18 Do-it-Yourself Proofreading Tips
The human mind is a funny thing; it likes to play tricks on us.
For example, when we proofread our own writing, we tend to read it as we think it should be, which means we misread our own typos and other spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
If you have a friend or family member who has good grammar skills, maybe they can help you out by proofreading your work before you send it out or publish it.
For special submissions and publications, hiring a professional proofreader, and retaining proofreading services is the best way to make sure your writing is free of errors.
But for most of us, it’s not likely that anyone’s going to proofread every single piece of writing that we create. That’s especially true for writers who put out a lot of material – like bloggers, copywriters, and freelancers. Proofreading services can get expensive and friends and family probably don’t want to spend all their evenings checking your work.
Proofreading Tips
Sometimes, the only option available is to do it yourself. Here are 18 proofreading tips that you can put into practice for proofreading your own work.
- Proofread every single piece of writing that will be seen by another set of eyes. No exceptions. Even if you do hire an editor or professional proofreader, check your work first.
- Understand the difference between editing and proofreading. Edit first by making revisions. When the piece is done, proofread to check for proper grammar.
- Step away from a piece of writing before you proofread it. The longer the piece, the longer you should wait to proofread it. Let a novel sit for six weeks. Let a blog post sit overnight.
- Before proofreading, run spelling and grammar check. The less you have to fix, the more you’ll catch.
- Read your work aloud as you proofread. Pronounce each word slowly and clearly as you read and check for mistakes.
- Proofreading should never be a rush job. Do it s l o w l y.
- Don’t just proofread once and then send your work out into the world. I recommend proofreading everything three times or more. At the very least, proofread until you don’t catch any more errors.
- Read the piece backward so you can see each word separately and out of context.
- Look up the spelling of proper names, scientific, and technical terms that you’re not familiar with to make sure you’re spelling them correctly.
- Don’t make any assumptions. If you’re not sure about something, then look it up so you can fix a mistake if there is one, and learn the correct way.
- Don’t forget to proofread titles, headlines, and footnotes.
- Pay attention to the mistakes you’ve made in your writing. You’ll find you tend to make the sames ones repeatedly. Keep track of these and work on avoiding them during the writing process.
- Choose one of the many style guides and stick with it. This will make your work more consistent, and you’ll have a great resource to use when you have questions about style and formatting.
- Start building a collection of grammar books and proofreading resources so when you do run into questions (and you will), you have a reliable place to get answers.
- If you let grammatical mistakes slip through, do so by choice and have a good reason. It’s okay to break the rules if you know you’re doing it, and it makes your work more compelling.
- Proofread when you’re fresh and wide awake. Proofreading doesn’t go over well when you’re tired or distracted.
- Proofreading can be tedious so break up your proofreading sessions by doing other tasks that help you clear your mind: exercise, play with the pets or kids, go for a short walk, or listen to some music. Try to avoid reading or writing on these breaks.
- Make it your business to develop good grammar skills. Read up on grammar or subscribe to a blog that publishes grammar posts (like this one) to stay up to date on proper grammar.
Some people love the world of grammar and proofreading. Others find it boring. If you’re into this stuff, then proofreading will be easier for you since you’ll find it enjoyable. If not, just look at it as part of your job – something that goes along with being a writer.
By checking your work, you’ll be able to put out writing that is crisp and easier to read. Nobody likes stumbling through typos, punctuation crimes, and spelling mistakes as they’re reading. So, proofreading is considerate to your readers, and it speaks volumes of your professionalism and how seriously you take your craft.
But once you’re done proofreading, get back to your writing.
Got any proofreading tips to share? Leave a comment!
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[...] Melissa. She has an amazing grasp of the English language and is very gifted in the ability to teach grammar which lets face it, is not only an extremely boring topic it is also very technical. I mean what in the name of all that is good and holy is a past particle/past participate. I can’t tell you without curing your insomnia but Melissa can. As if that’s not impressive enough she also helps you with all sorts of writing including poetry and fiction. She also gives great tips for proofreading. [...]
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[...] 18 Do it Yourself Writing Tips at Writing Forward [...]
These are excellent tips! I love being eco friendly but find proofreading easier when I actually read the printed page. I do not use this method for every blog post but absolutely do for client work or longer pieces. It is so easy to miss errors on the screen, especially those where the word is spelled correctly but is the wrong word – quite, quiet, quit come to mind.
BTW, congrats on being named one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers! I totally agree!
Karen Swims last blog post..Coming Soon to Theaters Near You
I had to make a concentrated effort to teach myself to proofread and edit on the computer rather than in print. It was not easy at first! But now, I rarely hook up a printer to my computer (I’m trying to go 100% electronic).
