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

How to Find the Right Book Editor

Whether you are working as a researcher, businessperson, or book author, you are likely to need a book editor at some point in your personal or professional life.

It’s worthwhile to note, therefore, that book proofreading services UK, along with editing and proofreading services, are available to make the process of preparing a book for publication much easier and significantly less time-consuming. 

Before you send your manuscript to the editor (or proofreader, depending on what stage in the writing process you are at), it’s important to use Grammarly to perform an initial spelling, grammar, and punctuation check. This will allow you to:

·         Optimise the editor’s first impression of you and your manuscript

·         Reduce the cost of the editing service

·         Gain the interest of editors with greater experience

Similarly, before sending your manuscript to an editor, it is worthwhile to decide on – and tell the editor when you contact them – what kind of editing you are interested in. There are many types of editing available, where the type you need will usually depend on what stage of the writing process you are at. For example:

·         Developmental editing: Performed to plan the structure and contents of a book

·         Evaluation editing: Performed to assess whether a written manuscript stuck, to the initial plan

·         Line editing: Performed to improve the writing line by line

·         Proofreading: Proofreaders are used to perform a final check on key aspects of the document

Once you’ve used Grammarly to perform an initial check on your work, and also decided on the type of editing you need, you should conduct a search for experienced and interested book editors. You can make your search much easier by working with a trusted editing company, or you can collaborate with an experienced freelancer.

When evaluating which editing company or freelancer you will work with, you can consider the following:

·         Customer reviews

·         Years of experience

·         Samples of work

·         Subject-matter expertise

·         Experienced editor

When you find an editor or editing company you are satisfied with, the next critical step for finding the best book editor is to ask for a price on the service and their availability. It is worth knowing that for most editing and proofreading services, they are charged per word rather than per hour.

After you’ve received price information, you can ask for free samples (approx. 250 words) from two or three of your top choices, after which you can compare their results and make a final decision.

Altogether, it’s worth remembering that editing is not only a science but also an art. Finding the right book editor for you is not straightforward and you may need to put some work into it, but it can be very rewarding and have a good impact on your book and its publication.

Common Proofreading Mistakes in Business Documents

Businesses need high-quality, readable English text for various purposes; in many cases, a firm’s competitive advantage is rooted in its ability to produce, edit, and maintain excellent documentation and advertising copy.

This is one of the main reasons why proofreading services play an essential role in businesses ranging from technology companies, such as those producing technical documents for software or computing system designs, to advertising and marketing organizations.

A Professional proofreading service is generally at its most useful when you lack the time to prepare a perfect document for publication. You don’t need to send a perfect document to your proofreader or editor; instead, they will cover the final steps needed to polish and check your manuscript before it is published.

If you’re not using a proofreading service, it’s still worth knowing about common proofreading mistakes that people make in business documents. For example, if you’re writing emails to a boss, press releases, or letters to clients, errors can have a significant reputational hit.

With the above in mind, this article highlights a few common proofreading mistakes that professionals commonly see when correcting business documents.

1. Elaborate writing

It is generally best to avoid elaborate phrases and long words in business communication. Many writers use flowery language to signal their intellect, but they forget that readers have to spend a lot of time deciphering the text. With this in mind, try to keep your writing simple, stick to the point, and be clear and concise.

2. Overuse of “buzz words”

Avoiding the overuse of so-called “buzz words” in business documents is more of an editorial task than a proofreading task. However, it is still a common mistake in business writing that can easily be avoided if a suitable proofreader is used, or if you are self-proofreading your emails or other short messages.

3. Complex sentences

An important issue to understand in business writing is that professional people generally lack the time to assign their undivided attention to the documents they come across. It is likely that the person reading your document will be dealing with other complex problems, and so when proofreading, you should strive to avoid overly complicated sentences.

4. Ineffective planning

Leaving yourself enough time for the proofreading process is critical when preparing business documents. If you rush, you will end up with a confused and lengthy draft that doesn’t please anybody. If you are spent for time, using proofreading services is always a viable option.

5. Abbreviations

Constantly using non-standard acronyms that your colleagues do not know about is to be avoided in business documents. You should only use acronyms if you can take it for granted that any of your intended readers will find that it is common knowledge. When proofreading, remove any acronyms that violate this rule.

Best Software for Proofreading in 2021

If you don’t have the budget for proofreading services, or if you’re at a stage in your writing where a proofreading service is superfluous, making use of online software for proofreading is always a good idea.

As of October 2021, there are four main types of proofreading software available for use:

·         Microsoft Word add-ons

·         Browser extensions

·         Desktop and mobile apps

·         Online proofreading tools

Depending on your workflow, your job (or area of study), and other factors such as the amount of time you spend writing, some types of proofreading software will appeal more readily to you than others.

