Proofreading factsheet

What is proofreading?

When writing something important, such as a job application or a letter of complaint, it's important to check your work thoroughly for mistakes. This is called proofreading.

These are the different stages of writing:

• listing ideas (sometimes called brainstorming)
• writing rough notes
• first draft
• proofreading
• final copy

Proofreading gives you a chance to make sure that no words are missing and that your spelling is correct. It is also a good idea to check that capital letters and punctuation such as question marks, apostrophes, commas and full stops are all in the right place.

During the proofreading stage you should refer to a dictionary or a hand-held spell checker, or use the spell check and grammar check functions in a word processing program to help you.

Many people find it difficult to spot mistakes when reading text on a computer screen, so it's a good idea to proofread the final copy after printing it out on paper as well.

It is also a good idea if possible to get someone else to look over what you have written. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot mistakes you may have overlooked.