proofread

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Part of a series on Reading
GENERAL INFORMATION
Literacy • Functional illiteracy Braille • Family literacy
TYPES
Close reading • Proofreading Slow reading • Speed reading Subvocalization
LEARNING TO READ
Comprehension Reading disability • Dyslexia Spelling • Vocabulary English orthography
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Proofreading (also proof-reading) traditionally means reading a proof copy of a text in order to detect and correct any errors. Modern proofreading often requires reading copy at earlier stages as well.

Proofreading in printing and publishing

A proof copy is a version of a manuscript that has been typeset after copy-editing. Proof typescripts often contain typographical errors introduced by mistyping (hence the word typo to refer to misplaced, missing or incorrect characters). Traditionally, a proofreader checks the typeset copy and marks any errors using standard proofreaders marks showing what is to be corrected. (such as those specified in style manuals, by house style, or, more broadly, by the international standard ISO 5776, or, for English, the British Standard BS-5261:2). This process may be known as a line edit. The proof is then returned to the typesetter for correction, and in many cases the production of a second proof copy (often known as a revise). Proofreading is considered a specific skill that must be learned because it is in the nature of the mind to correct errors automatically. Someone not trained in proofreading may not see errors such as missing words or improper usage because their mind is showing them what it is trained to recognize as correct. DP Proofreading Guidelines

The term proofreading is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to copy-editing. This is a separate activity, although there is some overlap between the two. Proofreading consists of reviewing any text, either hard copy on paper or electronic copy on a computer, and checking for typos and formatting errors. This may be done either against an original document or "blind" (without checking against any other source). Many modern proofreaders are also required to take on some light copy-editing duties, such as checking for grammar and consistency issues. Automated proofreading solutions have been developed in recent years for the industry; these solutions are used specially for the pharmaceutical and other major industries.[1][2][3][4]

In fiction

Examples of proofreaders in fiction include History of the Siege of Lisbon (Historia do Cerco de Lisboa), a novel of 1989 by Nobel laureate Jose Saramago and the short story Proofs in George Steiner's Proofs and Three Parables (1992).

See also

• Copy editing
• Distributed Proofreaders
• Fact checker
• Galley proof
• Obelism
• Style guide
• Typographical personification
• Typographical syntax
• Writing circles
• Printing press check

External links

Look up proofreading in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• The Importance of the Proof-reader by John Wilson
• Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK)
• Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders
• Advice on freelance proofreading and copy editing (UK)
• Online Proofreading Test (UK)
• Copy Editing and Proofreading Symbols. State University of New York Institute of Technology. https://people.sunyit.edu/~russ/Com310/ProofreadSymbols.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-24. 
  • Common Proofreading Symbols. Hartford, CT: Capital Community College. http://webster.commnet.edu/writing/symbols.htm. 
• Proofreaders' Marks (USA)
• DP Proofreaders Guidelines (USA)
• The Spell Check Challenge. Proof that spell check software doesn't work (UK)
• Advice on Proofreading
• Proofread Revise and Evaluate (CAN)
• Proofreader's marks