Proofreader

Why Proofreading Matters

Is there a purpose to proofreading your work? Very much so. When undertaking any form of writing, it’s important that each and every mistook is checked over. A mistake like the one contained in the previous sentence is a clear example of an occasion when proofreading was necessary. The spell check has shown that this word is correct. However, by reading through, it becomes clear that the word used is wrong.

When submitting work, the clarity of the presentation is central to the overall look of the piece. Knowing the correct words to use – in their correct contexts – is what separates a skilled writer from a poor or mediocre one. Using a thesaurus is useful, but can also mean that you become out of your depth, using words that sound great but have no relevance to the subject.

It may be wise to go over your work several times. Each time you read the work, look for a single type of error before moving on to the next. This is especially true when checking for punctuation errors. At a first glance they might look correct, and errors may not become apparent to the writer unless the text is carefully scrutinised. Questions to ask are: Does the colon precede a list? Are there too many (or too few) commas? Did I ask correct questions?

There are times when the act of proofreading forays into editing; that is, the content of the writing may be structurally imbalanced and before the work becomes public, these errors have to be corrected.

The structure of the paragraphs typically refers to the way the sentences are laid out, and there are times when the writer will describe something using many flourishes and exclamations, but the reader may feel that the sentence is too long. Or, of course, they could be too short.

Proofreading is advisable because the second reading will pick up these small factors that influence how your work is formulated and the sentence structure defines how your work is read. The reader will want to ensure that the writing can be understood with ease.

Proofreading soon becomes habit if each piece of work is constantly checked for grammatical problems, structural issues, and spelling errors. All too often, a piece of writing fails when the reader is overwhelmed by a wealth of errors that make comprehension simply too much of an effort.

Using a professional proofreader will give you the satisfaction of knowing that your work is checked to a high standard; and also – as proofreading one’s own work is notoriously difficult – the level of distance that professional proofreaders bring is invaluable. And, of course, hiring a professional to proofread your work means one less job for you to do.

Why Do Dissertations Need Proofreading?

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No doubt you have taken a long time to plan, research and write your dissertation topic.  You will have probably missed out on family dinners, nights out with friends, and stayed up until the early hours of the morning trying to finish sections of your dissertation.  You will have worked hard, exhausting every opportunity to excel and add as much detail and understanding to your work as you can.

The big question now is: are you sure every little mistakes has been ironed out? Does your work flow and is your content concise and breeds clarity?  Is the tone of your paper on the right track, and have you check your spelling and grammar is correct?  If you’re unsure about these then you are going to want to get your work proofread.

Dissertation proofreading, no matter how it is completed, whether by a friend or by a company, should always be done by someone else other than you.  Remember from the above that you will no doubt have spent a lot of time on researching and writing the paper?  Well, you are going to be too close to the paper to effectively proofread and edit your own work – you will just not see the mistakes that are there.

Your mind will play tricks and you will read sentences as being correct, when they are not.  No doubt you will have read over your research paper numerous times, making sure that what you are saying is correct, and the style, flow, and tone of your writing is as clear as you want it to be.  Because of this, you will become blind to most mistakes in your work; some of these are minor, but many of them will be major points that you just did not notice.

When you are choosing a proofreader to proofread and edit your document, you should look at the company or individual in regard to their experience.  This is through whether they have experience editing and proofreading dissertations, and if they have experience in your field of research.  Your main aim when choosing a proofreader will be to make sure they will not only check for spelling and grammatical errors, but also that they are checking your work for consistency, clarity, tone and structure of argument.

If you are an international student studying in the UK, and feel that you need a little more than proofreading, then you should have your work edited too.  Proofreading is a process of ‘finally polishing’ your work before you submit it, whereas editing takes this process one step further by changing parts of sentences and different phrases to ensure that the clarity and tone of your paper is the utmost, and that you will gain the best mark available.  Having your document edited does not mean that the editor will write your document for you, or change huge chunks of your writing, rather, they will adapt your sentences to be grammatically correct and influence consistency in your work.

"proofread Documents" Software © – it Works Like Magic!

An innovative and advanced “Proofread Documents” Software can easily improve our writing assignments in just a few clicks. Writing is generally considered more formal than speaking so it is important to maintain it correct and professional. Discover the latest innovative ideas that can help you not only proofread your writing assignments, but transform your writing stylish and elegant.