101 Best Websites? I’m only aware of one publication where that particular list appears, and if it’s the one I’m thinking of… well, let’s just say I might freak out a little.
Oh yes it’s that one! You didn’t know?
You’re listed under writing communities and they even cited “Are You Cut Out For Freelance Writing?” I got an error by the way when I tried to pull that up. I was so excited and just assumed you knew too. Whoo hoo, happy dance!
Karen Swims last blog post..The Warm Fire of Aloha
Yes, I recently took that post down and just moved it to Scribizzy. Hmm. Wow! I’m excited. I am going to have to get a copy of that issue.
Great tips. I hate proofreading – it’s all details and I’m so not interested in that level of detail. When it’s really important, however, I do make myself sit down and give it a go – often to minimal success.
Alex F. Fayles last blog post..Failure, Rejection and Poverty: Lab Rats Week 4
Yes, proofreading is so tedious. I got lucky because I enjoy tedious tasks since they break up the monotony of other types of work, so I actually love to proofread. In any case, it’s definitely worth the time it takes
Thanks for such a helpful article! Funny thing – my job today is to proofread the 24 page newsletter I produce. You have given me great tools to help me be more proficient at this! Look forward to your next article!!
Trishas last blog post..Follow, follow, follow, follow,
Thanks Trisha! Best of luck with your newsletter! Twenty-four pages is a lot to proofread in a single day. Make sure you take plenty of breaks!
Umm…. you say 25 tips? Yet there are 18? I didn’t catch it, either. Someone I forwarded the link to did. (I blame #16 – shouldn’t really be online that early in the morning.)
BJs last blog post..A Simple Will for Writers
Ah, BJ, thank you for pointing that out. Here is bonus proofreading tip number nineteen: Don’t proofread or hit publish when you have a sinus headache
Just a quick note, found it interesting that on an article listing proofreading tips, you say you’ll list 25 and then give us 18
Title’s right, but looks like you missed a change just before your list.
Adams last blog post..Book Review: “Leadership Agility” by Joiner and Josephs
Thanks Adam
All fixed now.
Music to my ears, Melissa! I LOVE you for it! I’ve long felt proofreading is a dying art – a necessary skill. Great to see you taking up the cause.
Loris last blog post..Here Comes a Rant
Thanks Lori! I always promote proofreading and good grammar. These things are sort of the underbelly of creative writing
Now I am trying to proofread the picture that was used in the post, haha.
Kelvin Kaos last blog post..Entering Puppet Design Contest (please vote for me!)
Heheh, good luck with that Kelvin! That would have been an interesting challenge to add to this post.
Proof reading…what a novel concept.
Matthew Drydens last blog post..The Beginning of True Love
Novel indeed! It’s as old as the hills, yet so many still refuse to include proofreading as part of being a serious writer.
#11 is my weakest link. I am too focused on the content and forget checking on titles, footers, and headers. It is too embarrassing when submitting a document to a customer with other customer’s name in header…
Alik Levin | PracticeThis.coms last blog post..What Aristotle Could Teach You About Consulting
Alik, that’s one of my weak spots too, so that’s why it appears here in this list. Funny, because as bloggers we put those titles and subtitles in there so readers can scan, but then when we’re proofreading, we just ignore them. That seems so backwards!
I’ve got a caveat to add to #4. While you should run spell and grammar checks, don’t rely on them to catch mistakes. The grammar check tool in Microsoft Word is notoriously dreadful! I can’t count the number of times it called into question valid sentences and recommended fragments as a way to “fix” the problem.
What’s more, spell check only tells you if a word is spelled wrong; it can’t advise you if you’ve inadvertently used “there” where you should have used “their” or “they’re” — or any of the countless other usage mistakes folks tend to make… especially when they’re rushed or simply don’t take the time to learn the correct words.
Rita M. Realis last blog post..What Was Yesterday?
You definitely cannot rely on spell check. I’m not even sure I rely on many of the available online dictionaries anymore. Word is horrendous for its grammar check! I’d prefer they stick to spell check and add a homophone notifier to that so people would catch sound-alike words more easily. Well, you know what they say: if you want something done right, do it yourself!
I like how you broke your list down into incremental, practical steps.
You’re so right … the human mind does like to play tricks on us.
I can’t prove it, but I think sometimes my mind is out to get me.
Sometimes I wish my writing was more like what I meant, not what I said. Other times, I wonder who hijacked my brain and took it for a test drive. Sometimes it’s obvious the crash test dummy was driving.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Catalysts and Drains
Thanks J.D. I know my mind is out to get me, and proofreading is the least of it! Hehehe. My brain gets hijacked all the time. Sometimes, it turns out to be a good thing. But there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a fantastic writing session when it all suddenly disappears and I find myself sitting there wondering, what was I just about to say? Ugh!
