essay editor symbols

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Blog • Understanding Publishing

Last updated on Dec 06, 2022

What Do Proofreading Marks Mean?

Having your work come back from an editor covered in red pen is daunting to begin with. Receiving a manuscript that's covered in proofreading marks that might as well be hieroglyphics can be even more intimidating.

But before you reach for your cipher wheel, remember that the purpose of proofreading marks isn’t to confuse you. It’s to provide a detailed roadmap to a professional and polished final manuscript . While independent authors are not likely to spring for large print runs that would be ruined by more than a couple of typos — proofreading still remains an essential step for most serious self-publishers.

These days, it’s unlikely for the proofreading process to occur via pen-and-paper, meaning that the use of proofreading marks is also becoming increasingly rare. Most proofreaders used tools such a “tracked changes” to flag issues — and many indie authors choose to forgo professional proofers for software such as Grammarly or the simple red, dotted line that signifies a typo in processors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

That being said, screen fatigue is a real thing, and there’s something about a hard-copy document that seems to draw the eye to errors more than a digital one. So if you’re working with a proofreader and want to ensure the collaboration fulfills its top potential, it’s worth getting to know the meaning of the more common proofreading marks.

So, without further ado…

What are proofreading marks?

Proofreading marks are used to highlight spelling, vocabulary, grammatical, and punctuation errors, along with formatting and layout issues.

When proofreaders are editing a hard-copy manuscript, they will leave corrections on both sides of the margins: on the left-hand margins for corrections in the first half of the sentence and on the right-hand side for corrections in the latter half of the sentence. A corresponding mark will also be included in-line to indicate where the issue is.

Alright, now let’s take a look at these formidable editing symbols.

Proofreading marks chart

The following proofreading symbols are taken from The Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition. While in-house style guides may vary from publisher to publisher, these symbols are standard across the industry.

Let’s start with operational marks, which cover everything from spelling to sentence structure to improper spacing.

• The “delete” symbol on its own will refer to a word, while “delete and close up” will refer to a letter in a word.
• The ”let it stand” symbol would be used when more than one round of proofreading was done, and it indicates that a correction or alteration should be ignored.
• The “transpose” symbol indicates the order of words needs to be changed (spot the transpose problem).

Next up are the punctuation marks, which — you guessed it — indicate that punctuation needs to be added.

Then there are typography marks, which denote formatting corrections.

Lastly, these are common abbreviations used by proofreaders to indicate issues related to the copy itself.

The importance of proofreading

Ensuring that your book is polished and error-free is just as important to the reader experience as the writing quality. Your book can’t effectively communicate if the reader is constantly paused by spelling mistakes, awkward sentence structures,       or      uneven       spacing.

Here's what these proofreading marks look like in use, when a proofreader returns a manuscript, and when their suggestions have been incorporated:

Looking to get your book proofread?

First, we recommend doing as much of the work yourself as possible. Here are a few resources that will help:

• The Reedsy Book Editor will point out spelling and grammatical errors as you go.
• How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro is a free Reedsy Learning course covering the ten most common writing mistakes — both how to find and fix them.
• What to Expect From Beta Readers And Where to Find Them is a post written by a Reedsy author who worked extensively with beta readers to get his book ready for publication.
• What are Sensitivity Readers? And Should Authors Use Them? is all about the controversial topic of sensitivity readers and what they actually do.

Free course: How to self-edit like a pro

Rid your manuscript of the most common writing mistakes with this 10-day online course. Get started now.

Once you’ve done all the proofreading work you can, we encourage you to consider working with a professional. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process and will ensure your book fully meets its potential for success.

The average costs of working with a professional proofreader on Reedsy are:

• $350 for a 40k-word book
• $520 for a 60k-word book
• $700 for an 80k-word book

Head to our marketplace to request quotes from a variety of professional proofreaders for free.

Have you ever worked with a professional proofreader? Or do you prefer to go the DIY route? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Continue reading

Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog

How to Publish a Book For Free: The 7 Best Sites

If you want to publish your book without spending a single dime, check out this handy list of 7 free self-publishing services.

5 Ways to Save on Your Self-Publishing Budget

If you want to self-publish a book without breaking the bank, here are 5 tips to ensure you still get the best result possible.

30 Great Book Dedication Examples to Inspire Your Own

A list of 30 of the best book dedications in the business, that'll have you crying, laughing, and crying laughing.

