Business Writing
Explore expert articles on business proofreading and editing. Find out what it takes help clients refine their business communications, enhance clarity, and maintain a polished tone. From reports to proposals, learn practical strategies for elevating the quality of business documents and ensuring they make a lasting impression.
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The Inverted Pyramid in Journalism
The Inverted Pyramid in Journalism
Published Sep 14, 2022
Last Updated Sep 23, 2025The inverted pyramid is a handy tool used by journalists and business writers to structure their work. Understanding the inverted pyramid and how it’s used will help you to edit this type of writing. In this post, we explain the basics of the inverted pyramid so that you can use it to help assess your […]
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How to Use the 5 “W”s (and 1 H)
How to Use the 5 “W”s (and 1 H)
Published Sep 01, 2022
Last Updated Dec 15, 2023The five “W”s are a principle widely used in journalism and copywriting, so they are worth understanding if you want to edit these types of writing. In this post, we’ll set out the basics of the five “W”s and how you can use them as an editor. What Are the Five “W”s? The five “W”s […]
5 Questions to Ask When Editing a Listicle
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Plagiarism in Business Writing
Published Jun 28, 2022
Last Updated Nov 26, 2024While plagiarism is less obviously a problem in business writing than in, say, creative or academic writing, it can still be an issue. And a good proofreader may need to highlight plagiarism in their client’s work. But what does plagiarism look like in the context of business writing? And how do you address it? In […]
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Proofreading Tips: Numbers in AP Style
Published Oct 17, 2021
Last Updated Mar 10, 2025Created by journalists to help public-facing writing in 1953, The AP Stylebook is still one of the most commonly used American English style guides around. As a proofreader, you’ll often need to check the formatting of numbers when working with a client who writes in AP style. This post will take you through how to […]
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State Abbreviations in AP Style
Published Sep 26, 2021
Last Updated May 27, 2025The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook is, at its core, a guide for newspapers and other media publications. However, it has become a popular style guide for professional or corporate writing across various industries, with many businesses following AP style for their blog articles and web content. So, if you’re proofreading for clients in the US, […]
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Proofreading Tips: Abbreviations in AP Style
Published Jul 11, 2021
Last Updated Aug 01, 2023AP style is commonly used by journalists, marketers, and PR specialists, whose writing often includes abbreviations. So, if you’re proofreading a document that uses AP style, you’ll need to know how abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms should be presented. With that in mind, then, this guide covers how abbreviations should be used in AP style. Becoming […]
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A Proofreader’s Guide to Dates in AP Style
Published Jun 13, 2021
Last Updated Jul 23, 2025The Associated Press Stylebook is the go-to style guide for many writers, news outlets, and businesses. And if your clients use AP style, you’ll need to know how it works. With that in mind, here we’ll look at what proofreaders should know about dates in AP style, including: The basic date format (and when you […]
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How to Capitalize Titles in AP Style
Published May 30, 2021
Last Updated Dec 16, 2024AP style – as set out in The Associated Press Stylebook – is commonly used in business writing and journalism. But did you know that the AP Stylebook has advice on how to present titles of works, such as books, films, and musical compositions? It’s important to be aware of these rules so you know […]
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Style Guides for Business Writing
Style Guides for Business Writing
Published Dec 10, 2020
Last Updated Nov 26, 2024Style guides are vital resources for proofreaders and editors. But the best style guide to use may depend on the type of writing at hand. So, which style guides are best for business writing? Here, we’re going to look at some examples, including: The Associated Press Stylebook The Chicago Manual of Style The Business Style […]
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Editing Tips: A Quick Guide to Formal Writing
Editing Tips: A Quick Guide to Formal Writing
Published May 31, 2020
Last Updated Aug 07, 2023One key stylistic distinction for proofreading is between informal and formal writing. But what is formal writing? What makes it formal? And when should a document use a formal style? In this post, we look at what you need to know to work on formal documents. What Are the Key Stylistic Features of Formal Writing? […]