Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Proofreading
There is no excuse for a report that contains spelling errors. They jump out and
glare, displaying not only your inability to spell, but also your casual attitude to your
work. Find a spell checker that you like and get into the habit of using it, and use a
style checker too. But spell checkers won't find missing words, repeated words, or
misused words, or correctly handle names. Nor will they find misspellings that form
another correct word; a typical example is the substitution of “or” for “on” or “of”.
2
Adopt a convenient set of symbols for hand-correcting printouts of documents; many
dictionaries and style guides have good examples of notation for copy-editing.
A common error of mine is, when intending to type a word, to instead type
some other word that shares a few initial letters. A related error is that of replacing
words by their anagrams; I type “being” for “begin”, “form” for “from”, “relation”
for “relative”, “compute” for “complete”, and so on. I also replace words by their
homonyms, such as “two” for “too”. Undoubtedly there are a few of these errors in
this topic—they are hard to find.
3
Identify and look for your own common errors. Typical examples include incom-
plete sentences and sentences that have been run together inappropriately. Check
for errors in tense and in number, that is, in the use of plural and singular forms.
When you identify an error that you often make, add it to a checklist, and look for it
whenever you revise. But put the list aside when writing—it will distract you.
Many papers are completed without ever having been printed, but most people
readmore carefully away from the computer than they do at a screen—if only because
there are fewer distractions. It is vital to read your paper at least once in its entirety, to
check flow and consistency. Set the draft aside for a day or two before proofreading
it yourself, as doing so increases the likelihood of finding mistakes.
4
(Many people
have an emotional attachment to their writing; the delay allows this attachment to
fade.) Read each sentence carefully, and ask yourself how easy it is to understand.
It is particularly important to check the bibliography. Readers will use it to track
down references, so any garbling of information can lead them astray, and other
writers may be offended if you have misreferenced their papers. Format should be
consistent and each reference should include enough information to allow readers to
locate it.
2
From newspapers: A couple who, in their wedding ceremony, “stood, faced the floral setting, and
exchanged cows”. Another couple, where the “groom appeared to stumble as he walked in, while
the band playing 'Hear Comes The Bridle' ”. Miners, who “went ahead with their strike ballet”. A
poet, who released “a slimy volume” entitled New Poems.
3
When the final draft of the first edition was being checked, a reader noticed that this sentence said:
“Undoubtedly there are few of these errors in this topic—they are hard to find” .
4
Newspapers, with their short deadlines, inevitably overlook some mistakes. The following is the
complete text of a newspaper article (as quoted in The New Yorker).
The Soviet Union has welded a massive naval force “far beyond the needs of defence of the
Soviet sea frontiers,” and is beefing up its armada with a powerful new nuclear-powered aircraft
carrier and two giant battle cruisers, the authorative “Jane's Fighting Ships” reported Thursday.
