Style
Explore the nuances of style in writing. Find out how to use a style sheet, use different capitalization styles, write numbers (ten or 10?) – as well as a variety of other style considerations.
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When Can You Use the First Person in Academic Writing?
When Can You Use the First Person in Academic Writing?
Published Dec 05, 2021
Last Updated Aug 13, 2024Many students are taught not to use the first person in academic writing. But is it always the case that you shouldn’t? And when should a proofreader change or comment on the point of view in scholarly work? In this post, we’ll explain the basics, including: For more advice on all of the above, read […]
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Editing Tips: Editing IMRaD Essays
Editing Tips: Editing IMRaD Essays
Published Nov 11, 2021
Last Updated May 16, 2023If you do a lot of academic editing or proofreading, chances are you will come across an IMRaD essay. Indeed, you may have worked on several without even knowing it! The term IMRaD stands for Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, which is a method of structuring essays. It’s worth yourself with this structure because it’s […]
Proofreading Tips: Parentheses and Square Brackets in Chicago Style
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Dos and Don'ts for Proofreading Academic Writing
Published Nov 04, 2021
Last Updated Jan 13, 2025Academic proofreading is a common source of work for many freelancers. However, there are some specific rules and requirements for proofreading academic documents that set them apart from other types of documents. With that in mind, we’ve put together five dos and don’ts for proofreading academic writing: Do correct informal language. Don’t change the content. […]
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Proofreading Tips: How to Proofread Quotations
Published Oct 23, 2021
Last Updated Jun 20, 2024Academic writing accounts for a significant portion of many freelance proofreaders’ work. And, along with some other non-fiction, academic writing often relies heavily on quotations. It is thus important to know how to proofread quotations. In this post, we give an overview of things to consider when proofreading quotations in academic or other non-fiction writing. […]
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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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A Guide to Referencing and Religious Texts
Published Jul 17, 2021
Last Updated Dec 06, 2024Religious texts, whether published as books or accessed online, often play by different rules when it comes to referencing. So, as a proofreader, you’ll need to pay particular attention to referencing if your client is citing the Bible, the Quran, or any other sacred text. Here, we set out the rules for citing religious texts […]
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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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Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction
Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction
Published Jul 03, 2021
Last Updated Nov 21, 2024Fiction is all about the suspension of disbelief, and factual errors can be distracting. Thus, when editing or proofreading a novel, you might need to raise issues of factual accuracy for your client, especially when a work of fiction is set in the real world. In this post, then, we set out some tips on […]
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Proofreading Tips: Punctuation in MHRA Style
Proofreading Tips: Punctuation in MHRA Style
Published Jul 01, 2021
Last Updated Jun 26, 2024The MHRA Style Guide is often used in the humanities, especially in the UK. But what does a proofreader need to know when working on a document that follows this style? In this post, we will look at the rules for punctuation in MHRA style, including: General guidelines about the overall punctuation conventions in MHRA […]
