If you’ve arrived at this page, you’re probably looking for a proofreader, or perhaps wondering what a proofreader does and whether you really need one. Let me try to answer your questions.
Do I really need a proofreader?
Well, that depends.
Have you ever received a flyer that was riddled with typos? Did that give you a positive or negative first impression of the company?
Have you ever been engrossed in a book and noticed a spelling error in the middle of a paragraph? Did you find it distracting? Did it affect your enjoyment of the story?
Have you ever read a report with basic spelling mistakes or the odd missing word? Did it make you wonder how reliable the report might be if the author hadn’t taken the time to check for even the most basic of errors?
In a nutshell, if the quality of your work and the impression you give to your customers, clients, readers or tutors matters to you, then yes, you need a proofreader.
But my English is really good!
Even the most successful authors will have had their work proofread before publication, so please rest assured that engaging a proofreader in no way suggests that your written English isn’t up to scratch!
So, what does a proofreader actually do?
Proofreading is the very last stage of the editorial process. By this point, you will have already done all the hard work. You will have completed your manuscript, essay or report and you may even have had it copy edited. You’ll be satisfied that your work is as good as you can get it. It then becomes the proofreader’s job to check for any errors and inconsistencies in your work that may have been missed along the way. A proofreader will check for spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax errors, as well as any inconsistencies in style, typeface, referencing and formatting.
What doesn’t a proofreader do?
A proofreader will not make structural changes to your text, such as moving paragraphs or altering the position of illustrations. They will not reword whole sentences unless they are grammatically incorrect, or ambiguous. A proofreader will not change the text simply to make it sound better.
So if I use a proofreader, will my work be completely error-free?
In complete honesty, no reputable proofreader can ever guarantee that your text will be entirely free of errors, simply because we are only human! That’s not to say that every reputable proofreader won’t still aim to create a completely error-free document. They will always do their utmost to ensure that your text is returned to you in a good enough state for publication or submission.
Hopefully I’ve answered some of your questions here, but if you would like to know more, or would like a free quote, please contact me on karen@kjproofreading.com. I’ll be more than happy to help!
KJ Proofreading 