How we proofread |
What is proofreading?
Before describing our editing process we should
first clarify exactly what we mean by 'proofreading'.
The word 'proofreading' is widely used in
modern English and has several subtly different
meanings. In our case, 'proofreading' means
to check the English in a document and correct
any mistakes in spelling, syntax, and grammar.
In addition, we check the contextual style
of the document to make sure it is appropriate
to the subject, and we also check and adjust
the general English style so that the finished
version reads fluently and naturally.
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| Our five-step
proofreading process |
At Anchor English
Proofreading the editing process is designed
to ensure your document receives the most
detailed attention possible.
It involves five separate stages:
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- Scanning stage
- The proofreader scans the document (reads
it through quickly) to get a feel for
the tone and style and to assess the general
English level.
- Main editing stage
- The document is thoroughly and carefully
edited to bring the English to a clear
and readable level.
- Consistency check – Is it ‘on-line’ or ‘online’? Sometimes more than one correct version is possible. We check for consistency of spelling, hyphenation, capitalisation, punctuation, abbreviation use…and more.
- Review stage
- The proofreader reviews the document in
its finished form. This provides
an opportunity to catch any mistakes missed
the first time and to generally brush
up and improve the document.
- Spell check stage
- Finally, we run a computer spell check
of the document as a final safeguard against
errors.
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| After
this, the document is returned to the customer
in the two forms described below. The customer
can then review the document and request further
changes or explanation until satisfied. |
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| Samples of
corrected documents |
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When you send
us a document for proofreading we do not
simply edit and return it. We think it is
important that our customers can see exactly
what editing changes we have made. Therefore,
after editing, we send you back TWO documents,
namely:
- A 'Suggested'
document - This shows all the changes
we have made to the original document.
All insertions and deletions are clearly
marked.
- A 'Changed'
document - This is the final document
with all the editing changes implemented.
This is ready for use, provided all the
questions raised in the comments (see
below) have been answered.
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Examples |
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ORIGINAL
This is the original document as received
from the customer. It contains a number
of errors that we need to correct. |
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| 'SUGGESTED'
document
This document shows clearly in red all the
editing changes that we have made. Additions
are underlined and deletions are crossed
through. |
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'CHANGED'
document
This is the final document. All the editing
changes have been implemented. |
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Comments
In addition to the editing
changes shown in the 'suggested' document
we sometimes add 'comments'. These are small
text boxes which appear when you hover your
mouse over certain marked areas. We use comments
to add or request further information, or
to indicate areas where the meaning is unclear.
You can then read these comments, give your
explanation, and return the document to us
for further review at no extra cost.
Comments can easily be removed. Just right-click
and select 'delete comment' .
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