Expository Writing: The Craft of Sharing Information

Expository writing is a fundamental part of how we learn and make sense of the world. Learn all about it in this post.

Additional Reviews: Query Critique December 2024

Additional critiques from Reedsy's December 2024 query letter session.

How to Make Money by Writing Books: 8 Tips for Success

If you want to be an author who makes a living from books, here are eight tips to help you make money as a writer.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Edit your book like a pro

Our checklist walks you through the professional standards of the editing process.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Proofreading Marks: What Do They Mean?

#scribendiinc

Last updated: June 1, 2017

An overview of commonly used proofreading symbols

If you've ever had a hard copy of a document proofread, chances are that you're familiar with the strange typology of professional proofreaders. Your returned document is so full of symbols (hieroglyphics? squiggles? cuneiform script?!) that you think it has been translated into Martian!

These strange markings are the "footprint" that your proofreader has left on the document to highlight where changes need to be made to the text. The proofreader uses a series of symbols and abbreviations to suggest changes, correct spelling errors, improve punctuation, and generally enhance the quality and readability of a hard copy document.

Locating proofreading marks

In hard copy proofreading, corrections typically appear in the left or right margins beside the line containing the error. A mark is also placed in the text to indicate where the correction needs to be made. A caret (^) indicates an addition, and a line through the text indicates a deletion or a replacement. Proofreading marks are traditionally written in red ink for better visibility.

Frequently used proofreading marks

Delete a letter: a diagonal line through the letter with the delete mark in the margin

Delete a word: a straight line through the word with the delete mark in the margin

Frequently used abbreviations

Faulty diction: DICT

Awkwardly expressed or constructed: AWK

Wordy, too verbose: WDY

Wrong word used (e.g. to/too): WW

Eliminate the need for proofreading marks

Deciphering a proofreader's suggested changes used to take hours; fortunately, it doesn't have to any more. Submit your document to any of our proofreading services today for a speedy, easy-to-use document review that makes use of Tracked Changes instead.

Image source: Kay Ransom/BigStockPhoto.com

Achieve Perfect Writing with High-Quality Proofreading

Try our personal proofreading service , or get a free sample.

Have You Read?

"The Complete Beginner's Guide to Academic Writing"

Related Posts

10 Reasons to Hire a Professional Editor

Active and Passive Voice

Editing or Proofreading?

Upload your file(s) so we can calculate your word count, or enter your word count manually.

We will also recommend a service based on the file(s) you upload.

English is not my first language. I need English editing and proofreading so that I sound like a native speaker.

I need to have my journal article, dissertation, or term paper edited and proofread, or I need help with an admissions essay or proposal.

I have a novel, manuscript, play, or ebook. I need editing, copy editing, proofreading, a critique of my work, or a query package.

I need editing and proofreading for my white papers, reports, manuals, press releases, marketing materials, and other business documents.

I need to have my essay, project, assignment, or term paper edited and proofread.

I want to sound professional and to get hired. I have a resume, letter, email, or personal document that I need to have edited and proofread.

 Prices include your personal % discount.

 Prices include % sales tax ( ).

Your Guide to Proofreading Marks

Proofreading marks, which are also called proofreaders’ marks and editing marks , signify mistakes in printed copy. Proofreaders and editors generally use a red pen to note them on the page. 

Though much editing, like the editing done here at EditorNinja, is now done digitally within shared docs and other word processors, written proofreading marks are still vital to all kinds of students, teachers, freelancers, and publishers.

Looking for proofreading services? EditorNinja’s professional proofreading services can save you hours of time per week, so you can focus on things you love more. Schedule a free Intro Call to learn more. And if you’re a proofreader looking for work, apply to EditorNinja’s extended network of writers and editors .

All the Proofreading Marks That are Fit to Print

Here’s a list of some of the most common proofreading marks, culled from well-established sources like Northwestern University and the Chicago Manual of Style. 

Two Symbols — In Text and In Margin

Lastly, you should know that many proofreading marks have both a textual mark and a marginal mark. 

• A textual mark means that the symbol is written on the text to be changed
• A marginal mark , which is placed in the margin, is a symbol or abbreviation that explains the textual mark. 

However, many editors may forgo the marginal mark, and in many cases, the “marginal” mark will be written immediately above or below the text. (Yes, there’s a reason your teachers always wanted those essays double-spaced.)