For example, if you are a researcher who regularly writes scientific papers, you may be used to writing in LaTeX with a text editor such as TeXstudio. If so, then one of the best choices you could make in terms of the proofreading software to integrate into your workflow would be to use an online proofreading tool such as Overleaf.

By contrast, students in the humanities rather than the sciences may need to make different decisions. As a case in point, a music student may choose to write their academic essays in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, in which case it would make more sense to employ Microsoft Word add-ons or desktop proofreading apps in their workflow.

The recommendation offered here, therefore, needs to be tailored to your situation. The question of which software is the best for proofreading in 2021 is especially dependent on the current software and apps you use for word processing, such as whether you prepare your documents in LaTeX, Microsoft Word, or another software environment.

The software we recommend for 2021 is Grammarly.Although Grammarly doesn’t yet offer a full-time working replacement for a professional-grade proofreading service, the suite of features it offers for generally proofreading and editing is impressive.

The main ways that Grammarly can be installed include:

·         Browser extensions

·         Online app

·         Mobile apps

·         MS Office add-on

·         Desktop apps for both Windows and Mac

·         Google Docs

Grammarly is available in both free and paid versions, and the fact that it is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology makes it one of the most accurate and reliable spelling, grammar, and style checkers.

The main disadvantages of Grammarly include the fact that the AI that underpins it is still learning, as well as the fact that none of the features work unless the user is connected to the Internet. This means that there is substantial room to improve the technology in the future.

The only real competitor to Grammarly for general proofreading and editing is another tool known as ProWriting Aid. A key limitation of this software is that there is no Microsoft Word available if you are using the Mac operating system. Also, many users have reported that the user interface for ProWriting Aid is not as convenient or easy to use compared to Grammarly.  Still the better option is to include professional proofreading services,  if your written work needs to be presented on-point.   

Should you Use Software for Proofreading?

Whether you’re writing a document as a student, academic, lecturer, content creator, businessperson, lawyer, sports enthusiast, or – for that matter – anything else, spelling and grammar mistakes are inevitable.

Professional proofreading plays an important role in the preparation of all documents, however big or small, and this is one of the reasons why professional proofreading services are becoming increasingly popular today. After all, given the difficulties that all writers have in producing error-free documents, it is understandable that professional proofreading services are in high demand. 

While professional proofreading is one option that you need to consider, you may not always have the budget, the time, or the inclination to work with experts in the field. Also, it’s often the case that the document you’re preparing is too small to be worth sending to a proofreader (e.g., an email).

With all this in mind, the option of using software to assist in proofreading is something that cannot be overlooked. There are many excellent proofreading tools available online, both for free and paid, and – whether you are working with a professional or not – it is strongly recommended that you exploit these.

Having established that you should always be using software to improve your documents, the purpose of the rest of this article is to examine the pros and cons of two well-known pieces of writing software: Grammarly and ProWritingAid.

 

Grammarly

Grammarly is both a free and paid spellchecking tool to help with proofreading, style, and readability in your mission-critical documents. It is powered by artificial intelligence, it is available on all devices, and it even offers a built-in plagiarism detector, which is perfect for academic writing.

An important benefit of using Grammarly is that it helps you to catch basic spelling and grammar errors that you might otherwise overlook. Alongside this, the software enables you to maintain a consistent tone and writing style throughout your document, which your readers will definitely appreciate.

On the positive side, Grammarly is user-friendly and, in the opinion of almost all experienced proofreaders, is an indispensable tool. One of the most effect

ive uses of Grammarly is to integrate it into your web browser (e.g., Google Chrome), which is great when editing WordPress posts or writing emails.

On the negative side, many professional writers find that the paid version of Grammarly leaves a lot to be desired. The suggestions that the Grammarly AI system makes are not always on point, and, in many cases, they are incorrect. However, when used by proofreaders as a tool – not as a replacement – this piece of software is extremely valuable.

 

ProWritingAid

Compared to Grammarly’s more restricted focus on grammar and punctuation, ProWritingAid is a comprehensive tool that focuses on content style, structure, and syntax.

While Grammarly is great for getting rid of errors in short blog posts, ProWritingAid is better suited for extended pieces of writing where in-depth explanations for suggestions are needed.

Similar to Grammarly, one of the most powerful features of ProWritingAid is its ability to integrate with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Google Chrome.

Broadly speaking, ProWritingAid shines the most when it is used as a style-checker rather than a spellchecker. For this reason, professional writers and proofreaders often use both ProWritingAid and Grammarly alongside one another, with the two tools nicely complementing each other.  

Strengths and Weaknesses of Self-Publishing

Book proofreading services UK, as well as editing and proofreading services, can play an essential role in helping you to get your book published. As is well-known, many of the world’s most notable fiction and non-fiction authors, including the author of the famous Harry Potter series, routinely make use of professional editing and proofreading services.

