Everyone Makes Mistakes
I work as part of a team of professional proofreaders and I find that even I still miss mistakes in articles I have written myself. The reason for this is simple: when you read your own work back you tend to read what you remember writing, rather than reading what is actually on the page. This is why it is much easier to proofread someone else's writing than your own. However, being able to proofread your own writing is an essential skill as, even if you do send your work to a proofreader, you will still need to double check it once they have finished with it.
Challenge your Brain
The key to proofreading your own work is to challenge your brain by presenting the work to yourself in a new way. Here are some simple tips that should help you to spot the mistakes in your own work.
Print it
Print your work out! This sounds too simple to be true, but when you have been labouring over something on the computer for days on end, having a change of medium can really refresh your brain. You'll be surprised how mistakes just jump out at you when you sit down with the work on paper.Â
Read it Aloud
Try reading your work aloud. It's best if you can get someone to listen to you do this as if you read it to yourself you may just mutter it, and miss the mistakes. If you have no willing volunteers, pretend you have an audience.
Start at the End
Read your work backwards, one sentence at a time. We tend to remember what we have written in terms of the context. If you break the continuity by reading backwards, your brain will have to work harder and it will be as if you are encountering your work for the first time.
Don't Trust the Computer!
Beware of computer spell-checks! There are many, many things that computer spell checks can miss: the differences between ‘where' and ‘wear', ‘which' and ‘witch', and ‘made' and ‘maid' just won't be flagged up by the computer. Remember, however useful computers are, there is no substitute for the human brain!
Have a Break!
Come back to it in a day or two. Make sure when you are preparing an important piece of work that you leave a day or two for it to ‘sit' after you have finished. If you come back to it after you have had a break, your brain will be rested, and you will have forgotten some of what you have written.
I hope that helps! Using proofreading services can help to improve your work, and highlight mistakes that you have missed, but do make sure to double check any work that is returned before you submit it.
Good luck!
I work as part of a team of professional proofreaders and I find that even I still miss mistakes in articles I have written myself. The reason for this is simple: when you read your own work back you tend to read what you remember writing, rather than reading what is actually on the page. This is why it is much easier to proofread someone else's writing than your own. However, being able to proofread your own writing is an essential skill as, even if you do send your work to a proofreader, you will still need to double check it once they have finished with it.
Challenge your Brain
The key to proofreading your own work is to challenge your brain by presenting the work to yourself in a new way. Here are some simple tips that should help you to spot the mistakes in your own work.
Print it
Print your work out! This sounds too simple to be true, but when you have been labouring over something on the computer for days on end, having a change of medium can really refresh your brain. You'll be surprised how mistakes just jump out at you when you sit down with the work on paper.Â
Read it Aloud
Try reading your work aloud. It's best if you can get someone to listen to you do this as if you read it to yourself you may just mutter it, and miss the mistakes. If you have no willing volunteers, pretend you have an audience.
Start at the End
Read your work backwards, one sentence at a time. We tend to remember what we have written in terms of the context. If you break the continuity by reading backwards, your brain will have to work harder and it will be as if you are encountering your work for the first time.
Don't Trust the Computer!
Beware of computer spell-checks! There are many, many things that computer spell checks can miss: the differences between ‘where' and ‘wear', ‘which' and ‘witch', and ‘made' and ‘maid' just won't be flagged up by the computer. Remember, however useful computers are, there is no substitute for the human brain!
Have a Break!
Come back to it in a day or two. Make sure when you are preparing an important piece of work that you leave a day or two for it to ‘sit' after you have finished. If you come back to it after you have had a break, your brain will be rested, and you will have forgotten some of what you have written.
I hope that helps! Using proofreading services can help to improve your work, and highlight mistakes that you have missed, but do make sure to double check any work that is returned before you submit it.
Good luck!
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