• What is a proofreading mark?
• How to use proofreading marks
• Are proofreading marks still important?

We also provide a free proofreading marks chart that you can use to get familiar with some of the most common marks.

Let’s take a look.

What Is a Proofreading Mark?

Proofreading marks (also known as “proofreader’s marks”) are used by proofreaders and editors when working on a hard-copy (i.e., printed) document. When proofreading on paper, you cannot edit a text directly – all you can do is annotate the document to show the author where they need to make corrections. The proofreader or editor will use proofreading marks to highlight spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors (and sometimes formatting errors too).

How to Use Proofreading Marks

Proofreading marks usually appear in the margins of the document (beside the line containing the error) or inline (on top of the relevant text). Some involve a combination of the two.

Proofreading marks consist of a range of abbreviations and symbols. These marks can vary slightly between editors, but there are standardized systems available, and most use similar markup styles. If you are using proofreading marks, it’s important to either:

1. Ask your client whether they have a specific system they want you to use.
2. Let your client know what the symbols you use mean.

Are Proofreading Marks Still Important?

To some extent, it is useful to know proofreading marks as a freelance proofreader and editor. You may, for example, need to work with a client who prefers feedback on hard copy or a typeset text.

However, this is much rarer than it used to be. And most of the time, you’ll be working with a computer file rather than printed text, so you can track the changes electronically instead.

Proofreading marks consist of a range of abbreviations and symbols, which an editor will use to mark up a printed document. These marks can vary slightly between editors, but there are standardized systems available, and most use similar markup styles.

Proofreading Marks Chart

In the table below, we’ve listed some of the most common proofreading marks, plus examples of how to use them in a manuscript.

Becoming a Proofreader and Editor

To find out more about how modern freelance proofreading and editing works, why not check out the courses Knowadays has available? We’ll provide all the information you need to proofread documents in Microsoft Word, as well as in other digital formats.

The post What Are Proofreading Marks? A Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Knowadays.

To save yourself some time, it pays to bookmark a few online dictionaries. But which are the best online dictionaries for proofreaders? Keep reading to find out! In this blog post, we’ll share our top recommendations.

Why Are Online Dictionaries Useful for Proofreaders?

Before we dive into our favorites, let’s take a look at the reasons why proofreaders should never be without one (or two, or three, or four). Aside from the obvious – they help you catch potential spelling and grammar errors – online dictionaries:

• Are accessible from anywhere in the world with an internet connection (so you can look up words quickly and efficiently without needing to lug around a physical dictionary)
• Typically include a wider range of words than physical dictionaries (including newer and more technical or industry-specific terms)
• Usually provide information about a word’s etymology and historical usage (helping to clarify meaning)
• Frequently include example sentences (to provide context)
• Often offer synonyms and antonyms (allowing you to find alternative words that might better suit the situation)
• Cover spelling and usage variations by dialect (for example, British, American, and Australian English)

What Is the Best Free Online Dictionary?

Of the major print dictionaries available online, Cambridge and Merriam-Webster stand out:

• The online Cambridge Dictionary covers British and American English, with definitions, examples, pronunciations, idioms, synonyms, and grammar advice all present.
• Merriam-Webster, meanwhile, is the leading American English dictionary. In addition, it features medical and legal dictionaries for all your jargon needs.

As for dedicated online dictionaries, top choices include the Dictionary.com and the Free Dictionary:

• Dictionary.com – as well as having an enviable domain name – is easy to use and offers an excellent thesaurus.
• The Free Dictionary, a standard English dictionary and thesaurus, also features medical, legal, and financial dictionaries.

One other online dictionary of note is the Collins Dictionary, which also includes a thesaurus and grammar guides.

What Is the Best Subscription Dictionary?

You may have noticed the absence of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) among our top online resources. That’s because the OED is only available online with a subscription. However, it remains the foremost English historical dictionary, so it’s worth the price for dedicated logophiles!

For those working with Australian English, the Macquarie Dictionary is a great (subscription-based) resource. Again, though, it requires a subscription to use.

