Practical Editing/Proofing
This week, a colleague asked me for a “proofing framework” to help her catch mistakes in the materials she prepares for administration in our department. When I read her request, I was charmed that she’d think of me, because proofing is something with which I struggle. I’m not sure if what I provided her is truly a framework, but it is the advice I used to give to my students and, on my best days, what I try to do for myself.
Here’s what I shared with her:
Our own brains will miss things from time to time, no matter how careful we are. Find a colleague or two who can help you out (or a spouse, or roommate, etc.) Have folks you lean on more for concepts and folks you lean on for punctuation and such.
In the absence of another person to review, take advantage of the passage of time. Don't proof anything immediately after you have already been working with it for a while. Once you've been immersed in it for a bit, your brain knows what it's supposed to say and lays that over the top of what's actually on the page/screen. Give yourself a break, walk away from it, and do something else, then come back to it with fresh eyes (eyes that will be more likely to see the problems).
This one is my favorite, and easier now that we're remote: read it out loud. Out loud and as though you were delivering it on the evening news: slowly, deliberately, with the intent for a large audience to understand. This allows you to catch many issues.
Review the document in stages, for separate issues. We tend to miss details when we're looking holistically, but focusing on one facet at a time can help you catch more errors:
First, read it through just to make sure it makes sense.
Next, read it through with your audience in mind: What questions will they have? What will they notice?
Then read it through looking for readability issues: jargon, grammar, repetitive words and phrases, tone.
Last, read it with an eye for the technical stuff: spelling, punctuation, etc.
Bonus: if it has numbers and data, review it once just to check the numbers and data.
Other little tricks that can help:
Print it out and read it, or try reading it on another device. A change of format can help you see things differently and catch problems.
Put yourself in the mindset of the pickiest person you know and read it. What would a person like that notice?
If you're the writer, be aware of your pet mistakes. This can be things like mixing up the day of the week and the number date, transposing numbers, using the same word over and over.
Editing and proofing are done best when they’re done with time on your side. If you’re like me and you turn out a large volume of written material during the day, you may find lots of little errors slipping through the cracks. Combat this where you can by building time into your schedule for editing and proofing, because the truth is, you’ll have to take the time to correct the mistakes after the fact if you don’t correct them before. Building proper time for reviewing your work also means you won’t waste your own time by producing materials that aren’t effective for your audience (either because of errors or content).
I’ve also noticed that the more you proof and edit, the better at it you get, and the more you’re able to do some of it even as you draft. Like most things, it’s a process!
