Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Seven Tips to Help You Proofread Your Next Article



Typos get in the way of presenting your thoughts and opinions. Not only does it make the reading less enjoyable, it also sends a negative message to your audience. 

Avoid mistakes and follow these simple steps to help catch typos. 
  1. Take a day- Let a day pass for you to come back to review your content with fresh eyes.
  2. Print it out- Although it might be less convenient to print out your material, studies have shown that you are more likely to catch errors on paper than on a computer screen. If you are unable to print out your content Ragan.com suggests using a more distinct type face.
  3. Proper nouns- Look at the who’s, where’s, and when’s in your content. Make sure that addresses and dates are in AP format as well as making sure names and places are capitalized.
  4. Reverse- Start at the end of your content and read backwards line by line.
  5. Use a ruler- On printed material, use a ruler to go under each line. This will prevent you to skipping ahead to the next line
  6. Know yourself- It’s important to know what you’re not good at when it comes to proofreading. Make a list of common mistakes you make when you write.
  7. Read aloud- Reading aloud has been an instilled proofreading method since the third grade and it still works.a

For more tips read Daphne Gray-Grants article on Ragan.com

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