10 Proofreading Tips: Polish Your Articles to Near Perfection

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10 Proofreading Tips: Polish Your Articles to Near Perfection

Posted on March 27th, 2009 in Writing by Athlyn Green

You’ve written your article. But it’s not time to relax just yet. You’ll need to proofread and edit it before submitting it for publication.

Proofreading . . . do I have to?

If you’ve finished your article, the work isn’t over just yet. Now comes the proofreading stage–the part writers may find the most challenging of all.

If you’re a creative type, the writing part might be the easier end of the equation–words popping out like corn spewing out of a popper . . . but the proofreading is the enemy–grunt work as appealing as that boring algebra class you did your best to skip out of in high school.

Whatever your view of proofreading, it is part and parcel of freelance writing. Articles riddled with errors are seldom taken seriously by readers. Now, some writers believe that it’s their job to write and it’s an editor’s job to edit. That might fly for some print publications but generally speaking, it’s your job as a writer to proofread and edit your articles so they stand above the crowd.

While I can’t promise the process won’t be painless, I can offer 10 proofreading tips you can use to polish your articles. I use this method every time I write an article. Do I miss something occasionally? Yes. Am I perfect? No.

Commit these proofreading tips to memory and you’ll be well on your way to producing better quality articles.

25 Responses to “10 Proofreading Tips: Polish Your Articles to Near Perfection”

imaginearea
March 27th, 2009 at 10:47 am

Thanks Athlyn for these tips…I particularly like number 7, I already do all the others but I have never tried reading from the bottom…I think this could be a useful way to make me break out of the I-am-so-close-to-this-article way of seeing and force me to see my article with fresh eyes. It is when we are too close to our normal rhythmic way of reading that errors can slip by unnoticed. Thanx again
Athlyn Green
March 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am

Hi Imaginearea,

I was helping a friend proofread a bit a prose and I walked him through these stages. He was amazed at what his eyes had missed and observed that our brain thinks we are seeing words spelled correctly when in actuality they aren’t.

He was also surprised that in two places, he had missed placing a period.
imaginearea
March 27th, 2009 at 10:56 am

You are so right…sometimes I just cannot believe what I don’t see the first, second, third and even fourth time that I read my work. Why do we have this blindspot? I wish I could get rid of mine, I am sure I would write quicker if I could see my mistakes quicker.
Mr Ghaz
March 27th, 2009 at 11:19 am

great work! nicely done! well done n thnx 4 sharing
Fresh Writing
March 27th, 2009 at 11:52 am

Very informative…thanks for the article!

-Fresh Writing
Glynis Smy
March 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am

Very useful article!
Annie Hintsala
March 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

Good information, good steps to follow. Proof reading is EXTREMELY important.
Athlyn Green
March 27th, 2009 at 2:32 pm

Hi,
Yes, proofreading may be viewed as grunt work but it is an integral part of polishing articles for publication.
lindalulu
March 27th, 2009 at 2:45 pm

Great article filled with really good information and advice!
Rana Sinha
March 27th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

Good article with clear and useful tips. Thanks.
I usually proofread articles twice. After the first proofread, I let the article rest overnight. When I read it again the next day, I can read it like a new reader and check if it flows naturally and does it make sense at all.

One tip I learnt from another writer friend is to ask of each section “Why is this necessary?” and “How does this give more value?”
Athlyn Green
March 27th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

Excellent points, Rana,

Yes, proofreading entails coming back to your work with fresh eyes. It’s surprising how allowing for that time helps a writer to improve and polish an article.

I like your insights about the questions we need to ask. This allows us to cut unnecessary information and include relevant material.
Carolyn Ann Aish
March 27th, 2009 at 3:37 pm

I like your article – I do all of these, and in particular, going back from bottom to top; it’s surprising what you find in reading it from the end to beginning! Well done!
The Quail
March 27th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

Very useful and informative article.
Athlyn Green
March 27th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Hi Carolyn and Quail,

Yes, it is surprising what you see that you missed when using the usual reading pattern.

It is helpful, in each read-through, to watch for certain things.

Proofreading really adds polish.
fossa
March 27th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

good advice. Thanks for sharing. Too often we choose to rush our article to publication
Eunice Tan
March 27th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

Helpful. Will follow your advice. Thanks.
Inna Tysoe
March 27th, 2009 at 9:37 pm

Good tips. I also find that it’s helpful to read the article out loud. Often something on paper just doesn’t “sound” the same when I read it aloud.

Inna
jo oliver
March 28th, 2009 at 12:17 am

Very true. Often subject and point are lost under poor presentation.
smblomker
March 28th, 2009 at 12:51 am

thank you for the information
Athlyn Green
March 28th, 2009 at 1:24 am

Wow! All these comments. Thanks everyone.
kate smedley
March 28th, 2009 at 5:31 am

I always find your articles helpful without fail Athlyn and this one’s no exception.
Darrell Penner
April 1st, 2009 at 9:01 am

Hello!

An excellent article and well worth reading for most writers. I was lucky enough to take a few secretarial/clerical courses which included proofreading. I would probably have included a couple of other points… of course that would bring it to more than 10 points.

One of the biggest boons to proofreading is to read it aloud! That will truly tell you when you have your pauses for your clauses in the right places. You will realize just where you need to breath! You’ll also discover missed words, wrong words, extra words, and all manner of things which wouldn’t be caught so easily.
Another tool — a tool for formatting really — is to look at your work upside down. Of course, this is more relevant if you are working with something on actual paper. It is much easier to notice formatting errors if you are not distracted by the content of the piece.

One of the biggest things with much of what is advised to proofreaders is to somehow distance yourself from your work. It is a part of many of those 10 points! It might be through time — by waiting a spell before looking at it with fresher eyes or by reading in reverse order somehow — or it might be by looking at it from a physical distance or upside down — or it might be hearing it instead of looking at it — or one of the best ways, getting someone else to have a look at it. It was advised at the business college I was at, that we swap papers with other students to proofread for each other, providing another form of distance.

Well, I have probably overwritten my welcome with this… the danger of writing while sleep-deprived. And this morning I am too tired to actually proofread this… shall I live dangerously? I think I shall.

~ Darrell
Athlyn Green
April 1st, 2009 at 9:08 am

Hello Darrell,

Ha, ha, I hope you get some sleep! All of your points are relevant. I, too, took proofreading/editorial and one f the things we learned is that most manuscripts are too much for one set of eyes to handle. That’s why in publishing houses there are a number of editors. This is a system of checks in the publishing process.

For fiction, reading your work out loud is invaluable. You can really sense where the flow is off.

Thanks for adding your insights and for taking time to comment.
Chris Stonecipher
May 28th, 2009 at 8:43 am

This is a good reminder for me to even go back through the articles I already submitted. I found a couple of errors in articles already posted. Thanks Athlyn!
Athlyn Green
May 28th, 2009 at 11:09 am

Hi Chris,
Yes, coming at something with fresh eyes, reveals stuff a person has missed previously. Proofreading is best done, after an article been left to sit.