Short overview

This automatic proofreader (known as “Proofread Documents” Software) is based on an advanced language processing technology that not only corrects your spelling or punctuation, but corrects your grammar errors as well. Sophisticated proofreading and language processing technology is quite new; but it seems like it recently made a significant progress. In most cases these solutions enables us to do the following: grammar check, misspelling and typos correction, and suggesting proper punctuation.

What is in it for us?

Finally, we need the bottom line, let’s see what benefits we get:

* Improving sentence construction with correct grammar and punctuation.

* Saving precious time spent on manual proofreading.

* Helping us to better achieve our writing goals.

* Helping us to avoid embarrassing grammar mistakes.

* Saves us time spent on grammar guides.

There are probably many other benefits that are not covered here, as this webmarketing assistance tool constantly changes, bringing us new ideas and additional solutions that help us on improving our English writing.

Summary

After the first time you try this “Proofread Documents” Software you quickly realize how practical and powerful it is. Can this technology provide better results than a human proofreader? Probably not, but it helps with common grammar and punctuation proofreading. We can only expect this webmarketing assistance tool to further develop itself, simply because writing is one of the most important tools that help us fulfill our daily assignments.

Four Simple Steps to Effective Editing and Proofreading

(Below is an excerpt from “My Friend Yu – The Prosperity Mentor: Book II. Release Date: November/December 2007. Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing.)

How many times have you written something, submitted or published it; then found glaring errors in grammar and/or spelling later? Or maybe upon reading your “finished” product, you feel like it doesn’t showcase your best talents.

Or even worse, you realize that it doesn’t even express your originally intended idea and is sorely missing any discernible closure!

It’s disheartening to re-read your prose and find that it resembles an unorganized jumble of unrelated sentences with no salient points to support the main idea.

What happened? You didn’t mean to take the reader on a wild goose chase. When you were writing, you were excited and happy letting the words just “flow.” Everything seemed so perfect before you submitted it for publishing.

Welcome to the world of writing by human authors.

Although there’s no substitute for experience, this article will present you with Four Simple Steps that I and many other successful writers use to effectively edit and proofread our work.

1. Cool down Period

Many novice writers try to write and edit at the same time. This is a mistake.

If you try to perform both activities at the same time, you will easily overlook errors. Why? Because the mindset and the skills needed for writing are not the same as those needed for editing and proofreading. One is creative, but the other is analytical.

Your state of being while writing (i.e., excited, sad, angry, passionate, confused, bored, etc.) is not conducive to the cold and calculated posture you must take when editing and proofreading.

Many times, in the heat of writing there is a strong temptation to write and edit simultaneously. Fight this temptation. Tell yourself that if you try this, neither your writing nor your editing will be effective.

Do yourself a favor and plan for a cool down period between writing and editing/proofreading.

The quality of your writing will reflect it.

2. The Obvious?

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but…

Use the spell check!

It’s amazing how many people overlook this initial, common sense step in editing. But the amount of spelling errors I see everyday from supposedly submission-ready work strengthens my belief that “common sense is by no means commonplace.”

Anyway, because of deadlines, laziness, arrogance, or an irrational distrust of their computer programs; many writers simply overlook this initial no-brainer editing step.

Don’t join this group. They are doomed to submitting work that is rife with misspellings, making them appear like amateurs.

With the built-in, powerful spell check function of all modern word processing programs, there’s virtually no excuse for spelling errors.

About the only exceptions to this rule that I can think of is when you need to use a foreign word; or when you’re writing fantasy/science fiction and you decide to makeup an original, “invented” word.

Again, begin all editing activity with the spell check.

Just do it.

3. Listen to Your Draft

Spell checks cannot correct grammar, syntax, context, tone, and plot.

The best way that I’ve found to check all the above is to listen to what I’ve written. You can do this by reading your work aloud, having someone else read it, or having your computer – via Text-To-Speech (TTS) – read it.

No matter how you have your work read aloud, RECORD IT for later listening. This is easily done with any speaker/microphone enabled computer, modern mobile phone, or (heaven forbid) old-fashioned tape recorder.

Compared to editing by reading, listening to your work is far more effective. Errors are more easily caught when you hear what you’ve written vice reading it.

Personally, I use TTS daily. In fact, I use it for editing, proofreading, e-mail, and books.

Listen to your work. Your editing and proofreading abilities will be taken to the next level.

The result? Higher quality writing.

4. Recheck submission requirements

While plain editing corrects spelling and grammar errors, professional proofreading is done to verify compliance with standards (e.g., submission requirements or author guidelines).

