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Last updated on 2024年9月14日

How can you catch your own errors when proofreading?

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Proofreading is the final stage of checking your written work for errors, typos, and inconsistencies. It can be challenging to spot your own mistakes, especially if you have been working on the same document for a long time. However, there are some strategies and techniques that can help you improve your proofreading skills and catch your own errors before you submit or publish your work. Here are six tips to help you proofread your own writing effectively.

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1 Read your work aloud

One of the simplest and most effective ways to catch your own errors when proofreading is to read your work aloud. This can help you notice any awkward sentences, missing words, punctuation errors, or unclear expressions that you might have overlooked when reading silently. Reading aloud can also help you check the tone, rhythm, and flow of your writing. You can read your work aloud to yourself, or ask a friend or colleague to listen and give you feedback.

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Chris Eboch

Children's Book and Educational Publishing Writer
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Most people have certain mistakes they make regularly, whether it's misspelling specific words or overusing a particular word (such as "just"). Keep a list of these as you discover them. When finished with the manuscript, use the Search function to look for the overused word or incorrect spelling. That's a quick way to deal with them all at once so you don't have to think about them when revising.

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2 Use a spell checker and a grammar checker

Another helpful tool for proofreading your own writing is to use a spell checker and a grammar checker. These are software programs or online services that can identify and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in your text. However, you should not rely on them completely, as they are not always accurate or consistent. You should always review the suggestions and changes that they make, and use your own judgment and knowledge of the rules and conventions of your language and genre.

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Stephanie O.

Editor at Epic Presence
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I think of a few words that are easily misspelled and confused, sometimes swapped, for other words. Then I'll search for them (example: writing an article on medical trials? Look for "trails")

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Francis Wiget

MFA
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My spelling and word use is idiosyncratic to say the least; I write fantasy novels and stories. I use anglicisms sometimes instead of American English, deliberately, and that confuses spell checkers. I use archaic senses of words, and that too confuses the spell checkers and I have to correct them. I recommend sticking with reading the work out loud.

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3 Change the format and appearance of your text

A third tip to catch your own errors when proofreading is to change the format and appearance of your text. This can help you see your work from a different perspective and notice any errors or inconsistencies that you might have missed before. You can change the font size, color, or style of your text, or print it out and read it on paper. You can also use a ruler, a highlighter, or a blank sheet of paper to cover parts of your text and focus on one line or paragraph at a time.

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4 Use a checklist and a style guide

A fourth technique to improve your proofreading skills is to use a checklist and a style guide. A checklist is a list of common errors or issues that you want to look for and avoid in your writing. For example, you can check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, citations, references, headings, numbers, abbreviations, and so on. A style guide is a set of rules and standards that you need to follow for your specific type of writing, such as academic, business, or creative writing. A style guide can help you ensure consistency and accuracy in your language, tone, format, and presentation.

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5 Proofread in stages and in reverse

A fifth strategy to catch your own errors when proofreading is to proofread in stages and in reverse. Proofreading in stages means that you focus on one aspect of your writing at a time, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, or structure. This can help you avoid distraction and confusion, and pay more attention to detail. Proofreading in reverse means that you start from the end of your text and work your way backwards, reading each word, sentence, or paragraph separately. This can help you spot any errors or inconsistencies that you might have skipped or ignored when reading in the normal order.

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6 Take breaks and get feedback

A sixth and final tip to help you proofread your own writing effectively is to take breaks and get feedback. Proofreading can be tiring and tedious, and if you do it for too long, you might lose concentration and miss errors. Therefore, it is important to take regular breaks and refresh your mind and eyes. You can also ask someone else to read your work and give you feedback. This can be a friend, a colleague, a tutor, or a professional proofreader. Getting feedback can help you identify any errors or areas of improvement that you might have overlooked or not noticed.

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Francis Wiget

MFA
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Never underestimate the need to take breaks! Re-reading the same paragraph over and over leads to fatigue and cloudy judgment. It's always ok to get up and walk away fro at least a couple of minutes.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Mekiya O.

Award-Winning Author | MacDowell Fellow | Co-Founder at The DateKeepers | Developmental & Structural Editor | Copyeditor | Proofreader | Manuscript Analyst | Author Support | Open to Writing & Editing Contracts
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One of my first teachers insisted that whenever her students misspelled a word, even if we knew the correct spelling and had simply been typing too quickly, we should stop, delete the misspelled word, and type it out correctly, manually, instead of telling the spell checker to correct it for us. This embed's the word's correct spelling, not just in the linguistic centers of your brain, but also in your motor cortex so that you'll be less likely to make this error in the future. You can use the same technique while proofreading, and it will help reduce your dependence on spell check tools over time, although those are still useful tools and should stay in your repertoire.

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William L. Burner
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When doing a final proofreading, I prefer using paper over a screen. One of my favorite proofreading tricks is to use a blank sheet of paper (preferably not white) turned landscape to isolate each line of the text. I find this forces me to look at it differently and more slowly than usual.

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Carmel C. Stuart

Business Paralegal at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
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What works for me is proofreading in layers or stages. The extra 10-15 minutes is worth it. My third stage below is key. 1. Reading text from the screen top to bottom, line by line for context, spelling, punctuation, defined terms, etc. 2. Then same by print. 3. If editing from hand-written or redlined markups of another author of the document, I take that markup, side by side the printed new version and line by line highlight the draft that each change is captured. "Checking off" each markup or redline this way is no-fail regarding other's work I assist on and my own.

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How can you catch your own errors when proofreading?

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1 Read your work aloud

2 Use a spell checker and a grammar checker

3 Change the format and appearance of your text

4 Use a checklist and a style guide

5 Proofread in stages and in reverse

6 Take breaks and get feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Proofreading

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