Professional proofreading isn’t always the most suitable choice for every project and every writer. Factors such as time, budget, and availability can determine whether you engage a professional to proofread for you, or you find an alternative way to get the work done.
If you decide that doing the work yourself is the best option, I highly recommend using a checklist to help you with the process.
Here’s why I find checklists invaluable:
- working on one item at a time helps you to focus more carefully on finding errors and inconsistencies
- the process helps you to distance yourself from the content, meaning that your brain has more chance of seeing an error rather than filling in the blanks
- you’ll start to notice the more technical aspects involved in crafting a text, which will help you to improve your style and technique
- the job will be less tiring because you’ll work through your text a little at a time, which saves your brain the job of trying to remember everything at once.
Creating a checklist from scratch can be time-consuming in itself, so I’ve created a free download to help you get started. This is a basic checklist that includes many of the elements you’re likely to find in a variety of text types.
There are two formats available – a printable PDF and an editable Word document. You can download one (or both!) by clicking the relevant button below.
Happy proofreading!
Thanks for visiting – see you next time!
LJ Pond | Non-Fiction Editor & Proofreader 