Technical Writer's Portal

1. Don’t check a job as though you’re reading the newspaper. You need to read slower than normal to notice, not just misspelt words, but irregular word space, full stops and commas. The smaller the type, the more careful you have to be. Condensed type is always a challenge.

2. Are all the various kinds of headings consistent? Are these the same all the way through your document? Is the space between them the same? Do they employ logical elements of importance, for example are your main headings larger and/or bolder than your subheadings? Always avoid headings at the bottom of a page.

3. Is your spacing constant? Is the space between paragraphs and lines (the leading) the same throughout? Is there a standard spacing before and after bullet points, numbered items and other features?

4. Is there uniformity of capitalisation? Initial capitalisation should be used sparingly and for proper nouns only - have you noted the words that are all lower case and otherwise? They should be constant all the way through the text. Depending on the style, some words may have initial capitals when they are headings but be all lower case in the text. Also, make sure your contents page matches your document exactly for capitalisation.

5. Line breaks should look as regular as possible. In justified copy, words may be broken to ensure word spacing is neither too tight not too wide, therefore presenting a smooth spatial flow. Unjustified text (usually ranged left) should not have any wordbreaks unless a line would be inordinately short due to an exceptionally long word. The ends of unjustified lines should appear roughly the same where possible. Frequently, line breaks can be subjective, but short lines of three words or fewer should be avoided if the paragraph can easily be rerun. A short line should always be avoided at the top of a column or page (a widow) where there is continuation from a previous page.

6. Know your punctuation. A surprisingly large number of authors and well- educated people present copy for print with inadequate punctuation. Too little punctuation can lead to ambiguity and the reader ‘losing the thread’ of what he/she is reading. Too much punctuation can baulk the reader and upset continuity. We aim to subedit text for optimum reading flow and to ensure the writer’s ideas and tone of voice are maintained without unnecessarily long sentences or unwarranted punctuation. There are countless textbooks available for guidance on punctuation, but try and remember the uses of semicolons and colons, which are often confused. The comma too is often misused, either left out when it should be inserted or put in unnecessarily. Good punctuation should be almost invisible; if it upsets the reading flow without reason or leads to confusion, it is not effectively doing its job.

7. Ensure consistent style of bulleted items. One of the most awkward and subjective aspects of proofreading can be consistency and presentation of bulleted items. Are they to be indented? Should they commence with a capital letter? Is there to be a full stop or not at the end of each item? Whatever the style you adopt - stick to it. Always reread all bulleted items to ensure consistency, and make sure each one makes sense when read as a continuation of the main line above.

8. Don’t just read it once. Unless you are really experienced or you are to check your work again at a later stage, it is always wise to reread your job if time allows, especially if you have fallen into the trap of rushing. In any case, all work must be rechecked for line breaks, spatial aspects and other style points that can easily be missed when the text is being read for sense and accuracy.

9. Read it out loud if it helps. Reading text out loud can help the understanding of a job and can be helpful for those not accustomed to checking the written word.

10. If you’re unsure - check it! When proofreading, it is paramount that you know your limitations. If you are unsure if a word is spelt or used correctly, always check it. It is as important to realize what you don’t know as what you do know. Make sure you have, not just a good up-to-date dictionary at your disposal, but several good English grammar books for reference.