Proofreading happens as the last stage of the editing process–after copy editing and after layout. When a client asks me to provide a proofread, this is usually what’s involved unless otherwise negotiated (per the list of items covered by proofreading provided by Editors Canada):
- adherence to design
- minor mechanical errors (such as spelling mistakes or deviations from style sheet)
- consistency and accuracy of elements in the material (such as cross-references, running heads, captions, web page heading tags, hyperlinks, and metadata)
- distinguishing between printer’s, designer’s, or programmer’s errors and writer’s or editor’s alterations
- copyfitting
- flagging or checking locations of art
- inserting page numbers or checking them against content and page references
Check out my Portfolio for a sense of the range of my proofreading work.
I’m very impressed by the meticulousness of [Jolanta’s] proofreading and [her] willingness to go beyond the original parameters to make sure the job gets done right.
Robert Dees
The Power of Peasants