Editing and Proofreading: The Process
I love to edit and proofread. Why? Because there is nothing worse than reading something that is good, but could be great …
Detail is important to me. So I created a process to make sure I don’t miss anything:
-- First, I read through the entire document to get an idea of what it is about and I make broad notes as I go.
-- Second, I redline the document by turning on my Track Changes function in Microsoft Word. If you don’t know how, go to Tools --> Track Changes --> Highlight Changes and make sure the box next to Track Changes While Editing is checked.
-- Third, I read through the document again looking for content errors (this is the substantive editing). I note where the text is confusing and needs clarification or doesn’t make sense. I highlight all my comments in yellow so they are easy to spot.
-- Fourth, I read through the document again looking for grammar and punctuation errors that haven’t been fixed yet (I can’t help but fix the ones I run across as I’m going through the document!)
-- Fifth, I accept changes. I do this by going back to Tools --> Track Changes --> Accept or Reject Changes --> Accept All. Because I highlighted my notes in yellow, I can still see them.
-- Finally, I read the document OUT LOUD to make sure I didn’t miss anything — it’s amazing what you hear when the words are spoken! If I do find an error I missed, I click on the Undo arrow to take me back to my redlined copy. I fix the error, accept my changes again and keep reading.
Whew! It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s the only way I can be sure I provide you with the best editing and proofreading possible.
I’ll send the redlined version back to you to read through the highlighted notes and make changes or ask questions. If you choose, you can send the modified document back to me for another read through and any corrections.
So let’s get editing and make your work shine!
Joanne
Readable Writer
208-760-7372
