By: Ann Massie Nelson

When you’re a journalism student, no one tells you that you will spend a good part of your life in the mundane job of proofreading. Yet, few steps are as important in producing quality work as proofreading.

I won’t regale you with tales of my own experience – and there were some doozies – but I will share some tips I learned to improve my proofreading skills.

1. Look at the component parts of the text. There’s a natural inclination to start at the beginning and read to the end. Wrong. Check all the headlines, then the subheads. Are they spelled correctly? Are they consistent in style and font? Check the formatting. Are the paragraphs all flush left or indented? Is the same font used throughout? What about the page numbers? Are they in order? Do they match a table of contents, when applicable? Are initial caps used consistently throughout?

2. Scan the text and photo captions for names and titles. Verify all with a reliable source. Nothing disappoints people more than seeing their name misspelled or their title incorrect.

3. Check all numbers and dates against the original source. Are dates consistent in their format? (Bonus tip: Use days of the week and dates for extra confidence, e.g., Monday, Dec. 25, 2023.)

4. Look for what’s missing. Are there photo captions and credits? Does the text refer to a graph or other image? Are hyperlinks working? Do all articles have an end mark, where appropriate?

5. Read the text last. Not sure about the spelling of a word? Look it up. Spell check won’t catch everything. Is the grammar correct? Is punctuation use consistent throughout? I use the Associated Press Stylebook, used by most newspapers, to guide me. (Don’t get me started on the Oxford comma.) What about homophones, words that sound the same but are spelled differently? How often have you seen your instead of you’re? It’s in place of its?

6. Reread from the beginning to the end. Once you’re sure the components are correct, you can read for comprehension. I often let a document “rest” for a few hours or overnight before making a second or third pass with fresh eyes.

7. Ask someone else to proofread your work. Set up a reciprocity agreement with someone you trust will approach proofreading with the same attention to detail.

8. Use a grammar checker, such as Grammarly. A blog about grammar checkers appears here. Like spell check, a grammar checker is a tool, not a replacement for sharp eyes.

9. Create a proofreading checklist. I developed my own checklist, which has evolved over the years. Your checklist will differ depending on the types of communications you’re proofreading. If you want a copy of my checklist, please email me at ann@lifemessagesmedia.com.

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Ann Massie Nelson is a writer, editor, interviewer, video producer and occasional proofreader. She is a co-founder of Life Messages Media, LLC, www.lifemessagesmedia.com.