What Other Types of Dictionary Are There?

Legal Dictionaries

Legalese can be difficult to penetrate. If you proofread legal writing, the following dictionaries will help:

• Law.com (one of the leading online legal dictionaries)
• Nolo’s Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions
• Wex (hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School)
• Legal Dictionary of Law Terminology (a free glossary of legal terms)

Scientific and Medical Dictionaries

For proofreading scientific and medical writing, you may find the following sites useful:

• The New Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors
• The Science Dictionary (a search engine for scientific terms)
• Concise Medical Dictionary (contains over 12,000 entries)
• Medical Dictionary Online (includes a glossary and search function)

Other Dictionaries

Other online dictionaries you may want to use include:

• Computer Dictionary of Information Technology (great for tech jargon)
• Online Etymology Dictionary (useful for understanding word origins)
• Acronym Finder (good for looking up unfamiliar abbreviations)
• The Phrase Finder (phrases and idioms defined and explained)
• Urban Dictionary (an extensive repository of slang, from the innocent to the adult)

Are there any online dictionaries you think we should include in this list? If so, leave a comment below to let us know. 

Becoming a Proofreader

If you’d like to brush up on your proofreading skills, our Becoming A Proofreader course is a great place to start! Sign up today or take a look at our free trial.

The post Proofreading Resources: Online Dictionaries appeared first on Knowadays.

Just copy and paste each passage into a Microsoft Word document and make any changes you feel are necessary (focusing on clear errors rather than style, phrasing, etc., for this exercise). After that, you can compare the changes you made to our suggestions further down the page.

Sample 1: Excerpt from a Blog Post

Dream interpretation is a skill that any one can acquire. It is the art of divining knowledge that is buried in our sub-conscious. It can help us know our selves and solves problems. What more could you ask in a facility that’s freely to your disposal whenever you fell asleep. All you really need is a pen and a paper. Get as relaxed as you can before bed (some book recommend meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga), and then repeat to your self, “I will remember my dreams, and after each dream I will wake up and write them down.” Then, when you wake up, immediately write down your dream. When you come to interpret the dream, look at the events, objects, peoples, colors, and etc., and ask yourself what they do mean to you. This is your own sub-conscious, so your personal interpretation is vial. Once you have done this, you can consult a book or online database of dreams symbols.

Sample 2: Personal Statement

I am a highly driven Manager with over ten years experience. My hands-on approach has led to many significant contract wins. My out standing networking skills have secured several important clients, and my ability to develop professional relationships has resulted in a 22% percent increase in sales for my organization. I employed modernist management methods, tailored to insure maximum productivity. I was also directly involved in the development of strategies that enhanced work flows and reduced redundancy through the organization. I am currently seeking a new challenge that will benefit from my meticulous attention to detail, and and friendly professional manor.

Sample 3: Paragraph from an Essay

In the minds of many scholars and parents, the picture-book has long been soley for children It is well-known that children find images more immediately and naturally accessible than text. As is so often the case, though, it benefits the scholar (and, indeed, the parent) to have a healthy suspicion of so-called “well-known” facts. The statement has an element of truth inasmuch as picture of a tree should in some respects resemble a tree, where as the word “tree” is a purely arbitrary symbol; however, this should not lead us to assume a natural association between the iconic representation and the tree it self. The addressee – the child – must have some concept of the appearance of a tree. He must also understand, to some degree, how pictures work: that he is looking, not at lines and blocks of color, nor at a piece of paper, but at image intended to represent something seperate from the page. There are, therefore, less differences between words and images than one might except.

Edit 1

​​Dream interpretation is a skill that any oneanyone can acquire. It is the art of divining knowledge that is buried in our sub-conscious.subconscious. It can help us know our selves,ourselves and solvessolve problems. What more could you ask infrom a facility that’s freely toat your disposal whenever you fellfall asleep.? All you really need is a pen and a paper. Get as relaxed as you can before bed (some bookbooks recommend meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga), and then repeat to your self yourself, “I will remember my dreams, and after each dream, I will wake up and write them down.” Then, when you wake up, immediately write down your dream. When you come to interpret the dream, look at the events, objects, peoplespeople, colors, and etc., and ask yourself what they do mean to you. This is your own sub-conscioussubconscious, so your personal interpretation is vialvital. Once you have done this, you can consult a book or an online database of dream symbols.