If you’re submitting your work to several organizations (as in the case of an article being submitted to many internet magazines), you must ensure that your work conforms to their standards for submission.

Since each accepting organization may have their own set of standards, submission of your work can get quite tedious.

What about article submission software? I tried it once. I’ll never do it again. Half of the magazines that the software automatically submitted to were defunct and the rest sent me back nastygrams stating that they don’t accept articles via submission software.

In the end, I would have saved a lot of time and heartache by submitting them one by one to the different magazines in the first place.

Accept this current state of affairs. Recheck your work for conformity to each accepting organization’s requirements and guidelines. If you don’t, you will quickly be notified that your submission has been rejected.

When editing or proofreading, train yourself to practice the Four Simple Steps:

1. Cool Down Period: Separate Writing time from Editing and Proofreading time.

2. Utilize the Spell Check function of your word processing program.

3. Listen to Your Work.

4. Verify that your submission meets the standards of each accepting organization.

Your editing and proofreading will instantly be more effective.

Ultimately, the quality of your writing improves and you submit work that you can be proud of.

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By using an advanced “Proofread Essay” Software we can easily improve our basic writing, editing, and proofreading skills. As most of us use English writing in order to communicate with each other, it is necessary that we keep improving our writing skills. Learn about the latest English proofreading ideas and how they are about to change the way you write English.

Getting some basics

Unlike conventional word processors “Proofread Essay” Software provides advanced grammar and proofreading capabilities that enable us to correct and enrich our sentences. Proofreading and fixing your English writing is quite challenging task, it requires a massive-dynamic DB, as well as sophisticated algorithms. In most cases these solutions enables us to do the following: grammar check, misspelling and typos correction, and suggesting proper punctuation.

What is in it for us?

We can easily find several important advantages while using this technology:

* Saving on proofreading and editing costs such as hiring proofreading services or professional editors.

* Helping people who use writing as their main working tool whether at home or in the office.

* Saving precious time spent on manual proofreading.

* Helping with critical writing assignments such as job and patent applications.

* Improving our basic-intermediate grammar writing skills.

There are probably many other benefits that are not covered here, as this exciting program constantly changes, bringing us new ideas and additional solutions that help us on improving our English writing.

Summary

If we summarize the main benefit provided by this powerful “Proofread Essay” Software – it is helping us on identifying possible writing errors before we deliver or publish our writing assignments. It is important to keep in mind that this technology is not 100% perfect; however, it helps us dealing with most of our common writing problems. We can only expect this webmarketing tool to further develop itself, simply because writing is one of the most important tools that help us fulfill our daily assignments.

Finding Freelance Proofreading Jobs

Freelance proofreading jobs can be done by people who will be capable of giving quick look in the work with attention to detail. A detailed eye with good vocabulary is a must. If the person has these skills and interest then proofreading job will suit him very well, and can start his career from home itself. Even minute errors change the logic of the article. So concentration is very much crucial in this category of work.

In order to get involved in or to qualify for a freelance proofreading job, the person must read more number of books or manuals to sharpen his knowledge in this field. Once he has been experienced then the proofreader will be in a position to work on this better. The freelancer can work for non profit organizations or for local charities without expecting any return to gain some good exposure in the field. They even certify on the work done and it will be helpful in the individual’s career.

Freelancers have to advertise in job portals or online websites concerned with proofreading and also distribute flyers with less money invested on it. They can even contact book publishers, graphic designers, school or colleges and many more for the proofreading jobs. Even these days’ students do offer proofreading jobs to check their thesis or project works. Mainly through internet, people will get to know the job opening and contact the concerned employer.

To be a best and effective proof reader, it is better to take a training course in it, as many companies do consider the applicants profiles if they have any certificates. So this will help in terms of job also. In order to reduce the difficulty, the people who are interested in proofreading course, but have no time to attend the classes, can opt for online training program which started to prevail a lot these days. It is essential to see that the spelling mistakes as well as grammatical mistakes are corrected properly which is the main task of the proof reader.

Some of the tips to be followed to survive in a proofreading industry are:

Qualify or educate by attending proof reading courses. Many options are available to do the course from home also.

By using the skills and talents create some sample works which will impress the client. By doing some free projects it helps to gain some experience. It also helps in building the individuals portfolio.

The person must be able to sell the work done, and then only the point of doing a freelance business can be fulfilled. It is not only necessary to create a work which will impress the clients, but also to sell them. Grasp what the employer is looking in for like quality of work, price intricacies and guarantee provided.

