11 Tips: How To Proofread A Document | Thesis Reports

Here is a step by step process of proofreading any written document and even a transcribed speech.

Tip# 1: Prepare a draft version of an article first. If you are writing an article then it's better to write an article 'quickly'. Do not attempt to proofread initially.

Tip# 2: Begin proofreading only when you finished writing an article or transcribing a speech.  Some writers and transcriptionists proofread after every paragraph which can be time consuming.

Tip# 3: Run an automatic Spell check in MS Word/Presentation. Instructions for the same can be read here.

Tip# 4: Separate text into proper paragraphs. Remember: A paragraph is a distinct section of the article which has a consistent meaning within itself. A new paragraph will have focus on new thematic lines of the main subject.

Tip# 5: Do a manual spell check on words (Especially nouns) which sound similar but have different spellings. For example, Marc and Mark are two different names. An auto-correct feature in Microsoft word will correct to 'Mark' by default. So some words would need to be manually typed in. After the spelling correction is complete, now move on to grammar correction procedure discussed below.

Tip# 6: Correct the syntax structure of the articles such as plural words, commas, punctuations etc.

Tip# 7: Article structure: An article consists of three sections, 1) Introduction 2) Middle Section 3) Ending section or the summary of the subject. Make sure the whole article flows accordingly.

Tip# 8: Bold the headings and subheading of the article. Listed items and non-listed items should also be bolded. All these steps improve the overall look of the word document.

Tip# 9: Now, glance at the article first so the article stored in your mind (subconsciously). This will give you a bird's eye view. Now read the whole article/drafted email slowly. Make any corrections needed. 

Tip# 10: Make multiple backup copies of draft versions. Many people lose their several weeks and months of hard work to power outages, virus attacks and system failures. Tip: Enable the auto-save feature on Microsoft word. This way you don’t have to worry about clicking the 'Save button' every now and then. The auto-save button can save a document every 2 mins, 5 mins or at a time interval specified by you.

Tip# 11: Send the proofread transcript to your client and ask for any changes if needed. By this time the number of changes required by the client would be minimal.

What Is Proofreading:  Proofreading is the process of correcting the grammar, eliminating typing errors and removing spelling errors of any draft article or draft transcribed text.          

About The Author:  AllTranscript.com is a online website which provides a complete range of English language transcription. All transcripts submitted to the client are proofread multiple times to ensure quality and consistency. Here is a sample of an audio transcript by AllTranscript.com for reference purposes only.

 “I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
― Shannon Hale