include the use of:

·         Sentence fragments

·         Initial conjunctions

·         Run-on sentences

·         Split infinitives

·         Personal pronouns

·         Compound sentences ignoring commas

·         Polysyndeton

Just as you should be aware of the grammar rules that you need to follow when proofreading English text, you should also have a good working knowledge of the above “errors” that typically don’t need to be corrected.

 

3. Use a style guide

Style guides are lists of the standards that authors should follow when designing and writing their documents. To improve rapidly as a proofreader and enhance your ability to provide proofreading services, following a style guide closely is one of the most effective approaches.

If you follow a style guide from the start of your proofreading session, you can ensure that the suggestions, revisions, and comments you raise about your client’s document are tailored toward the high-impact issues such as:

·         Formatting consistency

·         Use of language, grammar, and spelling

·         Standard nomenclature in technical subject areas

·         Ensuring standardisation for section numbering and captions (e.g., for figures and tables)

·         Avoiding racism, sexism, and homophobia