Proofreading
Typos, inconsistencies and complex sentences don’t make us look good. We’re thorough in how we work and should be in how we write, too.
Writing is a process and finishing the first draft isn’t the end of it. Just as you took plenty of time to research and plan, leave plenty of time to read and edit. It’s difficult to spot errors and questionable phrasing in your own work, so here are some tips to help:
- Track and accept your own changes, to avoid copy and paste errors.
- Use the Read Aloud function in Word, this will help you hear typos, repetition and other errors. Reading your writing aloud can also tell you if it sounds too formal.
- Use the find function (ctrl+f) to search for the errors that often trip you up.
LOOK OUT FOR:
- Facts and statistics Are they correct? Have you used the right symbols? Do chart percentages add up to 100?
- Headings Are section numbers in the right order? Do they reflect what’s to come? Is there any repetition?
- US spellings If you’ve used Bing Chat or any other generative AI tool, check for American spellings (or ask it not to use them). You might find also that Microsoft is automatically set to US spellings, so make sure you highlight the whole document and change it to UK. The button for this is usually at the bottom left of the screen.