How to use office word proof reading professional#

If your company has a style guide, have that at your elbow or open on your computer too.

Make sure you have everything you need to hand: a pencil for pointing, a ruler or blank paper to place below each line (so you’re not distracted by the text ahead), and a list of what to look out for. Work out what this means for you and your circadian rhythms, but morning is generally your best bet. Speaking of fresh, aim to proofread at a time when you will be. So take a break, do something else and preferably leave it overnight. If you try and proofread straight after you finish writing, you will be blind to your typos and everything will appear exactly as you expect it to. Proofreading techniques for perfect results 1. These proofreading tips will see you through. It’s time to knuckle down and process every word. Whether you’re proofreading your own work or a colleague’s, to do it effectively, you need to repress the urge to skip, skim and hope for the best. Establish for certain what they are expecting you to do: do they want a pure proofread or editing suggestions as well? Note too that editing and proofing are technically two different things, and with good reason: your brain works best focusing on one at a time.

These caveats are particularly worth noting if you are proofreading someone else’s work.

hard work – it can be pedantic, exacting, tiring and repetitive.

the last line of defence – the buck stops with you.

How to use office word proof reading professional#

essential – it’s a matter of professional reputation (and more).

about ensuring consistency and accuracy.

The result of giving it a miss can be anything from mild embarrassment in front of colleagues to the loss of an unimpressed prospect – or landing in legal or financial hot water because of an overlooked error.īefore we go on to the how-to, let’s briefly clarify what proofreading is – and what it isn’t. (This is why, in an ideal world, someone else would proofread your work – and you’d proof theirs.)īut, tricky or not, it is a critical step. You know what you meant to say, so your brain will conveniently hop over missing words, typos and jumbled sentences. Ltlite wnoedr taht tpyos are otefn msiesd, wulndo’t you arege?Īnd as the writer of a document, it’s particularly hard to spot any mistakes in it. Did you know that as long as the first and last letters of a word are in the right place, the middle can be a complete shambles and chances are you’ll still be able to understand it? One problem is that our brains are actually a bit too clever. You’re constantly fighting with your eyes and brain, both of which want to tell you that everything on the page is just fine. Proofreading properly isn’t as easy as it might first appear.