Facts about editing and proofreading

Use of 'single' and "double" quotations

I grew up always using “double” quotation marks but Australia generally follows England’s lead rather than America’s when it comes to grammar and spelling. So these days, there is a partiality for ‘single’ quotation marks. Universities can vary with this however so it’s worth checking but I would air on the side of caution and go with single quotes. Using a quote within a quote though, calls for “double” quotation marks. For example, ‘Frank told me he didn't want to come by, he said he was “too busy” to hang out doing nothing with me’. I also feel that many double quotes can change the readability of something, making it too busy and dense. Other rules around quotation marks are where to place punctuation…before or after the quote mark? It depends whether the punctuation is part of the sentence within the quote, for instance, using a question mark, ‘Is it today you fly to Adelaide?’ demonstrates that the punctuation is part of the question, rather than ‘I asked you if you would be flying to Adelaide today’?

Capitalisation

Capital letters are also on the decline, making reading less full on and top heavy. The main rules apply naturally in terms of proper nouns, the first word in a sentence but in a heading for example, it is no longer imperative to capitalise every first letter of every word and we certainly don’t capitalise conjunctions like and, in, the, of, or others. For example, a heading is just fine being, ‘Proofreading and editing service’ rather than ‘Proofreading and Editing Service’. Only the first word and proper nouns need to be capitalised, such as ‘Proofreading and editing service in Brisbane’. Always make ‘I’ a capital no matter what. It is also a proper noun so the rule applies. Historical events like World War One, and in acronyms even if there are no capitals when spelled out like PTO, (please turn over). Mum and Dad can be tricky but when I'm talking about my dad I use a lower case d. When I say ‘Hi Dad, come over for dinner’ it’s a capital D.

Fonts

There are a plethora of fonts available now and it is so tempting to try many of them. Trust me, this looks ridiculous and unprofessional on any page and comic sans should be banned. Over used and made for comics…nothing else. The truth is some fonts work better for hard copies and some for reading on a screen although web fonts have certainly moved away from the web-safe Verdana, San Serif, Arial and Georgia fonts. Some fonts look pretty but are incredibly difficult to read, and some you would simply get tired of . I think if you are scribing something that was supposed to be brief and written by a child then this would be fun and for blogs perhaps and they can give a web page a real personality but they need to be assessed properly, fitting browsers, the style of page and platform used. A serious website about a legal practice for example would look ludicrous and unprofessional being done up in a preposterous font. Keep in mind that many institutions have strict rules about fonts such as Times New Roman 12 point, 1.5 space in between. There is no deviating. 

The power of proofreading

Proofreading is a system of scanning a document and correcting errors. This can happen electronically or on hard copy using proofreading marks (paper). Self-proofreading is fine and do-able, however, it can be quite difficult to step back far enough from your work to see errors within. Any last faults often occur just when stress levels are uppermost and time shortest, readers' minds resist recognising them as errors. Under these circumstances, proof-readers are inclined to see only what they want to see.

As a proofreader I find the best way to go about proofing work from someone is to initially print off a copy and read it out loud. I always mark as I go, in case I miss something on my second go over. I read aloud so I can hear a run on sentence or any other problems that you tend to pick up more than reading quietly. I often use another piece of paper to block the lines below where I am reading because I have a habit of reading ahead. This ensures that I am focused on the line I am on only. After I read it twice I put it down for 15 minutes and then come back to it. Just that small distance from it allows me often to pick up more errors. I don't rely simply on spell check when proofing online because it won't deal well with homonyms (e.g., 'they're,' 'their,' 'there') or certain typos (like 'he' for 'the'). Once I feel the document is complete and that the standard of presentation is suitable for publication, I again scrutinise each word, punctuation mark and graphic element for discrepancies before sending back. I also check that the layout and type stipulations have been precisely followed, and that the line breaks, and table and illustration placements are appropriate.

Good presentation to any piece of work of any sort can make a huge difference. Whether it's a website, newsletter, essay, brochure, or corporate document; errors tell me and the general public that it is not good enough, not professional enough. They ask, 'If they make mistakes like this, will their service be any good?' A simple proofread can make all the difference in getting good and numerous customers, good grades and establishing a good reputation for producing quality work. Proofreading is vital to creating completed pieces of quality work. Typos and inconsistencies happen to the best of writers. A spell-checker can only fix spelling errors, but do not take into account substituting 'is' or 'it' or using the incorrect forms of other words.

Contact me for an opportunity to get fast editing and proofreading completed on your masterpiece. http://kirstieanders.com

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Attention to detail

Can you imagine a world where written work you produced was perfect? It could mean a 5-20% higher grade. It could mean embarrassing mistakes aren’t found that can reduce businesses to seemingly, ‘unprofessional with little aptitude’. It means a respectable reputation and public confidence.

Proofreading can help immeasurably. Your job is to get the words down. My job as proofreader is the attention to detail, to tidy it up, make it faultless and get you that better grade, perfect English and superior reputation. Editing, is also a service that can make a huge difference to your documents, projects, theses, brochures and so on. Just one or two errors in an essay or piece of work can change the meaning and sentence structure that might come across in a way you didn’t intend.

