Proof Reading Essay: Why Proof Reading Is Essential

Text proof reading

Text proof reading is a whole complex of changes aimed at the improvement of the text perception and also proof reading is a special process of inaccuracies, errors, defects and misprints correcting. Also today people have possibility to use proof reading online services, what facilitates a lot the work and saves much time. There are a lot of websites what provide proof reading and editing services, so you have an opportunity to choose the best proof reading website on your own.

What is the difference between proof reading and editing?

Text editing is correction of mistakes in stylistics and content as well as checking of correct terminology use. An editor is responsible for the conformity of a text to the standards and rules of the language. You may use our online paper editor service to get professional high quality results.

Proof reading includes:

• Typos correcting. It includes correction of derivation errors, such as incorrect order of the formation of new words and parts of words connection.
• Morphological errors correction. It implies correction of incorrect grammatical forms formation (forms of cases, number, gender, short forms, degrees of comparison and so on).
• Syntax check. It implies correction of wrong combination of syntactic units (word combinations and sentences), correction of incorrect sequence, the lack of relations between the parts of sentences, correction of mistakes in a word combination structure, wrong use of participle phrases.
• Orthography check (spelling). It implies the check of the sounds marking with letters, use of capital letters, hyphenation rules, joint and divided words spelling rules.
• Punctuation check, namely use of punctuation marks.

Editing includes:

• split of a text into chapters, paragraphs;
• volume reduction of a text without losing the meaning. An editor removes repetitions, unimportant phrases, similar facts, unwanted numbers and details, irrelevant data, inaccurate information;
• literary editing, i.e. aligning the text with the stylistic norms of the language, eliminating content defects (violations of thematic unity, logic, sequence of presentation);
• adaptation to specific audiences (if necessary).

Cost of proofreading service

Any kind of work has its value and cost. In case of text proof reading the cost often depends on two factors: The margin on the urgency of the order and the margin on the complication of a text. When a proofreader evaluates a text he needs to proofread, he takes into consideration these two factors and calculates the price of the text. Of course, the price directly depends on the size of a text (number of characters or words in it).

You text gets into “complicated” category if:

• it is full of special vocabulary, terminology, proper names, neologisms, and links (all this is being checked);
• it requires adaptation to specific audience (for example, conversational style you want to change to official-business style and so on).

How to count the characters number in a text?

There is absolutely nothing difficult. There is no need to count each symbol. Your computer will do all the work for you. If you use Word 2003, go to the Tools menu, then Statistics, and look at Characters (with spaces). If you use Word 2007 (and other more updated its versions), go to the Review menu, click Word Count and then you will see Characters (with spaces). Or you can just click on a special mutton “Word Count” in the bottom of the Word window.

Literary editing and proofreading

Before to see the world in the eyes of a reader a text of a book, newspaper, magazine, annual report, or any other edition goes a long way in publishing preparation, beginning with the typing and ending with the output from the printer / printing house. A whole team of specialists work on the edition creation: typesetter, editor, proofreader, designer, coder, printer, packer and so on. Each stage of edition is the most important one.

It may seem that it is not so big work to type a text, to mark up and print it, as let’s say the work of an author who should create a plot, fill the scenes, lead the plot lines or heroes intrigue and so on. It is not easy to type and mark up, however it is even harder to check a text for errors, to make competent text proof reading and editing. A person with a big experience, special education, good artistic taste and high style is required for this purpose.

Literary proof reading and editing

• Vocabulary check;
• Stylistic editing of a text;
• The elimination of semantic errors;
• Logic editing (check of a text structure logic);
• Text proofreading may also include the checking of the actual material (sources, quotes, terms, dates and numbers);
• Text proof reading itself.

Ordinary text proof reading

• misprints correction (author’s misprints and / or typos made during the typing)
• grammar errors correction;
• checking for word formation errors;
• spelling check;
• punctuation check.

Proof reading and final text proof reading

• ordinary text proofreading;
• final proof reading of a typeset text: correction of errors that usually may remain after the first (ordinary) proof reading (human factor);
• correction of mistakes and errors made in the process of typesetting: checking for presence and hyphenation correctness, compliance with the rules of headlines subordination, headers and footers, images and captions, tables and so on, i.e. complex check of all elements that create a single complete image;
• proof reading and editing after the reimposition;
• proof reading after editing a text (if necessary).

Most paper check services provide literary editing and proof reading of:

• articles and reviews;
• texts of annual reports and business plans;
• texts of websites;
• news feeds and e-mailing texts;
• advertising-information character texts;
• business correspondence;
• contracts and commercial proposals;
• texts of translations;
• literary editing and proof reading of any text (including proof reading of packaging text, proof reading of instructions text and so on and so forth).

Also professional online proof reading services work with the following materials:

– in text formats doc, docx, rtf and others;

– in the graphic formats pdf, jpg;

– on paper using proof reading marks.

After proof reading clients have an opportunity to see the changes made in their papers:

– in text formats doc, docx, rtf editing is performed in the changes display mode (review mode);

– in the graphic formats pdf all the marks are commented using the tool “comment”.

So proof reading technology includes:

1. Literary text proof reading.

2. Proof reading of an edited text material before the typesetting.

3. Final proof reading before typing.

It is better not to ignore the work of a proofreader and literary editor due to many reasons

First of all, a proofreader will revise your text, will correct the errors, misprints and inaccuracies, which are made in the process of text typing or which may appear at the end of the of text layout, often before layout printing, what is important. A corrector moves on the text in the strictly defined framework of spelling and punctuation, does not pay attention to the actual content, lexical and stylistic components. All these tasks are performed by an editor, who can transform a text into the text that comply with the rules of the language, corrects imperfections in the content and figures of speech.

Most authors ignore text editing and proof reading, but after self-proofreading there is a high risk to get not very “clean” print material, and as a result papers reprint. And it is not about possible incompetence of an author. However, a fresh professional look from the outside at the text allows to see much more flaws that an author can notice on his own immersed in the thoughts of writing instead of thinking about the rules.