{"id":319,"date":"2011-06-28T15:03:04","date_gmt":"2011-06-28T15:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/supaproofread.com\/blog\/?p=319"},"modified":"2023-10-17T14:28:56","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T14:28:56","slug":"what-is-proofreading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/what-is-proofreading\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Proofreading?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is proofreading?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A lot of people don\u2019t understand why proofreaders and editors exist; after all, English isn\u2019t really that important, is it?\u00a0 Well, this common misconception is just that, a fallacy about how important the process is.\u00a0 But, I believe it\u2019s down to the fact that most people just don\u2019t understand the process and many ask what is proofreading?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Proofreading, or \u2018copy checking\u2019, originally referred to newspapers, where an editor would take typeset paper and check the text for errors against an original manuscript.\u00a0 These days, even in newspapers and magazines, which often have their sub-editors proof on screen, it\u2019s all done digitally.\u00a0 Two printed resources are rarely checked against each other.\u00a0 The notion of the activity itself is designed to address both issues of content and visual consistency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Proofreading & Academic Work<\/h3>\n

In terms of student work, one takes an overall view.\u00a0 Proofreaders<\/a> haven\u2019t studied the subject themselves so trust that the author has composed their arguments having been given the correct teaching, has understood the subject and disseminated the information correctly in response to the question, brief or task.\u00a0 There are various reasons for employing a proofreader.\u00a0 A great deal of the work I complete is submitted by foreign students and, frankly, they\u2019re all pretty clever, otherwise they wouldn\u2019t have been funded or sponsored by their families, government or educational institution to even study abroad. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

English as a Second Language<\/h3>\n

But, as anyone learning a foreign language will tell you, the differences between written and spoken language are vast.\u00a0 If a student has a poor command of written English they may have a full understanding of the spoken language.\u00a0 As such, even if they speak English perfectly, they may lack the skills to compose an essay, thesis or dissertation with the requisite flow or command of the English language.\u00a0 On the other hand, even if they have difficulties speaking English you may get a beautifully written piece that simply needs a minimal edit.\u00a0 At times, I\u2019ve talked to clients and complimented them on their spoken English skills then received a mess.<\/p>\n

Or sometimes I\u2019ve struggled to understand what they need over the phone or over email and then received a piece of work full of life and ideas that needs simply shaping.\u00a0 In short, there\u2019s no way to predict what work is coming at you and the author\u2019s spoken English skills may be misleading.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Proofreading Isn’t Appreciated By Most<\/h3>\n

Proofreading is a rather under-the-radar industry.\u00a0 Most people don\u2019t realise that we even exist, or that it\u2019s a job at all, and if they do consider that proofreaders exist it\u2019s often assumed that we\u2019re rewriting entire pieces of work, or even writing them from scratch, and it\u2019s our voice that the lecturer hears when marking the piece.\u00a0 While there certainly are students getting so-called proofreaders (it\u2019s in the title, or we\u2019d be called proofwriters!) to write their assignments for them, the practice is rare and I\u2019ve personally never been asked to do it, though I do know it goes on.<\/p>\n

The line of acceptability is for each person to decide upon but, personally, I wouldn\u2019t accept a complete rewrite job. I\u2019ve had pieces that need a little edit, just for grammar, spelling, context, flow, structure and so on.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve also had pieces where the student clearly understands the subject, and their ideas are present, but they simply don\u2019t have the colloquial and written skills to convey their opinions, which is where I step in.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re presented with a piece of work there\u2019s an overall aim that you\u2019re trying to achieve.\u00a0 The obvious stuff goes first: double\/incorrect spaces, poor spelling, correct use of citations and quotations, and visual consistency \u2013 this means that the headings, subheadings, paragraph spaces, line spaces, formatting, and so on, should conform identically on each page.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you\u2019re working to a set of rules, such as Harvard referencing<\/a>, or the somewhat similar\u00a0 MLA referencing<\/a>, or even, if you\u2019re writing within a social sciences field, APA referencing<\/a>.\u00a0 These reference guides cover both the main content and how to write the references\/bibliography.\u00a0 Personally, I enjoy proofing the references at the end and am always a little disappointed if there aren\u2019t any!<\/p>\n

