Proofing Tips - Make a Good Impression With Error-Free
Documents
by Leva Duell
Published on this site: August 9th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Typos can hurt your sales. Apply the proofreading tips below
to proof your documents. The type of document and purpose
will determine how you proofread. Proofreading a legal document
will be different from proofreading documents with multiple
columns, numbers, or names.
Proofing Tips
- Use your word processor's spell checker first.
- Then read and proof your document thoroughly.
- Read backwards (right to left or bottom to top) to concentrate
on spelling instead of content.
- Reread the document for content to find omissions and
plurals.
- Wait a couple of hours or a day to proofread what you
typed. You are more likely to find errors.
- Have others proofread your documents. Consider using
a professional editor.
What to Check
- Check for overlooked insertions, omissions, and duplications.
- Check parenthesis, quotation marks, apostrophes, hyphenation,
and compound words.
- Verify any words you are not sure of.
- Watch out for words the spellchecker won't catch such
as it's/its, heir/there, your/you're, were/where, then/than,
and to/too.
- Check for consistent spelling of specialized words throughout
the document.
- When adding or revising information, check the changes
and additions.
Letters/Memos
- Check the date.
- Check name, address, phone number (in letterhead), subject
or reference line, signature, and recipients of copies.
Long Text (manuals and other documents with 10 or more pages)
- Check consistency. Using a style sheet will help you
to be consistent with tables, titles, subtitles, and headings.
- Check spacing before and after paragraphs, titles and
subtitles. Viewing documents in outline view helps you check
spacing consistency.
- Proofread in steps. Check all the titles first for consistency
in size, type style, and spacing before and after. Then
check paragraphs, numbering, etc.
- Use your computer's automatic page numbering. Check if
all pages are printed and sorted in the right sequence.
- Check sequence of numbers of itemized items. Verify that
you have all items.
Technical and Legal Documents
- Read the body of the document against the original. Proofread
sentence by sentence to catch omissions. Or have someone
else read the draft while you verify your work.
- Check the outline. Check headings, sequence of numbers,
letters, and indentations.
Statistics, Tables, Accounting, and Itemized Data
- Having someone else read the original while you check
your copy.
- For columns: If you input data across the page, then
proofread your copy down the columns. If you typed the information
down the page, then proofread across the page. Proofread
numbers across the page, then down the page. Verify the
number of entries in each column with your copy.
Transcription
- Follow your office or client guidelines. If you did not
receive guidelines, decide on a style and be consistent.
- Verify names and specialized terms.
- After transcribing, replay the tape at the fastest speed
and verify your finished typing against the tape to pick
up misspellings.
- After you are accustomed to the style and content of
a dictation, replay unclear phrases while transcribing instead
of listening to the complete tape a second time.
Web Site
- Verify phone numbers, email addresses, and Web address.
- Type and proof your Web content before giving it to your
Web designer. Correcting errors after the Web site is designed
will increase cost.
- Proof the Web site again after it's designed.
- Check logos, graphics, and headlines that are converted
to graphics and can't be spellchecked.
Make a good impression and increase credibility with error-free
documents. Take the time to proofread.
Leva Duell, Looking for typing work at home? Start
a secretarial business. The Secretarial-Business-in-a-Box
provides instant tools you need to start and run a successful
secretarial service. Free articles and business start-up newsletter
at http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com
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