These are fabulous tips Melissa. I find that if I print out the page I can see mistakes that I didn’t notice on the computer screen. I also agree that if you can wait from one day to the next to proofread you will do a better job than if you proofread immediately after writing something.
Thanks Marelisa. I’ve been proofreading on the screen for so long now, that I think more mistakes will slip through in print (for me). Waiting overnight is key! I have a strict rule about waiting overnight on any client work, but sometimes I do publish blog posts the same day, and yes, occasionally little typos and other annoying errors slip through.
My biggest proofreading trick is distance. Put it away, think about something else, and try to sneak up on it fresh.
The worst thing is when you’ve gone over it and over it and a blatant mistake is right there; but your mind is too numb and accommodating to see it. Reading it as though it was the first time, reading it as a reader might, is how I catch 90% of my mistakes.
WereBears last blog post..Responding to a Cat Alert
Yes, many people seem to agree that this is the most important tip for proofreading. I’d say it’s true for editing and revising as well. I recently heard a novelist say that she always lets a book sit for at least six weeks before the final edit. It really does give you a fresh perspective.
Hi Melissa! Great tips and each one is important. What I love is discovering a blatant mistake (or several mistakes) after publishing. Writing on a word processor is so different than blogging, and I actually prefer the format. Really, I can only put so much effort in proofreading for my blog as I work too many hours to care. Writing in proper manuscript form is so tedious and when you have a few hundred pages of text, it can be a nightmare. When I get close to being ready to have an agent, I will definitely hire someone to proofread my manuscript (it maybe you that I hire). Reading my own writing can create a type of “mistake blindness”. A fresh set of trustworthy eyes will help a lot.
Oh yeah, I haven’t been blogging much lately and doubt I will anytime soon aside from a periodical fiction story for fun. Thanks for all the useful ideas and I will try some out
Bobby Revells last blog post..The Ugly Bitch
Ugh, I go crazy when I discover big mistakes post-publication. Even the little ones annoy me. Still, they bother me on my sites, and not so much on other people’s, unless it’s an obvious disregard for grammar. I’d love to help you with your proofreading any time. You know how to reach me! Hope you get back to regular blogging soon!
I always make sure that my articles and press releases are proofread before distribution.
I also find that it is so much easier to proofread work when it is printed rather than on the screen, as you can miss mistakes otherwise.
Being grammatically correct is essential for a writer as without good spelling and grammar it could potentially damage your reputation.
A lot of people say it’s easier to proofread a printed copy, but I find it much easier to proofread onscreen, maybe because I’ve had a lot of practice. I often use the Track Changes feature in Word for editing and proofreading, and that has to be done within the application. I agree that being grammatically correct is important. I’m not sure it’s crucial, because plenty of writers have editors. It depends on what you write, I guess, and for whom you’re writing.
Terrific post! Getting an outside set of eyes or a Professional grammar editor to proofread your work is the surest way to get all the misspelled words and awkward phrases corrected.
I couldn’t agree more! However, sometimes we do have to review our own work (especially bloggers). Whenever possible though, it’s best to get a second pair of (qualified) eyes to check our work.
Wonderful advice. I also have a blog on proofreading… Interesting that we only share one strategy.
Here are 10 tips for proofreading and some really fun exercises that will help writers catch their own mistakes-even spelling errors! See if you can catch all of the errors at Top 10 Proofreading Tips without using these tips. I’ll wager that you can’t. These proofreading tips will make a difference in your own writing and in that of your students.
Thanks for sharing Mark.
If I find one more “you’re” instead of “your” in my blog posts, I’m going to throttle myself (if that’s possible). That and errors in my use of commas are driving me crazy.
So, I surfed to your site and found this fantastic article. Just what I need. I’m particularly intrigued by the “reading backwards” suggestion. I think I’ll try it.
The more I write, the more likely I am to make mistakes. So, I think blogging on a regular basis has become a proofreading challenge and new learning curve. At the same time, I’m forced to just be okay with some mistakes and typos and let them slide. Otherwise, I’d publish a lot fewer blogs.
Anyway, thanks for the useful tips. And keep up the good work!
.-= Ami Mattison´s last blog ..11 Tips for Spoken Word Beginners =-.
I give myself a lot more slack with typos when it comes to blogging. I still cringe when I find one, but like you said, the more we write, the more likely we are to make mistakes. I do believe good grammar is important but I don’t think it’s as important as content (or creativity). Just look at ee cummings!
Number 15 has a typo in it.
Not anymore! Thanks for noticing NC.