Some of the errors in this passage suggest that the author’s first language may not be English. In some places, for example, the author has separated single words into two parts (e.g., any one). There are also places where the noun and verb disagree (e.g., some book recommend) and some misused prepositions (e.g., to your disposal). These are common errors among writers who speak English as an additional language.

Edit 2

I am a highly driven Managermanager with over ten yearsyears’ experience. My hands-on approach has led to many significant contract wins. My out standingoutstanding networking skills have secured several important clients, and my ability to develop professional relationships has resulted in a 22% percent increase in sales for my organization. I employed modernistmodern management methods, tailored to insureensure maximum productivity. I was also directly involved in the development of strategies that enhanced work flowsworkflows and reduced redundancy throughthroughout the organization. I am currently seeking a new challenge that will benefit from my meticulous attention to detail, and and friendly professional manormanner.

Here, the author has cited their meticulous attention to detail, but they have also made some noticeable mistakes. These include using insure to mean ensure, redundancy (i.e., using the percent symbol and the word percent together), confusing the words modern (i.e., up to date) and modernist (i.e., related to modernism), a homophone-based error where manor and manner were mixed up, and an unnecessary comma plus repetition of and in the final sentence. Such errors would undermine the author’s message, so they will need to be corrected!

Edit 3

In the minds of many scholars and parents, the picture-bookpicture book has long been soleysolely for children. It is well-knownwell known that children find images more immediately and naturally accessible than text. As is often the case, though, it benefits the scholar (and, indeed, the parent) to have a healthy suspicion of so-called “well-known” facts. The statement has an element of truth inasmuch as the picture of a tree should in some respects resemble a tree, where aswhereas the word “tree” is a purely arbitrary symbol; however, this should not lead us to assume a natural association between the iconic representation and the tree it selfitself. The addressee ––– the child – must have some concept of the appearance of a tree. They must also understand, to some degree, how pictures work: that they are looking not at lines and blocks of color, nor at a piece of paper, but at an image intended to represent something seperateseparate from the page. There are, therefore, lessfewer differences between words and images than one might exceptexpect.

This passage misused hyphens in various places. One key issue is the hyphenation of well-known: this is fine when the word precedes the term it is modifying (i.e., “well-known” facts). But this term is not hyphenated otherwise, so we have removed the hyphen when it is used in the sentence starting It is well known that children… in this passage.

Another interesting case is the use of less in place of fewer. This traditional “error” is now so widespread that it is considered acceptable in some situations (e.g., on signs for checkout lines saying 10 items or less). But in formal writing, such as an essay, it would need correcting.

There were also some typos (e.g., misspelling solely as soley; use of a hyphen in place of a parenthetical en dash; the misspelling of separate; the confusion of except and expect). And there were two sentences where articles were missing (e.g., inasmuch as picture and but at image).

Becoming a Proofreader

How did you do? Did your edits match the ones we’ve provided above? Of course, in some cases, there are other changes that could have been made to address the issues in the text: e.g., rather than adding an apostrophe after years in ten years experience, we could have rephrased to say ten years of experience. But as long as you identified the problems and made relevant changes, you’ll have done the job required!

For more practice passages and a wealth of information about proofreading, try our Becoming A Proofreader course. With a free trial available, you can start learning today. See how Becoming A Proofreader could help you develop a rewarding career in proofreading!

The post Writing Samples to Help You Practice Proofreading appeared first on Knowadays.

All you need to do is copy and paste the poem below into a Microsoft Word document and see how many errors you can spot (hint: there should be 11 in total). There is some archaic language and non-standard comma usage in the poem, which you don’t need to correct.

