How to Proofread: 5 Tips to Help You Proofread Well

Being a freelance proofreader has many benefits, but it’s not easy. You can know all about spelling, grammar, punctuation, referencing styles, and so on, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a good proofreader. That’s why sometimes it can be useful to rethink your processes to help you work better. In this post, we’ll introduce five helpful tips for better proofreading (and better freelance work in general). Read on to learn more.

1. Work Systematically

Proofreading a document involves more than just reading it and hoping to spot mistakes. It pays to have a whole arsenal of proofreading techniques for working systematically through a document. For example, you might:

• Use the Find and Replace tool in Microsoft Word to search for certain errors, such as double spaces. This way, you don’t have to worry about missing any. However, you should use this tool carefully. For example, if you were adjusting UK spellings to the US spelling, you shouldn’t use it to change all cases of -ise to -ize because you could introduce errors such as arize or compromize.
• Watch out for common errors, especially with homophones or homonyms. With some experience, this will be easy, but it’s helpful to know which words are most frequently misused or misspelled.
• Read each page twice to spot any mistakes you missed the first time.
• Use techniques to help you maintain distance. This might mean proofreading backward, reading the text out loud, or changing the font between passes so that the text looks different each time you proofread it.
• Set up your keyboard shortcuts right. Read this blog post to learn more about keyboard shortcuts that can help you when proofreading.

2. Set Up Your Workspace for Success

It’s hard to do your best work in a messy, uncomfortable, noisy, or otherwise unsuitable environment. In fact, setting up an effective workspace is half the battle when it comes to productivity. So, make sure to:

• Have a dedicated workspace. Choose a place that’s generally quiet and where you can work as undisturbed as possible. This doesn’t mean you can’t move around when you need a change of scenery, but it should help you get in the right mindset.
• Invest in a comfortable, supportive chair. As a proofreader, you’ll spend a lot of time sitting, so do your back a favor by choosing a chair that supports your posture.
• Keep your workspace tidy and clean. The saying “tidy home, tidy mind” may be overused, but it’s still true.

3. Take Regular Breaks

It’s important to take regular breaks to avoid burnout. Taking the time to recharge can also improve your productivity and concentration. It’s up to you how often and for how long you take breaks. But the tried-and-tested Pomodoro technique suggests working in 25-minute bursts, followed by five-minute breaks and a longer break every two hours.

To make your breaks extra effective, you can:

• Step away from the computer. This is probably the most important tip for properly recharging during breaks from screen-based work.
• Move about. This doesn’t have to mean spending every free minute doing energetic exercise, but getting up and moving is good for your body and mind.
• Get outside. Spending time in nature helps you fulfill the previous two points while enjoying the fresh air and a boost of vitamin D.
• Listen to your body. Take breaks to eat and drink when you need to. It may go without saying, but we still stress that healthy food and plenty of water are the way to go here.

4. Learn from Past Mistakes

There is no such thing as a perfect proofreader, so it’s important to accept that you’ll make mistakes from time to time. This is especially true at the start of your career when you’re still learning the ropes. Therefore, you should:

• Ask for feedback after completing proofreading projects.
• Keep a checklist to help you double check areas where you’ve made mistakes in the past.

And if you get negative feedback, don’t lose hope! Negative feedback is usually not personal, so take a moment to emotionally distance yourself from it and then respond with respect, offering practical solutions where possible. This way, the client will hopefully be satisfied, and you can use the feedback to improve your future performance.

5. Complete Proofreading Training

Although you can only polish your proofreading skills with experience, it’s important to first get a solid grounding in the discipline. As we’ve already mentioned, it’s not enough just to know about spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and there’s no substitute for good training. Look for an up-to-date course that teaches you how to proofread – both how to work through a document systematically and how to use the appropriate software.

Naturally, we recommend our Becoming A Proofreader course, which covers all you need to know about proofreading, from the finer points of English grammar to academic referencing systems. On top of that, if you achieve a distinction score of 80% or above on both Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor, you are guaranteed work opportunities with our partner company, Proofed!

Becoming A Proofreader

Sign up for a free trial today to see how the Becoming A Proofreader course can kick-start your proofreading career.