5 Tips for Handling Your First Proofreading Job

If you’re a new or aspiring proofreader, you’re probably wondering how you’ll tackle your first proofreading job. In this post, we’ll show you how to succeed at your first freelance gig by:

1. Making sure to define, and then stick to, your client’s brief.
2. Having confidence in your skills as a proofreader.
3. Using checklists to help you keep track of the errors you should look out for.
4. Getting some distance from the text so you can come back to it with fresh eyes.
5. Not overstepping the mark when it comes to the extent of your edits.

Keep reading for our in-depth tips below.

1. Clarify and Follow the Brief

Before starting your first proofreading job (or any proofreading job for that matter), you need to make sure both you and your client understand exactly what kind of work you are agreeing to.

This usually takes the form of a brief, which can cover:

• Details about the document (e.g., word count, intended purpose/audience).
• The level of editing the client expects (e.g., does the client want a light final proofread or more of a copy editing service?).
• If you need to follow a certain style guide.
• Any practical concerns (e.g., deadlines, payment, contact details).

It’s a good idea at this point to ask questions if the brief is missing important information, or if there’s anything you’re unclear about.

Once the brief has been agreed on, it’s your job to stick to it (or reclarify it if any further issues come up while you’re proofreading). In practice, this means making sure to cover all the work the client expects you to do without overstepping the mark (which we’ll discuss more later).

2. Remember You’re the Expert

Taking on your first proofreading job can be intimidating. But have confidence in your own abilities – after all, the client has chosen to come to you!

So be confident and don’t be afraid to edit the document directly. If you know something is wrong, such as an obvious typo or incorrect punctuation, there’s no need to leave a comment for the client. Simply go ahead and edit the text. You should only leave a comment when you think an edit might confuse the client, or if you’re unsure of the client’s original meaning and want to suggest an edit.

And remember, proofreading isn’t a closed-book exam. You will probably know what sort of issues to keep an eye out for, but no one expects you to memorize every grammatical rule and reference style. If you’re ever unsure of something, using resources like online dictionaries and grammar guides doesn’t make you any less of an expert.

3. Make a Checklist

Speaking of resources, having a checklist of things to look out for can make your first proofreading job less overwhelming.

A proofreading checklist can be as comprehensive as you need it to be. You might want to include every single detail to check for, from homophones to comma splices. Or you may prefer to focus on errors that you’re more likely to miss (e.g., if you know that you tend to miss more subtle grammar issues such as parallelism, add this to your checklist).

You can adjust your checklists as you gain experience and modify them for different projects. It’s also worth making multiple checklists or splitting one up, to account for each pass of a document. The first pass, for example, might focus on spelling and punctuation mistakes, while the second deals with grammatical errors.

If you’d like to see what proofreading checklists for different types of documents might look like, check out our checklist resources. We even have a downloadable blank template that you can customize.

4. Get Some Distance from the Document

It’s easy to get burned out when you’re working on the same project for a long time. And the more familiar you are with a piece of writing, the more errors will slip past your notice.

It’s a good idea, then, to get some occasional distance from a document. You can do this by:

• Changing how the document looks. Zoom out, change the font, or even print it out. However you do it, getting a new perspective can help you pick up on missed errors.
• Reading aloud. Sometimes reading a passage out loud will highlight anything that sounds unnatural or out of place.
• Taking a break. Give your eyes a rest – even if it’s just for five minutes – and both your work and your health will benefit.

5. Know When to Stop

As a new freelancer, you’ll be keen to impress clients with your new-found expertise. As a proofreader, though, you’re only expected to focus on mechanical errors in the text (e.g., issues to do with spelling, punctuation, and grammar).

And though there can be some overlap between proofreading and editing, you generally won’t be expected to go into the depth common in substantive editing.

But it can be hard not to overstep the mark and make major changes to the style or content of a document. After all, you want to help the author polish their writing – that’s why you’re here! But if you find yourself in this situation, consider: is there something objectively wrong with the text?

If the answer is no, it’s better to leave the text as it is. Proofreading is usually the last stage of editing a document, so suggesting major changes may not be very helpful to your client.

Knowing when to stop is especially important when proofreading academic writing. In this case, you should always avoid making any changes to factual information or making edits that might change the meaning of the text, as this can lead to accusations of plagiarism.

Ultimately, though, referring back to the brief will keep you from taking your edits too far.

Becoming A Proofreader

If you’d like to take on some proofreading work, signing up for a free trial of our Becoming A Proofreader course is a great place to start.