When you’re ready, download the document below to see the answers. Good luck!

Spot the Errors

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter?
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature slay and eight tiny reindeer.

With an old little driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now, dasher! Now, dancer! Now, prancer and vixen!
On, comet! On, cupid! On, donner and blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As leaves that before the wild huricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew,
With the slay full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flinged on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed. Like a bowl full of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, an right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his slay, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

How Did You Do?

You can check your answers by downloading this document and reviewing the tracked changes. You’ll also see comments with some extra information about why we’ve made a correction in each case. When you’re done, let us know your score in the comments below!

Becoming a Proofreader

We hope you enjoyed our festive proofreading quiz. If you’d like to learn more about spelling, punctuation, grammar, and various writing styles, our Becoming A Proofreader course will teach you everything you need to know. You can also sign up for a free trial!

The post A Visit from St. Nicholas (A Festive Proofreading Quiz) appeared first on Knowadays.

Please note that the use of the plus symbol in the shortcuts described in this post refers to sequences of keys that you should press simultaneously (not that you need to press the plus key on your keyboard).

General Keyboard Shortcuts

Whether you use a laptop or a desktop computer, there are some shortcuts that work on text in most applications. Proofreaders should get familiar with the following shortcuts:

When you’re proofreading text, it’s also handy to know some shortcuts for special characters like en and em dashes and letters with accents (also known as diacritics). Some of these include:

However, the shortcuts above for Windows only work on keyboards with numeric keypads.

If you don’t have a numeric keypad, select these characters straight from the special characters menu by using the shortcut Windows key + . or Ctrl + Cmd + Space bar, or selecting Insert > Symbols in MS Word.

The symbols menu in Windows.

MS Word Keyboard Shortcuts

Since you’ll likely do a significant amount of your proofreading work in Word, it’s also worth knowing a few shortcuts here. We’ve split these into two categories:

1. Document-level (keyboard shortcuts related to documents as a whole)
2. Text-level (shortcuts that you can use to edit the text in a document)

Read on to find out more about these.

Document-Level MS Word Keyboard Shortcuts

These are shortcuts for saving, opening, and closing documents.

Text-Level MS Word Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts are for moving the cursor around the document, formatting fonts, applying superscript, aligning text, etc.

And remember: you can also create custom shortcuts in MS Word.

Proofreading in Microsoft Word

Discover how to make the best use of Word as a proofreader in our Becoming A Proofreader course. Sign up for a free trial to see how it works.

The post Useful Keyboard Shortcuts for Proofreaders appeared first on Knowadays.

Parts of the Thesis/Dissertation

Theses and dissertations typically comprise several parts, including:

• A strong title that clearly reflects the content of the document.
• A cover page with the title, author’s name, and any extra details required by the examining institution (e.g., name of school, date of submission).
• An acknowledgements page thanking people who helped the author.
• A clear, concise abstract that summarizes the full document.
• A table of contents, plus lists of charts, figures, and abbreviations where applicable.
• An introduction, the main body of the document, and a conclusion. For experimental work, this will usually follow the IMRAD format. In other cases, it should comprise a series of chapters, each covering part of the overall argument.
• A bibliography or reference list (as per your client’s chosen citation style).
• Any appendices or supplementary material required.

However, the details here can vary depending on the degree level and subject area. As such, you should check your client’s style guide for advice on what the thesis or dissertation should include, plus guidelines for each section (e.g., cover page details, abstract length).

Mechanical Issues

Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are the starting point of any proofreading job. When proofreading a thesis or dissertation, then, you will need to look for:

• Basic spelling errors, plus issues related to proper nouns, technical terms, neologisms and other words that the spellchecker might miss.
• Incorrect or unclear grammar and punctuation.
• Inconsistencies in punctuation style, capitalization, and terminology.
• Any additional mechanical requirements in your client’s style guide.

These should all be obvious points for an experienced proofreader. But it’s easy to overlook a few inconsistencies or typos in longer documents, so make sure to be thorough!

