We cannot deny the importance of proofreading, so instead of despairing, we have prepared a handy list of tips and strategies to help make it easier and more effective for you. In this list, we don’t include any of the more obvious ideas like turning on spelling/grammar checks. You should always have those active.

Strategy #1: Be mindful of errors

One of the biggest problems when it comes to proofreading is that your computer doesn’t flag up certain mistakes because, in the computer’s eyes, they are not mistakes. For example:

Don’t forget to buy your father a gift for his birthday.

Do you see the mistake here? The computer system doesn’t show any error, so your eyes may gloss over it quickly. Look more closely, and you’ll see that where it says “but” it should say “buy.” Other common words that we type wrongly, but are all true words:

You – Your

Their – There

Your – You’re

Everyday – Every day

No – Not

The list goes on. Your writing software likely won’t pick up formatting errors either, so if you capitalize something wrong, or forget to use bold, italic, or underline something, the computer won’t know that it’s wrong. Microsoft Word is not able to read your mind!

Strategy #2: Proofread as you write

One simple strategy to use is to proofread as you write, paragraph by paragraph. Proofreading a single paragraph is easier and feels less rushed than when you’re glossing over the entire essay just to get to the end as fast as possible.

Develop this little habit and your work will be more accurate and easier for others to read.

Strategy #3: Try printing out the draft

Another common problem for some is that reading from the screen is difficult. If you’re tired, focusing on the screen is exceedingly difficult. Many people read more accurately and closely when reading on paper. Therefore, printing a finished draft and proofreading with a pen or pencil is preferable, and you’ll likely catch more mistakes.

Remember not to waste paper, though. Use scrap paper for drafts, and print on both sides of each sheet.

Strategy #4: Get a pair of “fresh eyes”

A further strategy is to use ‘fresh eyes,’ which means to have someone who has never seen the content before proofread for you. Never underestimate the power of fresh eyes in improving the quality of proofreading.

As a writer, you are much more prone to missing mistakes than a pair of fresh eyes. Your familiarity with the writing causes you to skip over errors or automatically fix them in your brain so you read it as correct, while it remains incorrect on paper.

Strategy #5: Don’t forget punctuation

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the words, but don’t forget about the punctuation, too. Typical writing software like Microsoft Word will flag up when most punctuation errors happen, but not always, and it will sometimes even offer bad corrections because it doesn’t fully understand your context.

In the end, the quality of your writing is important, so take care and make time for proper proofreading and checking. Your readers will thank you for it.