Santa, an amazing aviator himself, always makes a list and always checks it twice! That’s because he knows just how important proofreading is to any professional. There is nothing worse than having avoidable mistakes in your manuals. It takes a little extra time in prepping, but can save you a lot of time and hassle later in not having to redo your work. There is no fool proof way to ensure you get things perfect each time, however, here are a few tips to increase your chances.
1. Take a break and step away from the project. People have a tendency to read what they meant to write rather than what they actually wrote, so it’s best if you leave it for a short time, come back, and read through it again.
2. Don’t try to look for too many different types of mistakes all at the same time. Initially, check your document for spelling errors. Then, go back again to take a closer look for word usage, grammar, and punctuation errors. By breaking down the proofreading process, your focus will be improved.
3. Many individuals find it much easier to spot mistakes on a hard copy versus reading from a computer screen. Print the document and read through the hard copy, marking it up with any notes and corrections. Then, update your computer source file accordingly.
As a sidebar in case Santa is following this blog …
I’ve been a very good girl this year!!
-Diane Kaiser, JETPUBS Inc.