Academic Writing Style

Theses and dissertations typically focus on complex ideas or topics, with a dry, academic tone. However, good academic writing is also easy to read. When proofreading, then, you should help your client maintain a scholarly tone while making sure the document is clear.

In practice, this typically means looking out for the following:

• Correct use of technical terminology for the subject area (while also highlighting issues with excessive jargon or unnecessarily convoluted phrasing).
• A formal writing style throughout, with no colloquial or informal language.
• Unnecessary wordiness and repetition that makes text difficult to follow.
• Undefined or incorrectly introduced acronyms and abbreviations.
• Unnecessarily gendered or biased language.
• Inappropriate use of the first person or other subjective language.
• Over reliance on the passive voice where the active voice would be clearer.
• Awkward phrasing or transitions that detract from the flow of the text.

Keep in mind, too, that a thesis or dissertation is the culmination of years of study. Ensuring an academic tone is thus a very important aspect of proofreading.

Referencing Issues

As they are longer than standard essays and research papers, theses and dissertations will typically include a lot of references. When proofreading, then, you should:

• Make sure you are familiar with the referencing style your client is using.
• Check that all citations in the main text are clear and consistent.
• Look for issues with quotations and block quotes.
• Check that the reference list/bibliography is correctly formatted.
• Make sure all sources cited in the main text are present in the reference list, that all entries are correctly formatted for the source type, and that all entries are complete.
• Check that repeated author’s names and book titles are consistent and correct.

However, be careful about editing references directly. Minor corrections to inconsistencies or typos are fine, but making substantial changes could lead to accusations of plagiarism. On a purely practical level, moreover, it’s often difficult to be certain about any changes you make to references unless you have access to the same sources as your client.

As such, it is usually better to comment on referencing issues than correct them directly.

Images and Charts

Many theses and dissertations have images, tables, or charts. If this is true of the document you’re proofreading, you will need to check that:

• Images, tables, and charts all have captions with clear, error-free labels.
• All images, tables, and charts are listed (either together or separately, depending on how many of each type the document contains) after the table of contents.
• Captions are consistent between lists of figures and the main text.
• Visual elements of the same type are labelled consistently, typically with a sequential numbering system for ease of reference in the main text.
• The relationship between visual elements and the main text is clear (e.g., that mentions of images in the text are clearly labelled with “see figure X” or similar).
• All images from sources (e.g., an existing technical illustration) are cited correctly.

Make sure to check your client’s style guide for advice on presenting images and charts, too.

Dissertation and Thesis Formatting

The correct formatting for a dissertation or thesis will depend on the examining institution, so make sure to check your client’s style guide! However, you will usually need to ensure:

• Consistent uses of fonts, styles, and spacing options in different parts of the text.
• All headings and subheadings are formatted to appear in the table of contents.
• Captions are formatted so they’ll appear in lists of charts/figures.
• Correct use of indentations (e.g., block quotes).
• That the layout matches your client’s style guide (especially margin sizes).
• Correctly formatted page numbers (e.g., theses and dissertations often use roman numerals for introductory pages and arabic numerals for the main text).
• Use of section breaks between chapters (in line with your client’s style guide).
• Running headers match the chapter titles in each section.

Many theses and dissertations are bound when finished, so correct formatting can be very important (e.g., making sure the document has a gutter margin for binding).

Becoming A Proofreader

Whether you are an experienced proofreader brushing up on your academic proofreading skills or interested in a more flexible freelancing lifestyle, why not give our Becoming A Proofreader course a try? Sign up for a free trial now.

The post Proofreading Checklist: Thesis or Dissertation appeared first on Knowadays.

Mechanical Issues

No matter the document type, a proofreader can never ignore mechanical issues related to spelling, grammar, and punctuation. So make sure to check for:

• Spelling errors and inconsistencies, especially for terms that won’t be picked up by a spellchecker (e.g., proper names and technical terminology).
• Typos and inconsistencies related to spelling and punctuation, such as comma splices, missing full stops, or incorrect use of quotation marks.
• Errors or clarity issues related to grammar, such as sentence fragments.
• Incorrect or inconsistent capitalization.