Once you have your edited and proofread book in your hands, however, the process of becoming a book author is not yet finished. In particular, you need to decide how to publish your book and make it available for the general public to purchase, read, and enjoy. Here, there are two choices:

·         Self-publishing

·         Traditional publishing

Traditional publishing is well-known to be a difficult area to enter, and this is especially true for unpublished authors. That’s to say, if you haven’t yet secured a book agent, and if you’ve never published a book before (whether with a traditional publishing house or via the self-publishing route), traditional publishing is not always the best option.

This article is aimed at new authors who are debating which route to take: self-publishing or traditional publishing. Assuming that you’re now in a position to publish your professionally edited and enhanced by book proofreading services, this article presents the strengths and weaknesses of self-publishing to help you decide whether it’s a good route of choice, for you.

 

Strengths of self-publishing

1. Independence

When authors work with traditional publishing houses, they invariably lose creative control over their work. For example, publishers typically reserve the right to choose a title for the book, the marketing angle, and the cover art, as well as to have their in-house editors chop it up and rearrange it in any way they see fit.

Of course, these are all highly significant aspects of your book that you yourself may want to control. For this reason, the independence that comes with self-publishing your book through, for example, Amazon may be much-welcomed. It can empower you to take control of these key aspects of your book, ensuring that your work is not manhandled by a publisher.

 

2. Higher royalties

After a traditional publishing house has invested a sizeable sum of money in editing services and, marketing, in selling your book, they need to make that money somehow. This is usually done in the form of renting authors only between 5% and 25% of the funds earned from the sales of the book.

However, if you opt for the self-publishing route, you can fetch royalties as high as 70%. As a case in point, if you sell your book on Amazon between 2.99 USD or 9.99 USD, you can receive a royalty of 70%, with Amazon taking a cut of 30%. This is significantly lower than the 80% cut your publisher might end up taking.

 

Weaknesses of self-publishing

1. You have to do everything

When publishers sign you onto a contract, they give you access to professional editors, marketers, cover designers, and typesetters. However, if you opt for self-publishing, you’ll have to do all of this yourself or hire freelancers to work with. The learning curve can be steep, as with any new skill.

 

2. Print distribution difficulties

If you decide to self-publish your book, especially as a brand-new author with no track record, you’re likely to have a difficult time getting the print versions of your book into bookstores. By contrast, the sales teams within traditional publishing houses usually have strong links with bookstores, and so that serves as a much more direct path into print distribution.

Processes to Improve Your Proofreading

People are always alarmed to find out how difficult it is to spot common proofreading mistakes. Ultimately, the human brain isn’t wired up to spot tiny, abstract details like missing words, incorrectly written words, and other similar errors; this is the reason why professional proofreading services are in such high demand today.

If you can’t afford a proofreading service for your latest publication, or if you would simply like to try your hand at this difficult task, then this article will be of benefit. Over the next few paragraphs, this article draws attention to three of the practical processes you can apply during your next proofreading session to greatly improve your accuracy, effectiveness, and speed.

 

1. Go slowly to save time

This is somewhat paradoxical – how does proofreading slowly save you time?

Well, the answer is simple. You save time by slowly proofreading your work because this saves you from having to go back at a later time and correct all the errors you missed by rushing.

When you receive a professional proofreading service, one of the tried-and-tested methods that your experienced proofreader will apply is to check through each sentence slowly and methodically. This allows them to see every word, every syllable, and every phrase, ensuring it’s digested properly.

Also, going slowly – despite being difficult and requiring discipline – provides an opportunity to check, double-check, and triple-check the document.

 

Image: In proofreading, slow but steady wins the race

2. Move through the text problem by problem

When you proofread your work, proceeding through it (slowly and methodically) sentence by sentence, it’s important not to try to find every single problem in only one pass through. If you try to fix everything in one go, you’ll end up doing a half-baked job.

Instead, if you check through your document several times, and each time focus only on a single type of issue (e.g., punctuation on one pass, spelling on another pass, and so on), you can stay focused and significantly reduce your rate of errors.

 

Image: While proofreading, focus on each problem category separately

3. Check footnotes separately

Many people think that because footnotes are usually “boring” to read (i.e., they typically contain only reference information intended for hardcore scholars), it’s acceptable not to check them as rigorously as you would the other parts of your document (e.g., your scientific abstract or your conclusion).

This is a serious mistake, however. As a matter of fact, if you don’t use proofreading services to check that your footnotes are written in good English (which is actually a tremendous time-saver!), you should devote specific time to checking them and only them.

When you perform your separate footnote check, be sure to increase the font size because footnotes are usually very small (remember to switch the font size back, though). This will ensure that when the proofreading process is finished, every part of your document is publication-ready.

 

Image: Footnotes need love and attention, too!