Proofreading Marks have Wiggle Room

Now, proofreading marks do not comprise a hard science. Though most “official” organizations, like style guides and big publishing houses, agree upon a number of symbols, there’s plenty of wiggle room—meaning, you will find a lot of variation among sources. 

To illustrate the point, let’s consider insertion, i.e. , putting in a missing letter or a bit of punctuation. 

While, in theory, many kinds of insertion have their own particular symbols, these rules aren’t always followed in practice. For example, to insert a period, most guides will say the proofreader should draw a period with a circle around it, but to insert a letter or word, a carat (^ or ⌄) is used, and further, to insert a parenthesis, the proofreader will write a parenthesis with two horizontal lines through it. 

However, proofreaders and editors may not always follow these individual rules. Instead, they may use circles or carats at will, or they may only write what they want to be inserted without any extra symbols at all.

Additionally, publishers, editors, and English teachers often have their own systems of proofreading symbols. Personally, I use arrows when I find that material needs to be reorganized, and, following in the footsteps of my middle school English teachers, I will use the abbreviations “CD” and “CM” for “concrete detail” and “commentary.” (Shoutout to Mrs. Randall.)

Proofreading Marks in Context

Below you’ll see a sheet with all the symbols with examples of their usage, as well as what the edited text would look like. (Or, in some cases, might look like — though inserting a period or fixing a word’s spelling is pretty objective, responding to a comment like “awkward” or “too wordy” is more open-ended.)

Michael Blackwood

" * " indicates required fields

Writer Recruiting

Once submitted, our team will review and be in contact directly. Our aim is to have a curated list of writers for you within 2-4 business days.

Proofreading Marks and How to Use Them

SHARON’S BLOG

Let’s save them the pain by teaching them these handy, easy-to-use proofreading marks.

I’ve watched students in my writing classes scratch out whole sentences and rewrite them. They draw lines through words. They burn up their papers and crumble their erasers just to change something.

This is totally unnecessary.

There’s an easier — and quicker — way to proofread that doesn’t require a lot of rewriting, which should be good news to our students.

But first, the other grammar tutorials

This is the last in a series of tutorials on grammar. In this one, you and your students will learn how to use these helpful proofreading marks.

If you’re dying to know what the other grammar tutorials are about, click here for one on punctuation in dialog . (Tarzan and Jane help out on that one.) Click here if you yearn to know how to handle commas in compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions.

And click here for the hard-hitting exposé on where to put the comma, period, colon, or semicolon when using quotation marks.   Here’s a tutorial on a question I suspect you’ve heard from your students about using question marks and exclamation points with end quotation marks (you know, do they go inside or outside?).

For the tutorial revealing the crazy fact that the word “everyone” is singular, click here . And to finally put to rest your students’ confusion about it’s/its, you’re/your, and others of that ilk, click here .

Proofreading Marks

As with all the other tutorials, you get a super-duper package today: an infographic to teach the proofreading marks, an example of how to use them in a real paragraph, an exercise so students can fix someone else’s mistakes , and the answers .

Proofreading marks are fairly universal and can be tremendously helpful to your students when they are editing their work. After your students complete their rough draft, have them print off the essay or short story. Reading the rough draft from a piece of paper catches more mistakes than simply reading the essay from a computer screen. Then students can apply the proofreading marks as tools to help them shape a better essay or story.

The following chart contains common proofreading marks used by all professional writers. For a PDF of this chart, click here.

The following image shows how to use the proofreading marks in an essay. For a PDF of this example, click here.

Proofreading Marks Assignment

Follow this link for the free download of a proofreading assignment.

Directions: Use the proofreading marks to catch errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing, and to make the reading go more smoothly. Use a colorful pen so you can keep track of your corrections.

Proofreading Marks Answers

Teachers, follow this link for a free download of a suggested answer to the proofreading assignment.

You can find another proofreading tutorial here . Students will proofread a letter to the editor that needs a lot of help!

This grammar tutorial is taken from The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School by Sharon Watson (that would be me). To get free samples from this course that will take the burden of teaching writing off your shoulders, click here .

Yours for a more vibrant writing class,

Looking for something?

