Proofreading Tips

The traps and pitfalls of proofreading are legion. And if they weren't so annoying theyd be incredibly comical. How is it posible that I read through a document with excrutiating thoroughness, and, being satisfied there are no mistakes, send it off to do its job, only to discover six months later, a glaringly obvious mistake?? So this list of tips offers me, and other sufferers like me, some hope. It was compiled by Diana Huff, the Marcom writer. 12 Tips for Avoiding Embarrassing (and Expensive) Typos plus Proofreading Checklist By Dianna Huff 1. Don’t proof your own work. . 2. Don’t rely on spell-check. 3. Don’t proofread on the computer screen. 4. Shut your door. Don’t answer your phone. 5. Proofread each word s-l-o-w-l-y. 6. Proofread finish to start. 7. Test all phone and fax numbers, URLs, and email addresses. 8. Pay special attention to people’s names and titles. 9. Ensure images are the correct images. 10. Proofread the ENTIRE document. 11. Use these special tips for PowerPoint presentations. 12. Call the folks at Proofreadnow.com. PROOFREADING CHECKLIST ___ Carefully read all headlines and sub-heads. ___ Read the entire document from back to front ___ Consult your corporate style guide. ___ Pay careful attention to formatting. ___ Double-check proper names, scientific notation, and images This is just the skeleton of the article, Diana produced. She fleshes out each one, and includes embarassingly familiar examples of the mistakes we can make without following the tips. You can read the whole article in pdf.