Online proofreading saves you time and effort to get your work proofed or edited without leaving home, Uni or work. The job can be completed fast and more efficiently and emailed back for you to go over and resend back if needed before the due date.  It also ensures there is a trail via email should you misplace a hardcopy. Many people feel that they can proofread their own copy but this isn’t as easy as you think. Proofreading and editing work that has been completed by a professional will provide you with a much better job. When you are too familiar with the work, it is hard to pick out typos and other errors that a professional will see immediately. Work can be done on hard copy and scanned and emailed or using tracked changes and emailed.

For ESL (English second language) students in particular, conversational English can differ greatly when it comes to putting information down on paper. It can be incredibly daunting for these students who know their content well but require some editing or proofreading to assist in tying it together.

When talking about attention to detail you don't want to come across as sounding redundant by getting sentences back to front or being repetitious but it’s not always easy to be resourceful in prose. Editing and then proofreading your work who is trained to be detailed and particular is what will enhance your work. detail is what makes a masterpiece. For an affordable quote, see my website at http://kirstieanders16.wix.com/editingproofreading

Proofread

Proofreading your own work is incredibly important and doable. It's about examining what you have written carefully to correct typographical faults. Prior to proofreading your document, ensure you have given yourself some space from the text especially if you have just finished writing it. Print it off and read it aloud. This can help with picking up run-on sentences and other issues you might miss reading to yourself. You can also read it backwards, the words come in a strange and unusual order and will make it easier to pick up errors. It is easier to pick up mistakes from a printout rather than on screen. You are also able to feel more intimate with the work on paper. You can use a computers spell check however, but this may not discern variances between US English and Australian English and may miss some properly spelt words in incorrect places such as their, there and they're and weather and whether or which and witch.

Proofreading is done following editing, which involves inspecting content to make certain that concepts are expressed clearly, logically forming an intelligible and meaningful whole. Proofreading is done in finer detail and is last so needs to be flawless. This is why often, it's worth looking at an independent proofreader. When you proofread work that you have written yourself, you are so familiar with it that you see what you think you have written rather than what you really wrote.

A professional proofreader examines text critically and carefully and is expected to be consistently accurate in focusing on surface errors like spelling mistakes, or errors in punctuation, syntax and grammar. A proofreader will also check your clarity of expression. A writer of any document works hard to get the right words down and after working on something for some time, can start to miss common slip-ups and often don't have the time to spend to ensure professional and high quality work. Fresh, qualified eyes on a project can make all the difference with regards to a writers reputation, making a proofreader indispensable. Proofreaders can proofread novels, academic papers, people whose second language is English, corporate or government official papers, business documents such as manuals, websites, marketing materials, personal documents such as resumes, letters and emails.

In any case, it is important to be clear and avoid embarrassment. It's important to get merit for your work not your English writing ability. Get marked for your ideas rather than your grammar. Work with someone who consistently returns timely documents that have been proofread and/or edited with precision.

Please see my website for all your proofreading work. http://kirstieanders.com

I use Microsoft Word's Track Changes. Every suggestion I make on your document will be 'tracked', and any query or comment will appear in the margin.

When I return your copy edited documents with the tracked-changes and the completed copy, it will show all changes and queries. This will give you, the author, complete control over the final version. You can go through the tracked-changes, and accept or reject any changes, reading my comments in the margin, and you can choose whether or not to take on my suggestions. It will always be your work and your say.

Editors do!

Why do we edit something? For the reader of course. The writer and editor work together to put something out there that is clear, elegant and correct. It's all about readability. We have all read something that feels uncomfortable to read; too many capitals, inconsistencies, poor grammar, confusing sentence structure or ambiguity, waffle and spelling mistakes. A poorly written piece of work can grate on nerves and in all likeliness prevent someone from finishing the rest of your work. Sometimes all it needs is a fresh pair of eyes from someone who knows what to scan for.

Editors can edit anything from essays, dissertations, books, brochures, websites, reports, resumes, letters, newsletter articles, and advertisements. An editor is able to improve effectiveness in terms of reading the target audience to convey information. Skills needed by an editor is reading skills, social skills to be tactful and patient, concentration, initiative and good attention to detail.

Copy editing occurs to remove mistakes, inconsistencies, or meagre styles of expression that could irritate or mislead readers and humiliate the author. During copy editing, the editor will check out all the aspects of that paper that makes for good reading and remove mistakes. Substantive editing focuses on the content, structure, language and style of a document. Some restructuring and rewording might also be done in the interests of accessibility, clarity, a cohesive style and tone, and a tighter reader focus.

As the writer, there are a few things to keep in mind. It is incredibly hard to get a draft right the first time around. You overlook errors because you are so familiar with the work. Don't make excuses or apologise, see it as a work in progress, not a final piece. Don't expect an editor or a proofreader to re-write your work. They can make suggestions, research or fact check and recommend alterations but they won't write your paper. You need to know what you might need. If you are writing a novel and you think your characters aren't interesting enough or possibly too one dimensional, a developmental editor can assist you to create depth and make them come to life, make your story line punchier and help with writers block. An editor can certainly make your paper, book, brochure more appealing and readable but they can't guarantee you an A+, High distinction or sell your book any more successfully. A professional editor and or proofreader can make your work the best it can be all the same.

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