Module 1 — Effective
writing: Strategies
and principles
| Course Guide | Module 1 | Module 2a | Module 2b |
Step 5: Proofreading
Proofreading is the final check of your document to ensure that it is error free. This checking is your responsibility because you are the owner of the document. It should never be neglected. Even quick emails need careful proofreading before you press that 'send' button.
If you try to proofread a document in the same way as you normally read, you will not pick up many errors. In normal reading, we predict what the text is going to say and then confirm our predictions by sampling some of the text. We don't actually read every word. This problem is compounded by familiarity with the text. We know what we meant to say and with a quick read we mentally fill in the meaning as we go. Good readers more often than not make poor proofreaders because they are so focused on extracting meaning rather than on the surface structure of what they are reading.
Proofreading tips
To proofread effectively, you need to move away from your normal way of reading. Below are some of the techniques used by professional proofreaders:
- Read the document aloud. This helps you to focus on every word.
- Use a piece of paper to reveal only one line at a time. This prevents your eye from doing its normal sampling and predicting movements.
- Go through the document several times, each time focusing on a different aspect (for example, once for repetition and omissions; once for spelling and punctuation; once for layout).
- For really important work, get a colleague to proofread your document. (Writers are usually too close to their documents to proofread well.)
- Allow enough time for proofreading and always leave an interval between finishing the writing and doing the proofreading.
- Use the spelling and grammar checker, but remember that it will not pick up all errors. See the section on Using Electronic Tools to learn what your spelling checker can and cannot do.