What is Proofreading?

Publishing process of any written work, be it a book, a newspaper or an article, consist of these general steps: First, the manuscript is prepared. Then it is submitted for editing where its contents are thoroughly reviewed and revised where necessary and lastly, the manuscript goes through one final check for any errors that may have remained. This final step where minor errors such as punctuation and spelling errors and formatting issues are ironed out. 

Though it may often seem as trivial, proofreading is just as essential to the writing process as any other step. Sometimes even the smallest punctuation errors such as the misplacement or the lack of a comma can cause a sentence to be vague in meaning and formatting issues can render a document difficult to read, particularly to those who suffer from eye disorders. 

It is important to know that proofreading and editing are not the same. Editing is a thorough review of the early draft of a written work where it goes through major changes to the content itself such as reordering, adding or removing entire sections to ensure that the text flows smoothly and the content is communicated to the reader as effectively as possible. Proofreading, on the other hand, is, again, a final check for minor errors such as punctuation and spelling errors and formatting issues.

Proofreading can be done by the writer themselves, someone else they trust or by a professional proofreader. It is usually recommended that writers do not proofread their own work as another person reading the manuscript for the first time would be able to spot mistakes more easily. 

In this modern age of computers, proofreading is usually done through Microsoft Word, Google Docs or other word processors which feature a “track changes” option that automatically marks any change made to the text until the proofreader saves them. Specialized proofreading services with a higher degree of accuracy are such as Grammarly or Ginger also available.