Proof Reading is a part of Content Writing. The content writing process has several steps. In these steps, the proofreading plays an important role in developing good, persistent, and accurate content. This article will help to become a better Proof Reader. Proof Reading is the process to verify and ensure the aim of content for which it has to be written on various platforms, whether the proofreading is of Online Content writing or Offline content writing. In today’s world, all content is now on the internet. And proofreading is not as simple as it seems. Proof Reading is a part of content writing by which the proofreader emphasizes while doing the proofing of content differently, so that after completing with proofreading work the end-users (students, teachers, researchers, etc.) Will get the correct material. For example- Grammatical Errors, Spellings, Punctuations, and formatting patterns in the content.
Perfection is the need of today’s life, wherein everybody wants to be perfect by all means and for the jobs or any other work, it becomes comparatively more essential for the one to have their work done error-free, whenever a person goes for a job we have found a lot more spelling mistakes or it is full of poor grammar.
Who is a Proofreader?
In our early days, we extended a helping hand to our friends in not writing their applications during the school days, but later on also, even though many times we act as a vocabulary or a dictionary for them by resolving their spelling mistakes but also doing their grammar corrections. To some extent, this act was quite irritating at that time, but unknowingly it develops a good writing habit in us and also many time acts as a proofreader for them. This habit helps us in becoming a good proofreader.
A proofreader is the one who does the spell check and also corrections of grammatical errors in the typescript. It also counterpart the documents with the original one (documents) before it will go for the final printout as it requires more vigilant and keen observance. It mainly requires proofreading to gleam up the typescripts. Proofreaders require books, magazines, newspapers, and websites as it is being done keeping in mind the specialist onlookers like academic reports, annual reports, or the business reports.
All the content writing types either it is Technical Writing, Academic Writing, or Creative Writing.
Note 10 minor mistakes, but you can’t find it’s a challenge.
We have seen that nowadays, as the techniques have upgraded a lot, no one likes to see the red marks, hence we can say that proofreading is the most essential requirement that will help in getting the right document for us.
- Take a hard copy of your typescript: As in today’s time we are very much inhabitant of gadget we want everything to be on-screen work but, it has been noticed many times that while reading long text or messages we mainly skipped one or more lines which as a proofreader not appropriate, for this it will be well to take a hard copy of your typescript so as the simplest of errors that are overlooked while scrolling the screen as our mindset is so usually perfect in scrolling the digital screen. If we take out a printout while proofread it is good for us to carry a pen or a pencil in the hand so that while doing the proofread mistakes can be rectified timely and which can be updated later on and its result is fruitful.
- Proofreader’s mental status: Well proofreading is a very hectic and the time taking process as it requires a very calm state of mind while acting as a proofreader it is very important to be focused while doing the proofreading as on a single mistake can ruin the hardship of a proofreader. Let’s support it like this, that a person offers you to drink a mug of beer, in a simple gesture you deny the offer by saying No, thanks. But if someone through’s you a challenge to drink a mug of beer by bottoms up, it depends on your ability and the mental strength of how you take it. Let’s take it like this: I have thrown a challenge that I did 10 slight mistakes at the beginning of my article, what you did, you took it as a challenge and start reading my article watchfully. I lied there are no such mistakes in my article, but as I have placed a challenge at my very first stage you started reading my article cautiously and even sometimes you study my article twice or maybe thrice sometimes to find out the mistakes which unfortunately not there. You proofread rather than doing the simple reading; you scrutinize my work more vigilantly word by word as I have challenged you. Well, to become a good proofreader our mindset must be in the way to be very cautious while doing the proofreading.
3. Be positive for the volume handout: Proofreading is very monotonous work and if one could make it a large, then a volume hand out crack will be there in the pocket. But for that, one must do the proofreading work more appealing and without mistakes.
4. Prepare yourself to daily read and write work: A good proofreader must have the tendency of writing and reading as it improves the quality of your work that enhances the minimum mistakes. As more you write, the less will be the repetition with your common errors.
5. Hate to write, hate to read: Well it has found that many of us have a hatred approach towards the writing for which they don’t like but to buckle up yourself one must write about the topics hate the most which will make you burst out yourself onto it, and if you hate reading then it’s good to read out those frameworks, you love the most so as it improves your vocabulary and also helps you to focus on your concentration. This is a very essential element for any proofreader.
6. Sit back and relaxed after the typescript: We all know that no one is perfect and makes silly mistakes, therefore, take a break from the work after it has been done as you became exhausted from the work, and unable to fill up the correct idiom. As you are well known to the concept of the typescript, your eyes float through the problems easily and couldn’t make out the problems. Hence, it is good to take a break from the work and relax so when you again check the typescript you can easily make out the mistakes.