Issues like these are the bread and butter of proofreading, so make sure to check for these regardless of the type of document you’re proofreading.

Academic Writing Style

Academic writing has a distinct style, which is often very formal and technical. However, good academic writing will balance this against readability and clarity. When proofreading a student essay, then, you will need to be aware of the following:

• Use of slang and other informal language, such as contractions.
• Inappropriate use of the first person or other subjective language.
• Excessive wordiness and repetition.
• Unnecessarily gendered or biased language.
• Unclear or incorrectly introduced abbreviations.
• Overly complex or flowery language that detracts from clarity.
• Over reliance on the passive voice when the active voice would be clearer.
• Inappropriate use of quotations and paraphrases.
• Passages that flow poorly due to poor transitions between parts of the text.

And while student essays might not be as “academic” in tone as a published research paper, you should still make sure to correct or highlight issues with the above.

Referencing Issues

Referencing is a big part of most academic writing. So, once you know what referencing style your customer is using, don’t forget to look out for:

• Citations and references that don’t match your client’s chosen style.
• Missing or incomplete citations in the main text.
• Missing or incomplete entries in the reference list/bibliography.
• Errors or inconsistencies in repeated author names or titles.
• Incorrectly formatted quotations (especially block quotes).

Don’t forget, though, that you should be careful about correcting references directly. This is partly a pragmatic issue – without access to the sources your client has used, you cannot be sure that the changes you’re making are correct. But it is also about safeguarding against accusations of plagiarism, which is always a factor with student work.

Images and Charts

Some student essays will include images and charts. In these cases, make sure to check:

• All figures, charts, and tables are labeled with a caption.
• Caption text is error free and clearly identifies the relevant image.
• Images and charts are positioned appropriately in the text (e.g., that a chart showing the results of a test is in the part of the essay that discusses the data).

For images borrowed from another source (e.g., found online or copied from a book), you will also need to make sure they are cited correctly, as you would any other citation.

Essay Formatting

Essay formatting will depend on where your client is studying, so there are no definitive rules on what to look for. However, common issues that need to be addressed include:

• Missing or incorrect page numbers.
• Inconsistent margin sizes.
• Inconsistent font sizes and typefaces.

If you spot issues with these, either make a correction or highlight the problem in a comment. In addition, if your client specifies a style guide to work with, you can use this to ensure formatting is correct (e.g., checking the page numbering style, and so on).

Professional Academic Proofreading

The proofreading checklist above can be a handy tool, helping ensure that you don’t miss anything that needs checking in a student essay. However, different documents will have different requirements depending on the essay type and subject matter. A reflective essay, for instance, will use the first person far more than other essays.

As a result, you should always adapt your edits and comments to fit the text at hand. And for more advice on proofreading, try a free trial of our Becoming A Proofreader course today.

The post Proofreading Checklist: Student Essay appeared first on Knowadays.

Three Kings from the East

The traditional tale of the Three Wise Men focuses on three people, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, who traveled to Bethlehem after spotting a star that prophesized the birth of Jesus.

As we all know, Bethlehem was short on accommodation at the time. And this meant that Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar had to stay the night with a mutual friend called Barry, who lived in Bethlehem having moved there from Lyme Regis in England two years previously.

“Hiya, lads!” Barry bellowed as he answered the door to the Wise Men. “Fun journey?”

“Greetings, friend!” said Melchior. “We come with good tidings! The King of the Jews has been born and we are here to pay tribute with three valuable gifts.”

“Oooh, that is big news!” said Barry, gesturing for them to enter his home. “Come on in and get comfortable. Is that a new robe, Cas? Suits you. Nice to see you, too, Balth. How’s the missus?”

And so the Wise Men crossed the threshold of Barry’s humble abode.

Three (Misspelled) Gifts for a Holy Child

Warming themselves by the fire, the Three Wise Men told Barry of their astrological studies: that they knew a king would be born in Bethlehem, and that a star would lead them there.