Then, of course, there are international differences within the writing itself.\u00a0 A fair amount of the work I do is in British English, with its colours and favourites. Then there\u2019s American (and Australian) English with its<\/strong> colors and favorites.\u00a0 There are an infinite number of options, combinations and styles that often vary not just within the author\u2019s remit but also from university to university, or college to college.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Proofreader’s Role<\/h3>\n

As such, the reasons for employing a proofreader are clear to see.\u00a0 Firstly, one cannot check one\u2019s own work.\u00a0 Before becoming a full time proofreader I was an office manager for two organisations \u2013 an adult magazine and a design agency \u2013 and on both occasions proofreading was a large part of my remit.\u00a0 I learned my trade over a period of 10 years and, let me tell you, given the subject matter that\u2019s been past my gaze: I\u2019ve seen it all.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve proofed thousands of pieces of student work, a chick-lit book, a ghost-written footballer\u2019s autobiography, marketing plans by the ton, email newsletters, menus, posters, financial reports, brochures, interviews, reviews, news, and erotica.\u00a0 But I learned very early on that you cannot proofread your own work.\u00a0 You simply won\u2019t see the errors when you\u2019re the author.\u00a0 In those days I was proofing on paper, with a pen, imagine that!\u00a0 It was rather old school and I was able to develop my craft comparing printer\u2019s proofs.\u00a0 With such endless practice, and learning under a renowned editor with 25 years experience, my eyes simply adapted and trained themselves to spot discrepancies.\u00a0 Which brings me to another issue about proofreading \u2013 no, not everyone can do it!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You’ve Already Proofed it Yourself? Think Again<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve lost count of the amount of clients who have told me that, even though they\u2019re employing me to do the job, it shouldn\u2019t need much work doing on it because one of their mates had already proofed it.\u00a0 Without fail, I\u2019m greeted by a piece of work that you would never guess had had a checker before I started. Aside from the fact that you need a natural gift for English, there are endless factors that must be taken into account.\u00a0 Certainly, someone can be taught to proof, take courses, gain qualifications, but there\u2019s no way to learn the feel for words or the extreme eye for detail.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t just need proofreading because you\u2019ve written it and you won\u2019t be able to see the errors<\/a>.\u00a0 You don\u2019t just need it because getting a mate to do the job isn\u2019t enough.\u00a0 You need it because the people who do this for a living know what they\u2019re doing and have done thousands of pieces before, of all kinds, of all competencies and on all subjects.\u00a0 After the work is submitted one can\u2019t help feeling happy and satisfied when a client emails back saying they can\u2019t believe the difference, they can\u2019t believe that they didn\u2019t employ a proofreader before and that their arguments, ideas and thoughts and have emerged from the mist in a way they didn\u2019t think was possible.<\/p>\n

Maybe after reading the above you will understand what proofreading actually is<\/strong> and why it\u2019s an important step in writing (or indeed publishing) any written material, from dissertations\/theses to business white papers, or that manuscript you\u2019ve been pouring your heart into.\u00a0 Proofreaders know their stuff<\/a> and want to help you produce written material that captures the mind of your reader, even if that\u2019s a professor marking your dissertation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot of people don\u2019t understand why proofreaders and editors exist; after all, English isn\u2019t really that important, is it?\u00a0 Well, this common misconception is just that, a fallacy about how important the process is.\u00a0 But, I believe it\u2019s down to the fact that most people just don\u2019t understand the process and many ask what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[24,23],"class_list":{"0":"post-319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-resources","8":"tag-proofreader","9":"tag-proofreading","10":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supaproofread.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}