7. Print and scrutinize the typescript clearly: It is quite tough to do the proofing on-screen as the brightness many times affect the eyes, therefore, it is better to take out a printout of the typescript and then scrutinize it each and every word carefully so as the right sense will be found. Read the typescript slow and clear against your normal reading approach.
8.Trace out the method of errors: While proofing the typescript keep a close watch on your errors so that the method of your writing method will be fixed, as the time passes you become familiar with such mistakes and it gets stopped from repeating the errors in the future as you become more aware and if you are proofing the typescript directly on to the screen, then it is advisable to enlarge the font size and the font type of your transcript so that it can easily be readable to your eyes.
9. Focus on self-check: It is quite common that when we go for proofing of any typescript, we rely more on the computer’s spell check software which is available easily, but this approach makes you indolent in your professionalism and has been found that it works up to some extent and could not resolve the complex mistakes. Advisable to do the spell check and then take out the hard copy of your typescript and then recheck the typescript to find out the more complex problems.
10. Slacken while proofreading: It has been seen that while doing the reading we always glide through while reading, being a proofreader, one must be slow while doing a reading as it’s quite easy to trace out the errors in the typescript, but a question comes out how do I improve my reading ability? Well, in this can be done by doing a slow reading and take an object like a pencil or pen in your hand while doing proofing work, even though you can’t take any object in your hand while proofing the best use is your index finger.
11. Lower the level of “vague” in your writing: Vague writing is the most futile way of communicating your thoughts as it creates disinterest in your reader’s mind towards your typescript, even it will make them reading your typescripts too. Hence it will be good for our readers to get meaningful information while they are learning through our typescript and try not to do such vague writing and if it does do try to get rid of it timely.
12. Express through brief sentences: It has been noticed many times that the sentences are too long for a reader to focus on, which makes discomfort for the reader to continue reading the typescript. When the sentences getting too long, it is quite necessary to break them down into small sentences. Small sentences can easily be focused on. Let’s have a simple example of this; “Mohan a football player he dribbled the balls with his legs in such a way that it’s quite difficult to catch him up when he is moving towards the goal post”. Well, this is quite a detailed introduction of Mohan that makes discomfort in reading as on it can be defined in just a small sentence simply, “Mohan is a perfect dribbler“.
13. Feel free to take the help of the dictionary: As time passes it has been noticed that we start misspellings we can’t remember the word spell that gives a bad impression. It happened many times in day-to-day life also that we forgot many things, it’s quite sensible to take the help of the dictionary without hesitating for the references.
14. Cross check your grammar: Do check your words carefully while proofing as in today’s times being the use of mobile has so much there, the messaging technique has also changed and we started using the shorter words rather than using the appropriate words like instead of your/you’re, thanks/thnx, to/too/two. It has been found that while writing the sentences the focus get’s disrupted and we don’t use the appropriate grammar while describing the sentence. One or two mistakes to some extent are acceptable, but the continuity of such errors definitely not a healthy sign.
15. Always get yourself ready to crosscheck your proofing: Make yourself ready to get your typescripts proofing to crosscheck from the other person who is not familiar with your typescript so as the errors which had been overlooked by you and it is not noticed by you while proofing the typescript can easily be checked and found by that person(if any).
16. keep check on Apostrophes: One must be careful while writing with the apostrophes as in it brings a clump’s in one’s mind as in the internet chats, mobile chatting, or write with the informal mails it has been noticed that the quick conversation methods being used rather than the use of accurate words. While using the apostrophes the words ending with “.” make it away to your writing whether such words communicate the right approach, because we have to check the word where we are using apostrophes are plural or contraction.
17. Acknowledge the purview of proofreader’s effort: As per the explanation, the job of a proofreader is to dig out and rectify the mistakes that are there in the typescript. Many people thought it an elementary work, but no dear, it’s not. A proofreader has to dig out many errors from the typescripts besides spell check and similarity with the original subject. A proofreader has to cross-check the errors very patiently twice and even sometimes three times also such as –
- Typing errors: well, a proofreader has to check out for the typing error for which he has to do the correction, mis-printing in the printed material, earlier this mistake referred to be an error in manual-type settings.
- An unpredictable manner or the design: a proofreader also has to check out the format of the typescript is as per the requirement given by the author has been properly followed or not.
- Convenient pages and less use of word breaks: The proofreader also checks with the typescript that the pages must be easy to understand and also make sure about the word breaks that the words must be fitted in such a way that it can easily be understandable and readable too.
- Misplaced points and the spell check: a proofreader also makes sure that the periods that are used in the typescript must be in place and the word spelling must also be correct.
Conclusion: A proofreader is a very vital part of publication work so as the content which is being published must be accurate so that whom so ever is reading should get the right information from the publisher and get connected easily. If we follow the above-said steps, one can become a good proofreader, this will help you out in earning the handsome perks also from Rs.16,000.00 per month for beginners up to Rs.35,000 per month for those who had the experience of over four years.