Don’t hesitate to take up small opportunities; even they will help in building a freelance career. Take that as a stepping stone in the career path and have those completed works as samples for future.

Allocate a good place in the house to work, as proofreading requires enough time and dedication.

It is very hard to excel as a freelance proofreading professional business. Once the place has been achieved then the freelancer will be in a position to drive the business smoothly. Hard work and dedication is essential to survive in this field. It is necessary to grab the first opportunity.

Proofreading, Editing, Online Learning, Online Courses, Distance Education

Tips to good proofreading and editing?

Learning to effectively proofread and edit is a specialised field and it is important to have a good understanding of the industry and be able to apply acquired skills in a theoretical and practical manner. Lifestyle Learning Direct, one of the Gold Coast’s premier online learning and correspondence course providers has some important tips to being a good proofreader or editor. To be a good proofreader or editor you need to:

1. Differentiate between the different editorial, proofreading and typesetting roles in the publishing industry.

2. Be able to identify common spelling, punctuation, grammatical and layout errors in printed text.

3. Be proficient in applying and understanding the functions of the various parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.

4. Demonstrate the correct use of Australian industry-recognised editing and proofreading symbols.

5. Have an understanding of computer applications within the publishing industry.

6. Have a more comprehensive knowledge of the written application of numerals, abbreviations, capitalisation, italics, etc.

7. Understand the importance of checking facts contained in written text.

8. Have a more competent knowledge of all theoretical and practical aspects of copy editing and proofreading.

9. Be proficient in spelling, grammar, punctuation and the application of editing symbols

How can you become better at Proofreading and Editing?

To gain professional proofreading and editing skills it is best to undertake a professional course that teaches you essential skills. Lifestyle Learning Direct is a leader in the provision of Professional Editing & Proofreading distance education online courses which aim to give students a broad knowledge of the industry competency in both the theoretical and practical application of this knowledge.

With comprehensive coverage of the necessary components of good English, such as spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar, the student will develop the ability to recognise and correct all manner of spelling, punctuation, grammatical and typesetting errors. Courses available will benefit anyone who is interested in writing as a career, to supplement a career that involves writing things such as reports, publicity blurbs, news articles, marketing material, and so on and to undertake professional editing and proofreading as a career.

For more information in relation to available editing and proofreading courses please contact Lifestyle Learning Direct

Proofreading Your Way to the Top – 5 Short Essay Tips

What is proofreading? Proofreading is a technique used to making your text free from the logical, punctuation and grammatical mistakes. Whether you are writing an essay, business report, dissertation report, or a magazine article, you can not afford to commit mistakes. Committing mistakes puts a question on your credibility, working expertise and efficiency. There are so many spell checkers available, but they are of little use on their own, as you cannot completely depend on a spell checker for accuracy. This is where you are required to proofread your document.

The following section is completely devoted to making you understand the technique and importance of proofreading your documents. Below are five top tips for proofreading your document:

1. Concentrate on different types of errors – The key for a good proofreader is their concentration. By concentrating hard on finding out the grammatical, punctuation, logical and ethical errors. For this, you can start with reading the document sentence wise, and understanding the message to which that sentence wants to convey. After understanding the information conveyed by the line, try to find out whether the line is ethical. Is the statement missing ethics? Then, look for logic. Is the statement illogical? Try to cross check it with the evidence you have. Evidence can be through facts and figures, maps, tables, diagrams, etc. Then look out for punctuation errors in the statement. Are punctuation marks correct? Is the statement giving the correct expression (question, exclamation, etc)? Then look out for the grammatical errors. Is the statement free from grammatical errors? Is the sentence structure correct? Is the use of words correct? Finally, find out the connection between the previous statement and the current one.

1. Back track – You should read the document or report starting from the last sentence. This is a very common technique used to find errors in people’s work. Reading the document from the last sentence makes you aware of the conclusion, and now you have to check whether the report is moving in the right direction by trying to find out the question. You know what you wanted to write and are less prone to missing the errors, which otherwise would have been missed.

1. Read aloud – This is another very important trick used in proofreading. By reading aloud, you read each word independently and it gives you a great chance to find the errors such as punctuation errors and missed commas.

1. Use printed copy – The best way to proofread a document is to have a printed copy of it. Concentration on a piece of paper can be easily achieved as compared to a computer screen. If you proofread on a computer screen, your eyes will tire soon and a lot of strain is produced on the eyes. Due to this strain, your chances of missing an error increases, and it will finally affect your grades. Moreover, proofreading a paper copy saves your eyes from stress. This is highly required as your eyes are precious, and you don’t want to harm them.

