Nothing makes a writer appear more amateur than work riddled with errors. As a result, proofreading pieces before submission is vital for those who earn money from home through writing jobs. Here, we share some professional tips to help you check your articles effectively.
Never rely solely on automated checks
While they can identify glaring errors, automated checkers are limited and often miss common grammatical mistakes. It’s important to note that spell checkers only identify misspelled words and won’t warn you of those correctly spelled, but grammatically wrong.
Look for one error type at a time
Proofreading for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors simultaneously might seem time efficient. However, scanning for each issue separately with a firm focus of what you’re looking for can make it simpler to spot and correct your mistakes.
Grammar and spellcheck by reading backwards
An approach used by professional proofreaders is to review articles in reverse, starting with the last word and working back to the title. This can be performed word-by-word to help you focus on the spelling of individual words as you are less concerned with grammar and punctuation. Alternatively, carry out your check sentence by sentence to zero in on grammatical mistakes.
Learn your common errors
Writers who proofread regularly often find there are common personal errors that they make. You might type “there” instead of “their”, or be guilty of capitalising a word when it isn’t required. Once you’re aware of your bad habits, you can double check for them during proofreading.
Proofreading is a key skill for writers and takes time to master, but with more practice, the easier it will get.