Proofreading

A final pair of eyes! Proofreading is likely the last quality check before you load your work to a publishing site or submit to the publisher, journal or institution. A proofread can be done in Word, although generally it is an annotated PDF using the final format.

 

My checklist will include looking at both the formatting and text. I will flag any sentence that might be unclear, although will generally not spend time rephrasing as that is part of copyediting.

 

My checklist for proofreading includes:

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• page numbers, running heads, prelims, headings, and format

• table of contents check against headings and page numbers

• consistency of style such as spelling, capitalization, and hyphenation

• misspellings, typos, double spaces

• grammar, punctuation, and visual content (e.g. images, graphs, tables, charts)

• flag sentences that might benefit from rephrasing for clarity, flow and readability

• repetition of words and phrases 

• in-text citations to reference list cross-check

• footnote numbers and footnote formatting

• reference list check for order and format

• adherence to your preferred style guide or build one for your document

• verify accuracy of basic facts and cross-check content

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Proofediting – a combined copyedit and proofread

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​I find a lot of authors want something in between a final proofread and a light copyedit hence the proofedit. This can take longer as I will do a copyedit followed by a final proofread. However, I do recommend a final proofread once the book or article is ready for publishing, as those errors easily creep in when amending content and producing the final copy.