Why Is Proofreading Important?
Proofreading is not fun. It is not exciting. It takes time. But it is vitally important to do especially if you are a business owner. It could be the difference between someone hiring you….or not.
Proofreading is essential because:
It helps you to catch embarrassing mistakes
You may catch something you forgot to put in the article. When you proofread, you are making sure it makes sense.
It helps keep your readers attention
If your writing is not clear, you could lose your reader’s interest. Losing their interest means losing your audience.
It improves your tone
Your writing should communicate your feelings and knowledge about your subject. You don’t want your views to be anything but what you intended.
It shows you take pride in your work
It shows you care about your work and that it is of the highest quality. That you take your job seriously.
It improves your accuracy
If the facts in your writing are not accurate, someone will catch it. And your credibility will take a hit.
Is There A Difference Between Editing And Proofreading?
Yes! Proofreading is not the same as editing. Editing is a bit bigger of a project. When you edit, you may be organizing the content differently. You could be modifying the entire document. Proofreading is just detecting and correcting errors like spelling, punctuation, grammar, and paragraphing.
6 Proofreading Tips To Improve Your Writing
Just Walk Away
Walk away from your work and take a break before you proofread, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Looking at it with a fresh set of eyes will help you to make sure it is error free.
Read It Outloud
Read it out loud. Slowly. This way, if something is tripping you up, you’ll catch it. If it trips you up, it will probably be tripping everyone else up as well.
Read It Multiple Times
Don’t just go over it once. You should read it aloud at least 3 times and have someone else read it as well. Maybe split it up to where you are looking for spelling errors the first time. Grammatical errors in the second and the third time, just a little bit of all of it!
Use A Dictionary
Dust off the dictionary, keep it handy and use it!
Check For Commonly Misspelled Words
Make sure you double check words like their and there; two, to and too. There are many words in our English language that sound the same yet are spelled and mean differently.
Track Errors You've Made Before
Track errors you know you’ve made before. Be aware of where you have had troubles before.
When In Doubt, Hire It Out
If proofreading isn’t something you like to do or if you just don’t have the time, hire it out! It could make all the difference in your finished piece. Whether its a report, a blog post or even your website!
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Thank you Tracey for these helpful tips. I just tried the “Read It Outloud” tip and it worked great for me. I’m wondering, do you use all of your 6 tips every time? Which one works best for you?
Thanks for the kind words! I am NOT as good as I should be at using them, but I do use most of them! Reading it out loud is the best one for me! Depending on my day, I may walk away and come back, too!! xoxo