Seven ways to proofreading success

1. Print out a hard copy while proofreading on screen. Arm yourself with two copies. It’s likely that errors will stand out in one version even if you’ve glided over them in the other.
2. Ensure the document makes sense. Correcting grammar and punctuation can often seem to be the point of proofreading. But your top priority should be ensuring the document is readable. If it’s difficult to understand, change it. Remember, plain English is best, so weed out all the complicated words and replace them with no-nonsense alternatives.
3. Use your computer spellchecker. But remember that Bill Gates doesn’t have all the answers. Your spellchecker doesn’t read for sense, only accuracy – it doesn’t know whether you mean mountain ‘peak’ or ‘peek’. So don’t be a slave to it. Always use a dictionary if you’re not sure.
4. Use a pencil to point to every single word. Scientists have found that in normal reading we don’t scan every word. Instead, our eyes move in little jumps, fixating on key words. Using a pencil and ruler slows your brain down.
5. Check the title or headline. It’s easy to overlook the most obvious thing on the page and get bogged down in the details. Also, make sure the title is relevant to the document.
6. Check telephone numbers by calling them. It’s surprisingly easy to transpose numbers when writing them. Misplacing one digit can ruin a marketing campaign, for instance. Don’t waste valuable time and money by sending out documents with incorrect phone numbers.
7. Make sure you’re not the only person to read the last proof. If the document is important and you’re the only one who’s seen it, hold fire until you can get a second pair of eyes to see it. Show your colleagues these proofreading tips and make sure they follow each one before giving you the go-ahead.