If you spotted the mistake in the headline – congratulations, you’re one of a select few.
[Of course, if my meaning was ten tips that complement each other, rather than ten free tips, then it’s perfectly fine.]

I’ve lost count of the number of times recently I’ve seen compliment instead of complement, and vice versa. Both online and in print. Usually accompanied by the words "these shoes will compliment your outfit perfectly". Aaah!

Still confused? See Daily Writing Tips’ excellent explanation.

Vogue was the latest offender. And yes, I know I’m a sad anal geek for noticing it while flicking through magazines in a dentist’s waiting room. My excuse? I needed something to take my mind off the horror of an impending filling.

Actually, I take that back. I’m not a sad anal geek. If I’m writing for a client then I have a responsibility to strive for the highest professional standards.

Why should they hire me again if they’ve had to reprint thousands of brochures because there’s a spelling mistake on the front cover?

I have a responsibility to readers too. If they see mistakes in my writing, then I lose credibility with them.

If I make simple grammar mistakes, how do they know I haven’t made factual mistakes too?

Now, I’m not holding myself up here as perfect. Far from it. Of course I make mistakes and I can’t possibly know everything.

But, I know enough to know what my weaknesses are, when something looks wrong and what I need to check. Which lessens the chances of a mistake being made.

Here are the top 10 resources and proofreading strategies that work for me.
Disclaimer: These may be a bit Brit-centric – I’d love to hear what the norm is where you are.

1. Use a style guide

If your client doesn’t have one for their publication or website, write one for them – and use it. In the UK, see the Guardian’s style guide as a good example. In the USA, the Associated Press stylebook calls itself the journalist’s bible.

At its simplest, a style guide can cover questions such as how dates are written, if you use %, percent or per cent, and if job titles are capped up – i.e. should it be Managing Director or managing director? For some reason, this last one is something corporate clients can get very worked up over.

2. Agree which dictionary you’re using

The Oxford English doesn’t always spell things the same as Chambers or Collins. If anyone knows why, I’m all ears.

And if you’re writing for a British audience please make sure your spellchecker is set for English (UK) not English (US).

3. Other great reference tools

Pears Cyclopedia for general knowledge from Roman emperors to literary pseudonyms. (Also great for doing crosswords).

Fowler’s Modern English Usage

4. Don’t trust spellcheckers

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
5. Check the big text first

It’s very tempting when proofreading to put your nose on the page and examine all the small body copy. Headlines, crossheads, exploded quotes, box outs and captions can get overlooked.

To combat this, if you’re checking a layout or print document, hold it out in front of you. Check the text that you can see first.

6. Once, twice, maybe three times

Read articles or small sections straight through once for sense only, then read them again word by word. Some experts recommend reading text backwards so you’re only looking at individual words, or treating words as a foreign language. I sound out the syllables in my head.
7. Tick items as you check them

If there are lots of articles, captions, exploded quotes, box outs etc. on a page it can be easy to miss one. Put a tick next to each one to show you’ve read it.
8. Don’t make assumptions

A lot of mistakes are just assumptions that things are right. Don’t think. Know.
9. Improve your memory

It’s amazing how important a good memory is to good proofreading. A good memory means there’s a greater chance of words, terminology and design features being used consistently.

It’s about getting to page 40 and seeing a name that you remember from page 2 and checking it’s spelt the same.

If you have any proofreading tips that work for you, I’d love to hear them in the comments. Next week, I’ll be sharing some common errors to look out for when proofreading.

If you or your team could benefit from proofreading training or if you have a document that needs a final look over, please contact me.