1. Break – You should take a break from proofreading your work every 15 – 20 minutes, especially when the length of the essay is large. Taking a break reenergizes you and increases your concentration levels. It provides some rest for your mind and eyes, and enables you time to recapitulate the theme of the topic.

These were some tips for efficient proofreading. Follow these tips will mean that you will see the difference in your performance and ultimately your grades.

Start a Proofreader Business

If you are thinking of becoming a proofreader, you obviously need to have an eye for detail as well as a good command of spelling, grammar and punctuation. It helps if you can speed-read. You’ll also need patience — it’s more tiring than most people think to sit and carefully read page after page of type.

In addition to those skills, you will also need to be familiar with the standard symbols used by editors and proofreaders. And don’t confuse proofreading with editing — they are actually two different things, although many people are proficient at both things and can provide both services.

Virtually everything that is written needs proofreading, whether it’s content for a website, a book, newsletter, magazine or legal document. Many writers have learned to proof read their own work — but it’s always a good thing to have it checked by a second pair of eyes.

Even though proofreaders are in high demand, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door. Many people begin by working for a local newspaper, college or community letter or similar. If all else fails, volunteer your services — it will give you a chance to polish your skills and make contacts in the industry.

It isn’t easy to find a college that offers proofreading courses; however you can easily find and take courses on line. Many proofreading companies and potential clients require you to be certified or experienced, or will require proof that you can do an adequate job — they may expect you to take a proofreading test.

If you have the skills and the qualifications, it won’t cost you much to set yourself up in business. Much work is assigned and received on line. You will need a reliable internet connection, a fax machine and printer. You may want to print and distribute business cards. And one of the most important requirements — a quiet place to work, free from distractions.

It’s possible to make a living from being a proofreader, although many people regard it as a supplementary source of income. You can charge by the word, by the hour or by the page — a realistic rate per word might be 5 cents, for an hour’s work might be anything from $15 to $60; and for proofreading a typical page of type, a charge of $2 to $4.

If you have a particularly lengthy or difficult project, you may also want to consider charging by the project. Proofreading is a somewhat competitive business and there are many companies for a potential client to choose from. Some companies with a larger project may ask proofreaders to “bid” for their services and time.

Learn to Effectively Proofread

Proofreading experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of proofreading. Heed their advice to avoid any proofreading surprises.

Proofreading is not an innate ability; it is an acquired skill. The following exercises will help you master it, or at any rate will impress you with how difficult it is. Hints for successful proofreading: Cultivate a healthy sense of doubt. If there are types of errors you know you tend to make, double check for those. Read very slowly. If possible, read out loud. Read one word at a time. Read what is actually on the page, not what you think is there. (This is the most difficult sub-skill to acquire, particularly if you wrote what you are reading).

Proofread more than once. Most errors in written work are made unconsciously. There are two sources of unconscious error: Faulty information from the kinesthetic memory. If you have always misspelled a word like accommodate”, you will unthinkingly misspell it again. A split second of inattention. The mind works far faster than the pen or typewriter. It is the unconscious nature of the worst that makes proofreading so difficult. The student who turned in a paper saying, “I like girdle cakes for breakfast” did not have a perverted digestion. He thought he had written “griddle cakes”, that’s what he “saw” when he proofread. If he had slowed down and read word by word, out loud, he might have caught the error.

You have to doubt every word in order to catch every mistake. Another reason for deliberately slowing down is that when you read normally, you often see only the shells of words—the first and last few letters, perhaps. You “fix your eyes” on the print only three or four times per line, or less. You take in the words between your fixation points with your peripheral vision, which gets less accurate the farther it is from the point. The average reader can only take in six letters accurately with one fixation. This means you have to fix your eyes on almost every word you have written and do it twice in longer words, in order to proofread accurately. You have to look at the word, not slide over it.

In proofreading, you can take nothing for granted, because unconscious mistakes are so easy to make. It helps to read out loud, because 1) you are forced to slow down and 2) you hear what you are reading as well as seeing it, so you are using two senses. It is often possible to hear a mistake, such as an omitted or repeated word that you have not seen. Professional editors proofread as many as ten times. Publishing houses hire teams of readers to work in pairs, out loud. And still errors occur. When word gets around about your command of proofreading facts, others who need to know about proofreading will start to actively seek you out.