Top 5 Business Proofreading Practices
You've spent hours writing your copy, you got every word, sentence, and paragraph to flow perfectly in sync, and you are finally ready to publish your content. Are you confident you checked every last detail to the T? Sure, you got some heavy lifting out of the way but document creation and copywriting are just the beginning.
Even after the words have been written, the tedious task of proofreading lies ahead. If effective proofreading techniques are not properly implemented, this can often take hours or days, and even then, the potential for error is high.
Thankfully, the solution is simple. Effective business proofreading techniques are easy to apply and are highly efficient when appropriately implemented. Not only will they make the task of proofreading easier, but they will also substantially reduce the probability of error in your content.
Want to learn how to take your business proofreading techniques to the next level and ease your editing woes?
Here are five top tips for proofreading your business writing.
1. Four Eyes See More Than Two
Your eyes can deceive you, especially when you have been staring at the same piece of copy for hours on end. A quick fix is to get more eyes on your copy. Set up a proofreading system or a small team that will look over all written copies, meticulously looking for errors.
Once you have looked over your written document and are confident you have found all the mistakes your eyes can see, know who to send it to get a fresh pair of eyes to review your work. If possible, have two or three different people proofread your writing before you can confidently say, "This work is flawless!"
2. Let it Marinate
Some things get better with time, and proofreading is one of them. It's hard to notice mistakes when proofreading the same document for long periods of time. At a certain point, it all just looks like letters, lines, and symbols on a white page.
The solution? Let it sit for a while.
In other words, defamiliarize yourself with your copy to get to know it better. Though it may seem counterintuitive, it will enable you to come back with a new perspective on your writing. Like all marinating periods, overnight would be ideal, but even if you are on a tight schedule and only have 15, 20, 30 minutes to an hour, anything is better than nothing.
Sometimes, all you need is time and distance to make you come back with a clearer mindset and new perspective. The same goes for effective proofreading. When you come back to your work, you will see your writing in a new light and will be able to make adequate changes to make your content shine.
3. Pace it Out
Whether it be a brochure, a blog post, or a single page of written work, proofreading can be intimidating. Make things easier on yourself by breaking your proofreading up into sections and stages.
Treat each paragraph or written section as an individual entity and solely focus on each section until you are sure there are no errors. Breaking up a more significant task into smaller, more easily achievable goals will ultimately allow you to ease up, relax, and concentrate fully on editing your business writing without any added pressure or stress. The outcome is less room for error and a more thoroughly proofread piece of content.
An added tip is to review the written copy in stages. For example, run through your copy once solely focusing on word flow and messaging. Next, look for run-on sentences and repetitive words. Finally, check for minor errors such as spelling mistakes and misused punctuation. Pacing out your proofreading techniques will eliminate the risk of losing focus and ultimately make for a cleaner, clearer final product.
4. Back it Up
This proofreading technique is straightforward. Edit backwards.
The reverse psychology of the editing world, this proofreading technique has you starting from the bottom, the end, the very last sentence of your written piece of work. When editing your work, you can easily slip from "editing mode" to "reader mode" and stop noticing minor errors in your writing. Throughout the writing and editing process, you become so familiar with your copy that it becomes harder to snap out of "reader mode" and give your work a more critical review.
Backwards editing has you editing from the final sentence and moving backwards until you reach your top and final (or first) sentence. This technique allows you to view sentences individually without thinking about storytelling or wordflow. No context or substance is needed. All you have to do is focus on the pure joys of proofreading!
5. Modern Times, Modern Solutions
We live in a time where technology has simplified our everyday lives and tasks. Why not take advantage of it? We have thought of endless innovations, applications, and software that make things easier and more efficient. Thankfully, proofreading got the memo.
Cue automated quality control. Software that makes proofreading processes more efficient and eliminates the need for fully manual editing. Through automated inspections, you can now speed up editing processes while simultaneously improving accuracy and efficiency in the workplace.
GlobalVision's digital checks and automated quality control tools are the perfect solution for any modern-day business that will ultimately help your team save hours on proofreading tasks and increase productivity across copywriting, writing, and editing processes.
Replace the need for manual proofreading and enter the modern age while simplifying business practices. Need we say more?
The Proof is in the ProofreadingThere are many different effective proofreading techniques for businesses that can easily be implemented to help enhance everyday tasks and activities. However, to keep up with trends and demands, switching to new, contemporary methods is sure to bring endless benefits to your business while increasing productivity and efficiency. Automated quality control is a small step that will result in enormous advantages for your business at large.
Enhance your proofreading practices and make the switch today. See how automated quality control can advance your business and ensure your company's continued growth and modernization. With automated quality control, never again will you have to think, what are effective proofreading techniques? We do the work for you.
To learn more about the benefits of switching to automated quality control, request a demo of GlobalVision here.
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Ensure your content is always error-free in record time with GlobalVision. Try it now for free.
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