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!

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    Freelance Proofreading Tips: The Client’s Brief

    Freelance Proofreading Tips: The Client’s Brief

    Published Mar 19, 2020
    Last Updated Apr 21, 2025

    • Clients
    • Finding Work
    • Proofreading Tips

    As a freelance proofreader and editor, your work may range from making major changes to a document to fixing typos and other minor errors. And this variability is why you need to agree on a clear brief with each client. But what is a brief? And what might it cover? Understanding the Client’s Brief In […]

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    Style Guides for Proofreading and Editing

    Style Guides for Proofreading and Editing

    Published Feb 10, 2020
    Last Updated May 27, 2025

    • Proofreading Resources
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Style guides are crucial for proofreading and editing. As a freelancer, you may come to depend on them quite heavily! After all, a good style guide will tell you everything you need to know to edit a document, from spelling preferences to favored citation style. But which style guides do you need? And where can […]

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Copy Editing vs. Proofreading: What You Need to Know

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    Should You Edit Citations and References?

    Published Jan 27, 2020
    Last Updated Jun 02, 2025

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

    You need to know your referencing systems if you’re proofreading academic documents. Knowadays covers several major referencing styles to this end, but we’re often asked how far an editor should go with citations. The answer is But that isn’t a very helpful answer, so we’ll look more at how to edit references and citations below. […]

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    5 Top Tips for Giving Great Feedback on a Document

    Published Jan 23, 2020
    Last Updated Nov 26, 2024

    • Clients
    • Proofreading Tips

    Knowadays is about more than just grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s about how you can help clients produce excellent writing, which often involves leaving feedback. But how should you comment on a document you’re editing? Let’s find out.

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    What to Do with Tentative Language

    Published Jan 13, 2020
    Last Updated Jan 26, 2026

    • Common Errors
    • Editing Tips
    • Other Errors
    • Proofreading Tips

    Tentative language – also known as – is a common feature of many types of writing. But what exactly do we mean by tentative language? And what should you do if you encounter hedging when editing or proofreading a document? In this post, we explain all. What Do We Mean by Hedging? If a document […]

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    Proofreading Tips: Working With Religious Terms

    Published Feb 03, 2019
    Last Updated Oct 04, 2023

    • Proofreading Tips
    • Vocabulary Tips

    And lo, the proofreader corrected the spelling and the grammar, and she did separate sentence from sentence with proper punctuation. For six days she did this, and on the seventh day she did this also, for she worked freelance and could not afford to rest. Don’t worry, we haven’t changed our style to reflect the […]

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    How to Proofread Negative Prefixes in English

    Published Aug 07, 2018
    Last Updated Nov 25, 2024

    • Common Errors
    • ESL Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Spelling

    English is a magpie language. It picks up shiny words wherever it can, and it doesn’t care how disorganised its rules become in the process. Or should that be ‘unorganised’? Take prefixes, for instance. We have de-, dis-, un-, and in-, all of which signify that something isn’t the case. And they’re not the only […]

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  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: 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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  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: Formatting Titles in Academic Documents

    Formatting Titles in Academic Documents

    Formatting Titles in Academic Documents

    Published May 18, 2018
    Last Updated May 16, 2023

    • Academic Writing
    • Formatting
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Although proofreading and formatting are different, they overlap in some respects. For instance, when an essay names a source in the text, it is standard for the proofreader to ensure its title is appropriately formatted. Let’s take a look at how formatting titles works. Italics and Quote Marks Formatting titles in the text of a […]

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