Sharon’s Blog

Grading Essays Made Easy

Homeschool Life

Miscellaneous

Proofreading Tips

Writing Prompts

Writing/Teaching Tips

Middle school prompts

Description

High school prompts

Download free samples of our courses here. Dismiss

Editing and Proofreading Marks in Composition

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

When your instructor returns a composition , are you sometimes puzzled by the abbreviations and symbols that appear in the margins? If so, this guide should help you decipher those marks during the editing and proofreading stages of the writing process .

Common Proofreading Marks Explained

The following proofreading marks have a brief explanation of the definition your instructor is likely trying to convey for your revisions.

ab: Abbreviation  (Use a standard abbreviation or write out the word in full.)

ad: Adjective or adverb  (Use the correct form of the modifier.)

agr: Agreement  (Use the correct ending to make the verb agree with its subject .)

awk: Awkward expression or construction.

cap: Capital letter  (Replace a lowercase letter with a capital letter.)

case: Case  (Use the appropriate case of the pronoun: subjective , objective , or possessive .)

cliché: Cliché  (Replace the worn-out expression with a fresh figure of speech .)

coh: Coherence  and cohesion (Make clear connections as you move from one point to the next.)

coord: Coordination  (Use coordinating conjunctions to relate equal ideas.)

cs: Comma splice  (Replace the comma with a period or a conjunction.)

d: Diction  (Replace the word with one that's more precise or appropriate.)

dm: Dangling modifier  (Add a word so that the modifier refers to something in the sentence.) 

emph: Emphasis  (Restructure the sentence to emphasize a key word or phrase.)

frag: Sentence fragment  (Add a subject or verb to make this word group complete.)

fs: Fused sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

gloss: Glossary of usage  (Check the glossary to see how to use this word correctly.)

hyph: Hyphen  (Insert a hyphen between these two words or word parts.)

inc: Incomplete construction.

irreg: Irregular verb  (Check our index of verbs to find the correct form of this irregular verb.)

ital: Italics  (Put the marked word or phrase in italics.)

jarg: Jargon  (Replace the expression with one your readers will understand.)

lc: Lowercase letter (Replace a capital letter with a lowercase letter.)

mm: Misplaced modifier  (Move the modifier so that it clearly refers to an appropriate word.)

mood: Mood  (Use the correct mood of the verb.)

nonst: Nonstandard usage  (Use standard words and word forms in formal writing .)

org: Organization  (Organize information clearly and logically.)

p: Punctuation  (Use an appropriate mark of punctuation.)

' apostrophe

—   dash

? question mark

" " quotation marks

¶: Paragraph break  (Begin a new paragraph at this point.)

//: Parallelism  (Express paired words, phrases, or clauses in grammatically parallel form.)

pro: Pronoun  (Use a pronoun that refers clearly to a noun.)

run-on: Run-on (fused) sentence  (Separate the word group into two sentences.)

slang: Slang  (Replace the marked word or phrase with a more formal or conventional expression.)

sp: Spelling  (Correct a misspelled word or spell out an abbreviation.)

subord: Subordination  (Use a subordinating conjunction to connect a supporting word group to the main idea.)

tense: Tense  (Use the correct tense of the verb.)

trans: Transition  (Add an appropriate transitional expression to guide readers from one point to the next.)

unity: Unity  (Don't stray too far from your main idea.)

v/^: Missing letter(s) or word(s).

#: Insert a space.

wordy: Wordy writing (Cut out unnecessary words.)

ww: Wrong word (Use a dictionary to find a more appropriate word.)

• What Are Run-on Sentences and How Do You Fix Them?
• Proofreaders' and Teachers' Correction Marks
• 100 Key Terms Used in the Study of Grammar
• The Mechanics of Writing Composition
• What Is a Fused Sentence?
• An Essay Revision Checklist
• AP English Exam: 101 Key Terms
• Sentence Parts and Sentence Structures
• 140 Key Copyediting Terms and What They Mean
• The Top 25 Grammatical Terms
• Definition and Examples of Periods: Full Stop
• German Grammar Checklist
• Guidelines for Using Capital Letters
• Italian Capitalization Rules
• The Difference Between Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives
• 10 Common Sentence Mistakes in English

Proofreading Symbols Every Proofreader Should Know

Proofreading symbols are like a foreign language to most people; they are often considered to be an indecipherable series of squiggles, letters, and symbols that mean absolutely nothing to the regular guy or girl on the street. Unless you know what these proofreading marks actually mean, using them to improve and develop your writing is absolutely impossible.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common proofreading symbols that are in use by professional native English proofreading services and explain why they are important for proofreaders who are looking for a career in editing.