“And that’s why,” Balthazar said, “we came to pay tribute to the holy child.”

“Very exciting!” replied Barry. “What did you get the kid, then?”

Balthazar lifted a package from a bag. It was an urn labelled “Murr.”

“Murr?” asked Barry. “What’s that?”

Balthazar beamed proudly. “It is a rare perfume and anointing oil!”

“Oh, you mean ‘myrrh’!” said Barry. “You’ve misspelled it on the label, but that’s understandable. It’s a tricky word! Here, let me correct it for you.” As he said this, Barry retrieved a scrap of parchment and a pen, then wrote “Myrrh” in clear lettering. “Here you go!”

As Balthazar replaced the label on his vial, Barry turned to Caspar. “What’s your gift?” he asked.

“My gift is an incense held in high esteem by the Hebrews,” Caspar replied, proffering a neatly wrapped package with the words “Franking Sense” written on it.

Barry took the package and inhaled. “Oh, wow,” he said. “That does smell amazing. But I think you might have made a spelling mistake, too. May I?” As with the previous gift, Barry corrected the spelling, writing the word “Frankincense” in neat letters on a piece of parchment.

When he was done, Barry looked to Melchior. “Should I even ask?” he said.

Melchior held up a small box labelled with the word “Glod.”

Barry smiled. “That’s all right! Pass it here and I’ll correct it.” And so he did.

“Thank you, Barry,” Melchior replied. “Truly, you are the wisest among us when it comes to spelling. But how did you become so proficient with the art of letters?”

“Easy!” said Barry. “I took a course on the internet.”

The Fate of Barry the Proofreader

The next morning, the Three Wise Men left to search for the prophesized child.

Of course, Barry’s decision not to attend the tiny Christ’s birthday shindig meant he was written out of the official story. And most people have not heard of this fourth Wise Man.

This wouldn’t bother Barry, though. As a proofreader, he didn’t expect credit. Nobody puts the proofreader on a cover of a book, after all! And Barry was happy knowing that he had made a difference, making sure his friends didn’t embarrass themselves with their sloppy spelling.

And so, this Christmas, spare a thought for the proofreaders and editors out there. We might not hog the limelight, but you’d certainly notice if we weren’t there to help when you needed it!

Becoming A Proofreader

We hope that everyone reading this is having a wonderful Christmas period. But if you’re looking ahead to the new year already, why not make learning to proofread one of your resolutions?

Our Becoming A Proofreader course covers everything you need to know to work as a freelance proofreader. And with our free trial, you can try it out before you pay a penny. Sign up today to find out more!

The post The Fourth Wise Man (a Christmas Proofreading Story) appeared first on Knowadays.

• The Associated Press Stylebook
• The Chicago Manual of Style
• The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Effective Writing on the Job
• The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting

Read on below to find out more about all the above.

The Associated Press Stylebook

Originally developed for journalists, the The Associated Press Stylebook (or AP Stylebook for short) is also widely used by business writers. Reasons for this include:

• It provides a straightforward approach to style, focusing on clear, concise messaging.
• Information is presented alphabetically, making it easy to use.
• It contains a section dedicated to reporting business news, offering helpful advice on how to communicate corporate and financial concepts to a wider audience.
• It also contains information on editing and proofreader’s marks.
• You can get it as a physical book or access it online.

However, the advice in The AP Stylebook focuses on American English. As such, you may need to adapt some of the guidance if you are doing work for businesses outside the US.

Published by Lorenz Press.

In addition, The AP Stylebook is updated regularly (every three years). This means you need to be aware of changes to make sure your edits are in line with the latest version.

The Chicago Manual of Style

While mostly associated with academic writing, The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) is also used by publishers and businesses around the world. Advantages of Chicago style include:

• It is one of the most comprehensive style guides, offering detailed advice on almost any aspect of spelling, grammar, punctuation, or style that you can imagine. This means it can be used for many different writing styles, including business writing.
• It offers specific advice for proofreaders and editors (e.g., how to use proofreading marks).
• There is an online version for easier access (the book is quite big!).

