It is easy to be confused about what proofreading includes. Clients sometimes ask for editing when what they really need is proofreading. I often get asked to quote for proofreading when it’s clear to me that the text should be copy-edited first.
Traditionally, proofreading consists of the checks and amendments that are carried out on a text that has already been edited and copy-edited. It is the final step before publication. Most of the work that I am asked to quote on hasn’t been looked at by another professional, though. In that situation, I offer to copy-edit the text and then proofread it later once a client has made further changes. Alternatively, I can do these two processes at the same time (a proof-edit).
I’ve defined what is included in my proofreading service below. Once you’ve read this list, you might like to skip straight to pages that talk more specifically about proofreading for different types of clients, which you’ll find here for academics, here for students, and here for businesses, charities, other organisations, publishers, other non-fiction authors and fiction authors.
Main proofreading tasks
- identifying and suggesting amendments for spelling, grammatical, punctuation and typographical (e.g. the use of italics and bold) issues. This can include rewording part of a sentence or a whole sentence using track changes. If the text is confusing and/or very unclear, I will make a note saying something like, ‘Do you mean “xxx”?’
- identifying the incorrect use of a word, i.e. the word you have chosen doesn’t seem to fit your intended meaning, and suggesting alternatives
- identifying inconsistency of style (e.g. hyphenation, capitalisation, abbreviations, quotation marks, treatment of numbers and dates, etc.). If you ask me to copy-edit your text for you, I can guide you and create a style for you if you’re not sure what you prefer.
- checking that headings and subheadings are consistent in terms of font size and capitalisation and noting where this is not the case. Checking that any numbering is sequential and/or that the hierarchy of headings seems logical
Additional proofreading tasks
- identifying erroneous font changes
- noting minor issues in the punctuation and/or format of in-text citations and suggesting amendments. (This would only apply where we have agreed that I will proofread in-text citations.)
- identifying problematic punctuation and/or other issues in quotations in case these have been introduced by typing errors.
- checking translations/transcriptions of any interviewees’ words for any obvious typing errors or punctuation that may make the reader stumble. These words should usually be left alone to reflect exactly what was said and how it was said. This is a sensitive area. It would be up to you to check whether or not my suggestions reflect what was said, how it was said and any nuances that need showing/emphasising. Unconventional or non-standard grammar and slang, for example, that are used by an interviewee should be left untouched as long as the text is understandable
- proofreading tables and figures. I’d also check whether any numbering of the tables and figures is sequential. I would also consider whether you have a consistent style for font type and capitalisation in subheadings, table headings and figure captions. In tables, I’d check the alignment of items and comment to indicate where they are not aligned.
Useful links
If you’d like a quote, please get in touch here
If you are a student, please click here for further details of my student service
You can see a summary of the types of work I do and also some testimonials here: https://www.ciep.uk/directory/beverley-bev-sykes-academic-copy-editor-and-proofreader/