You can read more about what proofreaders do in our guide to the differences between editing and proofreading .

What on Earth are Proofreading Symbols?

Proofreading symbols are the marks that a proofreader makes on a paper when they edit it. They are a coded set of instructions that point out where mistakes have been made and how a piece of writing can be improved. They are aimed at highlighting grammatical and punctuation errors as well as layout, formatting and vocabulary issues on a hard copy document (a physical, printed-out version).  Let’s have a look at these dreaded proofreading symbols.

Read more: 69 hilarious reasons why you need to proofread

Proofreading Symbols Cheat Sheet

If you are interested in learning proofreading symbols, this cheat sheet will be of great use to you.

Breathe a Sigh of Relief

We know this: Proofreading is not easy!

If you took one look at the proofreading cheat sheet and felt a cold shiver run down your spine, don’t panic. The good news is that proofreading symbols are no longer as important as they once were. The wide-spread availability of computers means that the majority of proofreaders now highlight the required changes on an electronic copy of the document. In addition to this, instead of merely pointing out that there is an issue, most proofreaders now actually fix the problem and use the track changes tool on the word processor to show the client where the corrections have been made. The client is then free to either accept or reject each change as they see fit. This methodology makes the proofreading process much more efficient and allows the proofreader to provide the client with much more help than making a few squiggles here and there.

If all this is a bit mind-blowing, take a look at this humorous take on lesser-known proofreading marks:

Vappingo’s Proofreading Services

Unless specifically instructed otherwise, Vappingo’s proofreaders always use the track changes functionality in Microsoft Word. This is much more useful to you than proofreading marks alone because it provides you with practical help with your written English; it both highlights mistakes AND shows you how to remedy them. As one of our customers, you don’t need to spend hours trying to decipher proofreading symbols , you can simply review each change that the proofreader has made in turn, and either reject it or accept it. Simple.

Submit your document for our proofreading services today for a speedy, efficient proofreading service that gives you the help you really need.

4 thoughts on “Proofreading Symbols Every Proofreader Should Know”

Helped me a lot. 🙂

Very helpful indeed

Tuan Sally [email protected]

• Pingback: Copyediting Services Explained: This is What the Professionals Do - Vappingo

Leave a Comment

Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about.

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

• Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours, days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh eyes.
• Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
• Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size, spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a different perspective on what you’ve written.
• Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
• If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
• If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding assignments and developing an argument .)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions .)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development .)

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language .)

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading, especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished, you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below. Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

• Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type “your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of “their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.
• Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.
• Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting one kind of mistake won’t catch others.
• Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud , which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
• Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy, try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the line you’re working on.
• Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.
• Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.
• Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.
• Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure about something, look it up.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you are drafting the paper.

Think you’ve got it?

Then give it a try, if you haven’t already! This handout contains seven errors our proofreader should have caught: three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors. Try to find them, and then check a version of this page with the errors marked in red to see if you’re a proofreading star.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Especially for non-native speakers of English:

Ascher, Allen. 2006. Think About Editing: An ESL Guide for the Harbrace Handbooks . Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Lane, Janet, and Ellen Lange. 2012. Writing Clearly: Grammar for Editing , 3rd ed. Boston: Heinle.

For everyone:

Einsohn, Amy. 2011. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications , 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Tarshis, Barry. 1998. How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes . New York: Three Rivers Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Editing & Proofreading

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This resource covers process and strategy, not correctness rules. For help there, see our many resources on grammar,    mechanics ,  and punctuation .

There are multiple levels of editing, and terminology surrounding editing is often used interchangeably and fluidly. These levels have some overlap between each other, rather than being totally discrete stages; similarly, developmental and substantive editing are more closely related to the "revision" step of the writing process. The four editing levels are:

• Developmental editing: looking at the overall development of the piece, for instance looking for organizational patterns, missing information, inaccurate information, or anything that might confuse a reader
• Substantive editing: making changes to ensure sections (all the way down to paragraphs and sentences) flow logically from one to the next, ensure each paragraph's topic sentence is present and accurate, adding new necessary material to make connections between ideas, removing unnecessary material
• Copyediting: addressing sentence level issues such as style inconsistencies, subject-verb agreement, confusing or wordy phrasing, missing words, missing or inaccurate citations, and any other mechanical or grammatical issues that may be present
• Proofreading: usually the "last pass" before submission or publication; ensuring everything is correct and no lingering errors such as typos, missing words, missing punctuation, etc. remain.