From a business writing perspective, the main downside of this style guide is that it’s too comprehensive! Some of the information, such as the referencing system, won’t be relevant for most business documents. And it isn’t the easiest guide to navigate at times.

Nevertheless, Chicago style is popular with business writers. And the versatility of The Chicago Manual of Style makes it a good investment for most proofreaders and editors.

The Business Style Handbook

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Effective Writing on the Job was written by Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene after surveying communications executives at Fortune 500 companies. It therefore focuses specifically on business communications.

For proofreaders, the most important section is the A to Z of advice on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage for terms and phrases commonly used in business writing. But it also contains advice on writing strategically and best practice for business communications.

As such, this style guide may be valuable if you primarily work on business writing.

The Gregg Reference Manual

On its eleventh edition as of 2020, The Gregg Reference Manual: A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting has been used by businesses and professionals for more than 50 years, covering various aspects of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting.

Written by William A. Sabin, this guide gets its name from John Robert Gregg, who developed a popular shorthand system and wrote various books on business practices.

In-House Style Sheets and Other Style Guides

Don’t forget that many businesses will have their own in-house style sheets. These might be based on an established style guide, but they’ll include variations unique to your client. Larger companies may even have a full style guide, covering all elements of branding.

Likewise, some companies will use a generic style guide for their chosen dialect (e.g., The Elements of Style for American English). Or they might use an academic style guide related to their industry (e.g., IEEE style for companies involved in technology and engineering).

In these cases, make sure to follow the specified style when proofreading.

Become a Proofreader with Knowadays

Our Becoming A Proofreader course includes advice on proofreading for style and on how to use style guides effectively. To find out more, sign up for a free trial today.

The post Proofreading Resources: Style Guides for Business Writing appeared first on Knowadays.

In this post, we offer a few tips to help proofreaders judge the credibility of information online.

3 Tips for Checking Sources Online

Key questions to ask when checking your sources online include:

1. Who produced the content?
   Is there a named author whose credentials you can check? Is it published by an authoritative organization (e.g., a college or major publisher)? Is it an official website for the relevant organization? Or is it an anonymous blog post? If the latter, be cautious! The information might be correct, but it is far better to look for an authoritative source.
2. Does the site list or link to its sources?
   Can you look them up to verify the information? If not, see if you can find the information presented elsewhere with a source (the more sources that back up a point, the better).
3. Is the site professional and up to date?
   Is the writing on the site error free and well presented? Is the tone professional and unbiased? Has the site been updated recently? If it is a referencing issue, does it refer to the latest edition of the style guide? If not, double check the information.

Keep the above in mind when looking up technical terms, referencing formats, obscure grammatical rules, or any other information you need to know while proofreading.

Remember, though, that fact checking isn’t part of proofreading, so this only applies to things you look up while working. You don’t need to check your client’s sources for them.

Wikipedia and User-Generated Content

Sites where users contribute content, such as Wikipedia or Stack Exchange, can be useful for answering questions about style and grammar. However, not everything everyone says on these sites is accurate. As with other online sources, then, you should check whether:

1. The user has provided relevant sources to back up their answer.
2. You can find the information reproduced elsewhere online.

The problem is that some people have strong opinions about English that don’t entirely reflect modern usage (e.g.,  those who insist we should use the rules of Latin to determine “correct” English grammar). Thus, a pinch of skepticism is always wise in cases like these!

Using Ngrams Effectively

Google’s Ngram Viewer is a handy tool for checking how common words are in different dialects (e.g., comparing variant spellings in American and British English).

But these results are based on the Google Books database, which is slanted towards scientific literature, so they won’t always reflect how words are used in everyday language. For more on Ngrams, see our post on how to use it effectively as a proofreader.

Becoming A Proofreader

Looking for more guidance on freelance proofreading? Our Becoming A Proofreader course will teach you everything you need to get started. Sign up for a free trial today.

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