proofreading and why DIY is next to impossible

Here’s a demonstration:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat later be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey letter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Reading well demands prediction. To read at speed, the brain fills in any gaps. You can look at errors but not necessarily see them. So forgive yourself if you make a mistake on a word you know how to spell and then fail to see it, as I did in my last newsletter. And thank you to the eagle-eyed amongst you who pointed it out to me! 

If you work and write alone, you can’t always outsource the task of proofreading, so here are three top tips to make your work as error-free as possible, and an extra hint on how to avoid the error I just referred to. 

1. Read it out loud

This works best with short pieces unless you have someone willing to listen to an entire chapter of a book. It will quickly alert you to where commas and other punctuation is needed because you will need to take a breath. You will also hear if a word is missing, or a phrase is in the wrong place.

2. Read it backwards

Sounds odd, but if you start at the end and go backwards, word by word, your brain will not have the chance to predict and fill in the gaps to make meaning. 

3. Use the Find tool

Do a search of your document using the Find tool to look for words you know you type incorrectly. For example, I often type form when I mean from. If I search for form, I can quickly use the Replace function to correct the typo. 

How to avoid my mistake

My error in the newsletter came from using several proof-reading tools thoroughly, and then, at the very last moment, inserting another sentence I thought added a nice touch to the writing and immediately pressing send. Oh oh. 

Top hint

Always proofread everything AGAIN before you publish. 

Special thanks to MOB for finding all the tiny errors in this one!