Proofreading frequently does not receive the attention it needs. It’s simple to put it off until the last minute, forcing you to act quickly. However, proofreading is significant and ought to be considered a step that should take a sizable amount of time in the writing process.
Nothing is worse than writing a blog post that you know will be interesting, only to find out after it has been published that you made some errors. Proofreading doesn’t have to be challenging; all you need is some time and some useful techniques. Here are some helpful tips for proofreading your writing.
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Don’t proofread immediately
It’s a good idea to take a short break after you’ve finished writing and feel ready to begin editing. Your mind is currently much too accustomed to what you’ve been writing for you to edit properly.
You’ve been reading this written piece for a while, so you’re more likely to overlook some errors. A few hours or, if you have the luxury, a few days later, return with fresh eyes. By editing with a fresh mind, you can read the words as they are rather than what you intended to write, viewing them with a sense of detachment.
This is particularly crucial for those extremely lengthy content pieces (10,000 words or more).
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Check for Punctuations
The use of improper punctuation is terrible. Beware of apostrophes and period placement errors. Another thing that many people appear to struggle with is semicolons. You should always use a semicolon to connect two independent clauses that are closely related to one another.
Content Whale and other professional proofreading services are experts at producing expertly proofread content from a variety of verticals and industries.
The decision of which words to capitalize in a header or title is another issue that bloggers occasionally run into. Try to keep a consistent capitalization format throughout.
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Make use of Technology
Few people enjoy proofreading, but it is a necessary skill for all writers to possess. Proofreading is a task that many people struggle with, but there are many tools available to you to help you become more proficient.
Spell Checkers are not perfect, so you shouldn’t rely solely on them; you should include spelling in your stages. The spelling checker can’t read your thoughts and figure out that you meant “affliction” rather than “affection.”
Even though Grammarly and other tools of a similar nature can assist you in spotting common errors as you go, especially if you proofread when you’re not at your sharpest.
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Plagiarism check
Include content from authors whose knowledge and viewpoints you respect on your blog; it will help it immensely. Make sure it’s acceptable before utilizing it to improve your blog post. Plagiarism is unacceptable, as should be obvious.
If you’re going to utilize another person’s work, you must credit them as that of the original author or, if you’re unsure, get their consent.
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Ask others to proofread
Get a companion, coworker, or member of your family to read your post if you can. Nothing beats having a set of completely new eyes read over your writing. Unfamiliarity with the subject matter increases one’s ability to spot contradictions or places that need more explanation.
Your brain will naturally fill in any gaps in your post’s explanation because you are so familiar with the subject and writing style. Bring in an outsider who can give you feedback on how to improve your post so that it is more understandable to the general reader.
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Optimize your content for SEO
While we are aware that this blog is not about SEO, let’s not forget that all types of content are curated to connect with their audiences. All forms of content that are written to connect with their target audience must contain SEO-optimized keywords.
When editing, make sure to include these keywords without fail because, no matter how well-written your blog is, it will be useless if it cannot be found by its target audience.
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Get your facts clear
Make sure your facts are accurate. You can’t help yourself here with tools like spellcheckers. You should check your facts. Verify that any sites or people you cited in your post have the correct names. Ensure the statistics you’re using are accurate and the appropriate citations are present
If you neglect to do this, your post will be completely undermined. It doesn’t need to take long to conduct a quick fact check, but it can significantly improve your credibility. Just make sure you have a few reliable, high-quality sources available.
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Concentrate
It might even be necessary in some cases to completely cut off internet access, print your document, shut down the laptop, as well as edit with a pen. Another smart move is to schedule your editing time rather than editing as you go. You’ll constantly be switching between writing and editing modes if you edit as you write. That kind of abrupt mode change could be distracting and cause one to overlook important details.
While proofreading, it’s also simple to lose focus and drift off. If you notice that your thoughts are straying while editing, you must find a way to just get yourself back on task. A partial focus prevents you from proofreading effectively.
Just make sure you don’t forget to format your document before you submit it. Verify the formatting of your bullets, paragraph spacing, lists, indentations, text wrap, and other elements. Because things can change during the proofreading process, you should save this step for the end. Don’t vary your formatting. If you bold a headline once, do it again and again in your article. Decide on a look you like, then stick with it.
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