In general, writers should follow this list down in order when revising and editing, from higher order to lower order concerns (in other words, from bigger or more impactful issues to smaller and less impactful issues).

While many writers edit alone at some point during the process, many writers also edit with a partner or writing group. Working with others is strongly recommended when editing; typically, this stage of the writing process comes last or close to last, meaning that writers are more likely to overlook mistakes or potential opportunities (because they have been working on the text for so long). It can be hard for writers to imagine other possibilities beyond what they have already written. A partner or group brings fresh perspective and a real audience who can offer feedback and tell the writer more about what it's like to read their writing. 

If you're intrigued by the idea of a writing group but not sure where to start, you might check out these resources: 

• OWL Vidcast: Writing Groups & How to Form Them
• Writing Groups Toolkit from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Editing Before Submission

When you're ready to edit, it's important to start with higher order concerns and move down to lower order concerns (as stated above). For higher order concerns, see the editing and revision tips on our Organization and Structure page. For lower order concerns (and sometimes higher order concerns — you might realize something about organization while reading carefully for sentence level issues!), here's a list of strategies that our tutors recommend in sessions with graduate writers. They're usually adaptable to different preferences you might have about working digitally vs. on paper, or working alone vs. with a partner or group. Be creative to find what works for you!

• Read aloud. You can do this yourself, get your computer to read your text out, or ask a friend. Hearing your writing read aloud can help identify places where sentences are confusing or difficult to read, highlight missing words, and create some distance between you and your writing so you can more easily evaluate it.
• Color code. You might do this by highlighting or changing font colors on your screen, using markers on paper, or even without color using font styles and sizes. This technique is useful for various applications, including identifying parts of sentences, identifying particular words or phrases you repeat often, or categorizing sentences by idea to check organization.
• Pick individual issues. When you read through with your focus on only one thing, like correcting comma errors or looking for all the places you write "the ways in which," you're less likely to miss instances of that error by getting distracted with other issues.
• Use checklists. Venues such as journals and conferences often have checklists for authors to use when preparing manuscripts; if you don't have a checklist from a professor, you can sometimes use these checklists to help guide your editing for writing for courses as well. You can also keep a checklist of known issues that your writing partners, professors, tutors, or mentors have mentioned on previous writing assignments to help you look for things you know you do (for instance, one former tutor always put her topic sentences at the ends of paragraphs — she keeps this item in a revision and editing checklist and it's one of the first things she addresses when she edits).

Editing with Feedback

Often, graduate students will be writing or editing with some type of feedback. This could be from peers in a class, from an instructor or mentor, or from a peer reviewer at a conference or journal. If you're in this situation, please see our resources on writing with feedback for more strategies and tips.

Common Editing Marks

• Marking/Grading

Early in the Structure and Style for Students courses, Andrew Pudewa exhorts his students to hire an editor . While a variety of editorial roles (content editors and copy editors, for example) exists, in this case Andrew is specifically requesting that the editor take a light touch and focus only on grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. He also reminds his pupils to compensate their editors accordingly.

Most of the time the editors hired are parents or teachers although neighbors, grandparents, and siblings are sometimes tapped for the honor. This short post is dedicated to all of those special people. If you are one, keep reading because it will hopefully condense your editing time by sharing some common editing marks designed to make your work less time consuming. With luck this will open up more of your day for other tasks or pleasures, as the case may be. Share this post with your students so that they will be able to understand and react accordingly to the rather quizzical notations that you will be inserting into their compositions. Editing marks are helpful for both the writer and the editor!

(The above image is pulled from the Student Resource Packet , a PDF of which is included with IEW’s Premium Membership .)

Having your students adjust to understanding these editing marks will save time. Because they are standard, students will likely see them used by future instructors as well and will not be intimidated by them. All in all, using editing symbols makes the writing process more efficient for everyone.

Free online proofreading and essay editor

A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student, a complete environment.

Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment.

Thousands of checks

More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface.

Inspired by the greatest writers

Gain access to humanity’s collective understanding about the craft of writing.

A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree

Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

buddhism and hinduism similarities essay

• business plan
• course work
• research paper