Proofreading Tips

Whether you’re just getting started or are an experienced proofreader, there’s always something new to learn. That’s where our blogs come in! We've got expert advice on spelling, grammar, punctuation, referencing, proofreading different types of writing (from creative to business and academic), and much more!

  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: Proofreading Creative Writing

    Proofreading Creative Writing

    Proofreading Creative Writing

    Published Jul 30, 2018
    Last Updated Jun 02, 2025

    • Creative Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    The truth hurts. That’s why everyday life can be scattered with little white lies – and why most of the human race avoids telling anyone that their baby isn’t all that pretty. But proofreaders aren’t so lucky. This career can involve sharing some uncomfortable truths. And this is especially true when working with authors and […]

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    Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles

    Capitalisation: Compass Points and Titles

    Published Jul 02, 2018
    Last Updated Aug 07, 2023

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    In our time training proofreaders, we’ve noticed that the subtleties of capitalisation can sometimes confuse even the best students. So, today, we’re going to look at two tricky capitalisation issues that might trip you up: compass points and titles. Compass Points and Directions It is a common misconception that the four compass directions should always […]

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Formatting Titles in Academic Documents

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    A Brief Guide to Proofreading for Websites

    Published Apr 26, 2018
    Last Updated May 28, 2025

    • Business Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Is proofreading for websites different from other types of proofreading? The answer is yes! You can’t always apply the same proofreading techniques and guidelines to different kinds of documents. Academic proofreading, for instance, is very different to proofreading web copy. This is one reason why proofreaders haven’t yet been replaced by robots. Crucially, reading on […]

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    Citing Edited Books in Chicago Style

    Published Apr 13, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 28, 2024

    • Academic Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Referencing and Citations
    • Style

    Sound the celebratory trombone and strike the ritual tambourine. It’s referencing time again! And today we’re looking at how to cite edited books again. In this post, we’re going to look at Chicago referencing. There are two versions of this system: Author–date citations and a reference list (more common in the sciences) Footnotes and a […]

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    13 Latin Terms Every Proofreader Should Know

    Published Mar 26, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 25, 2024

    • Proofreading Tips
    • Vocabulary Tips

    You might want to throw on some Ricky Martin before you read this because we’re going Latin. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be as sexy as Señor Martin was at his hip-gyrating peak. In your proofreading career you will encounter several Latin terms, and you may already be familiar with many of them. However, it’s […]

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    Top 5 Formatting Tips for Proofreaders

    Published Mar 15, 2018
    Last Updated Jan 02, 2025

    • Formatting
    • Proofreading Tips

    If there’s one thing that this blog has said ad nauseam, it’s that being a proofreader isn’t just about having good spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Take formatting, for example. It’s not proofreading, but a lot of jobs aimed at proofreaders require it and a lot of employers will expect you to format documents professionally. For […]

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    Top 3 Justifications for Sentence Fragments

    Published Mar 01, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 19, 2024

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    This post is very. Let that sink in for a moment. Deep, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s also poor grammar. As proofreaders, we know that incomplete sentences are usually unacceptable. But there are circumstances in which a partial sentence might make sense. Thus, here are our top three reasons to leave sentence fragments be. 1. For […]

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    All Together Or Altogether?

    Published Feb 21, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 19, 2024

    • Common Errors
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    The classic movie Airplane! plays on the similarity between the terms all together and altogether. In that film, the protagonist discovers that pressing the autopilot button is counterproductive. But when he explains this and uses the word altogether to mean entirely, his companions respond by echoing his words all together. And, lo, we immediately see […]

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    Citing Edited Books in MLA and IEEE

    Citing Edited Books in MLA and IEEE

    Published Feb 15, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 28, 2024

    • Academic Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Referencing and Citations
    • Style

    We’re sorry. We’ve made you wait, trembling with anticipation, for the next exciting instalment of our occasional series on referencing. Perhaps your desperation for referencing tips has led you to seek out the darker corners of the internet for dodgy tips cut with misconceptions. Stop. We have the good stuff. And if you’re not sure […]

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  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: Making Verbs Agree

    How to Fix Subject–Verb Agreement Errors

    How to Fix Subject–Verb Agreement Errors

    Published Jan 09, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 25, 2024

    • Common Errors
    • Grammar
    • Proofreading Tips

    Do you ever feel like the only voice of reason in a world where all the words hate each other? We do. Sometimes, arranging a sentence so that it reads naturally is a daunting task. This is particularly true of ensuring that verbs agree when dealing with things like compound subjects and collective nouns. So […]

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