What is English Proofreading?

Introduction

The term proofreading consists of two words “proof” and “read”, which suggests it is a process of making a written text or manuscript free from errors. Hence, proofreading is a process which ensures the content is error-proof while reading by oneself so that the context can accomplish its purpose. In simple terms, proofreading refers to giving an overview of the already written document.

Proofreading provides the author with the opportunity to review his/her work; to make sure that it flows well, that it doesn’t create confusion to the reader, and still conveys a clear meaning. Proofreading is the last and final stage of the editing process. The process of proofreading is crucial because it makes sure that:

• there is no capitalization error, numbering error, and grammatical error
• the document formatting does not contain inconsistency,
• the piece is devoid of punctuation mistakes
• there are no misplaced words and sentence structure errors.

Why do we Proofread?

Before printing or submitting any academic essay, research paper, memo, email, or any other written document, it is of great importance that you carefully proofread it. Proofreading assures us that we have included everything we wanted to say in any piece of writing. It provides us with the chance to go over our work for the final time and add anything we may have forgotten to include.

Additionally, it helps us strengthen our text, removing any unnecessary error we have made. Proofreading gives us that personal conviction in our work and that it is the best one can make it. In terms of thesis and dissertation and other academic work; proofreading can help us earn extra marks and could even make the difference between an entire grade. The main objective of proofreading is to ensure that a written document is absolutely flawless in terms of vocabulary and grammar.

Proofreading Doesn’t Just Make a Content Fit For Publication; It Also Increases Chances For Publication.

It can get discouraging if after spending so much energy and time coming up with a story or concept and researching/developing it for hours before writing it for another few days and you finally release it to the public – the only thing people can talk about is the typos. Or worse, it gets discredited or rejected because of grammatical errors. Terrible, isn’t it?

When we talk about good writing, it usually involves revision and modification, and proofreading is a fundamental part of this process. Editors receive far more submissions than the publishers and journals they work for can ever publish. Therefore, they are always looking for reasons to reject manuscripts as they are looking to accept them. A manuscript that precisely and accurately adheres to a publisher’s guidelines; uses language that efficiently and clearly communicates facts and ideas with a structure that organizes a material logically and effectively is sure to receive more positive attention than a manuscript that does not achieve such high standard. And these are the very aspects of scholarly writing that proofreading can help us perfect; especially that of a professional proofreader, engaging such services can prove invaluable.

It Is Important For Creating the Perfect CV for getting your Dream Job

Imagine you applied for a job with the right location, position and the right salary. You have all the right experience and the requirements, so you send an email of your CV with a brief personal statement.

After a few days, you go back to that email and find out that you have misspelt the job title and missed out some letters and vital words. Although this might not matter for some jobs, many roles specifically require impeccable English skills. In that kind of situation, lack of proofreading may have cost you the job. More than 70% of interviewers discard applicants based on grammatical errors, typos and spelling mistakes in the CV or personal statement. So you can see that there is a great negative impact of errors in written work, and how fatal it can be. That further proves the importance of proofreading.

Therefore, for any CV to be taken seriously, it must be carefully proofread before you send it anywhere. 

Read Proofreading vs Copyediting!

Conclusion

We are all humans, and whether we admit it or not, we are not perfect. However, as individuals looking to impress, to have our work or ideas published, we must strive to ensure that our work is completely free of errors and polished to a high standard. We mention often that proofreading is the very last step in the writing process. However, that doesn’t mean it is the least important. Proofreading adds power to our writing, and with it, our work has a higher chance of containing errors.