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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A Brief Guide to Proofreading for Websites
A Brief Guide to Proofreading for Websites
Published Apr 26, 2018
Last Updated May 28, 2025Is 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 This is one reason why proofreaders haven’t yet been replaced by robots.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
Citing Edited Books in Chicago Style
Published Apr 13, 2018
Last Updated Nov 28, 2024Sound 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 […]
13 Latin Terms Every Proofreader Should Know
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Top 5 Formatting Tips for Proofreaders
Published Mar 15, 2018
Last Updated Jan 02, 2025If 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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All Together Or Altogether?
Published Feb 21, 2018
Last Updated Nov 19, 2024The 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
Published Feb 15, 2018
Last Updated Nov 28, 2024We’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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How to Fix Subject–Verb Agreement Errors
Published Jan 09, 2018
Last Updated Jan 26, 2026Do 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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Citing Chapters of Edited Books in Harvard and APA
Published Dec 19, 2017
Last Updated Oct 30, 2025If you’ve ever scratched your head wondering how to cite just one chapter of a book with multiple contributors, you’re not alone. In academic writing, it’s common to use just one part of an edited volume, such as a textbook with chapters by different specialists or an anthology of essays by various writers. Knowing how […]
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Proofreading Before Computers
Published Nov 21, 2017
Last Updated Jan 26, 2026Proofreading dates back to the early days of printing: a contract from 1499 even mentions it, saying that the responsibility for proofreading lies with the author. But it may interest technology fans to know that Microsoft Word was not around in the fifteenth century. And proofreading before computers was, necessarily, very different. As such, to […]
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Historic vs. Historical: What’s the Difference?
Historic vs. Historical: What’s the Difference?
Published Nov 14, 2017
Last Updated May 27, 2025The invention of the computer was a historic event. Without it we would still be scribbling in the margins of galley proofs, unaided by word-processing software. The invention of the computer was also a historical event, hence our use of the past tense. Yet not every historical event is historic, and not every historic event […]
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Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes
Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes
Published Nov 07, 2017
Last Updated Jul 28, 2025As the supermarkets begin to stock their shelves with exploding hat-and-joke containers, stuffing-flavour crisps and puddings nobody likes, Michael Bublé comes out of his long hibernation. Listen. He is warming up his voice. “A kiss is just a kiss,” he sings. “A sigh is just a sigh.” But is a dash just a dash? Is […]