Proofreading is not as easy as it sounds and could involve lots of work depending on the quality of the paper submitted.
For a document to be well-written and readable, it must be proofread. This is the final step in good writing and is not to be confused with revising or editing. Proofreading covers grammar, spelling and punctuation and is the process of reviewing a final draft paper to ensure there are no surface errors. Editing is a more in-depth process that may alter structure and flow of the text. Proofreading is the step that follows editing and it does not change the writing style or substance of the paper.
Spelling
Using a ruler or blank sheet of paper to cover the paper to be proofread, the paper should be checked one line at a time. Reading out loud helps to spot the mistakes in spelling. This aspect of proofreading includes: incorrect spelling of words, use of incorrect words and misused words. Highlight the errors in spelling as you proofread the paper. A second reading will help to spot any incorrect spellings that you overlooked in the first reading.
Punctuation
When proofreading to check punctuations, check abbreviations and acronyms and ensure they have the correct capitalization, construction and punctuation. Ensure that each sentence begins with capitalized letters, that proper nouns are capitalized and that all titles of books and journals are capitalized. Every sentence should end with a full stop or exclamation mark or question mark. Punctuation marks should be used in the right places.
Grammar and Usage
Grammar problems should be addressed before the paper reaches the proofreading stage. Check subject-predicate agreement. Sentences should be complete rather than fragmented. Correct run-on sentences by making them separate sentences or by separating them with the right punctuation. Unbalanced sentences having parallel or un-parallel construction should be corrected.
Review
When setting out to proofread a paper, the tools that will be required include a thesaurus, dictionary, citation manual and grammar book. All corrections need to be entered into the computer. Then the entire process starting with the spelling check has to be repeated. Mistakes do get missed in the first proofreading, but can be spotted in the second due to familiarity with the paper. Read the document line by line out loud to see if it makes sense.
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