ProofreadingProofreadingChapter 18
Introduction
18.1 ‘Proof’ is a generic term used to describe the various forms in which type and graphic
material are presented for checking and correcting. ‘Proofreading’ is the means by which these
processes are carried out.
The responsibilities of proofreading
18.2 The proofreader reads, word for word, the proof against the original copy, or the latest
proof against the previous proof. This is an immensely important aspect of the publishing
process but tends to be underrated. The proofreader helps to determine the ultimate credibility
of a document in that, if it is printed with spelling mistakes and editorial and design
inconsistencies, its authority will—to some extent—be undermined. (The reader may well
wonder if the author has been equally negligent or indifferent in preparing the subject matter.)
For this reason at least, proper proofreading procedures should be instituted for all documents
that are to be published.
18.3 It is important to establish at the outset exactly who will bear the responsibility for
correcting the proofs and how the charges are to be split. Basically, correction costs are
charged to whoever is responsible for the error—author, publisher or typesetter—but other
arrangements may be made. In government publishing, author departments generally pay for the entire publishing process including author’s corrections at proof stage. In commercial publishing, the publisher is liable for costs, but may pass on the costs of author’s corrections if the amount of correction is considered excessive. In this situation the publisher has the final say. Proofs are read by both author and publisher (editor or proofreader) but not necessarily by the typesetter. Proof marks are made in different colours to identify who is to be charged for each correction (see paragraph 18.18).
18.4 Responsibility for the accuracy of the content does not rest with the proofreader unless
that person is also the author. Strictly speaking, a proofreader’s task is to check that the original
document and the proofs match. However, a careful proofreader will notice mistakes
overlooked at earlier stages. Authors and editors should always respond seriously to a
proofreader’s queries as this is another stage in ensuring the quality of the text. Many a printing
disaster has been averted by an alert proofreader.
18.5 Proofreading is seldom performed today as meticulously as it was when a trained
proofreader examined and marked the proofs while a copyholder read the manuscript aloud.
The modern tendency is for proofs to be checked by the person who also wrote, edited and
keyboarded the copy. Proofreading in this way is often faulty, as he or she is generally too
familiar with the material to be able to identify errors. However, if such a situation is unavoidable
then each role—writing, editing and keyboarding—should be treated entirely separately and an
interval allowed (as long as possible) between each particular process.
The proofreading process
18.6 With the introduction of computer technology, the proofreading process is sometimes
reduced to little more than running a spellcheck. This is not proofreading, and it is far from
adequate. Spellchecks have their limitations; for instance, they cannot differentiate between
words such as there, their, they’re; its, it’s; four, for, fore; hear, here; principle and
principal (see also paragraph 3.3).
18.7 Proofreaders must be able to find and correct errors, understand copy editors’
markings and indicate corrections in the proper way. They must have good concentration and
an eye for detail because they will be looking for errors and inconsistencies that may have
eluded the author or the copyeditor. Good proofreading demands an attentive, thoughtful
approach and the same principles apply to checking novels or poetry as they do to legislation or
catalogues. Authors reading proofs of their work should never see it as an opportunity to
rewrite the text.
18.8 The best way to catch errors is to have one person (the copyholder) read the
manuscript aloud while another person simultaneously follows the reading and marks the proofs.
The copyholder should speak clearly and fairly slowly. As well as reading the text, the
copyholder must announce the beginning of paragraphs, all punctuation marks, and any change
in type font. Figures in text, tables and scientific copy always need special care. The reader
following the proof and marking the corrections also needs to be an exceptional speller.
Notwithstanding intelligence and education, a poor speller makes a poor proofreader and many
people maintain that the only foolproof way to proofread for literals is to read backwards!
18.9 Reading in pairs is generally regarded as being more expensive than having one person
read alone, so the practice is becoming rare. One person can proofread alone quite successfully
once the standard proofreading marks are known and understood (see paragraphs 18.48–63
and figures 18.2 and 18.3). For publications containing large numbers of proper names, figures,
technical terms or foreign words, however, it is actually slower and more expensive to check the
proofs alone than to employ the services of a copyholder.
Proofing stages
18.10 Proofs are usually generated by a plain-paper laser printer from typesetting or
imagesetting equipment. These are galley or page proofs and are read by the proofreader to
check the accuracy of the typesetting and the consistency of the editorial and typographical
styles.
18.11 If the proofs are found to contain a number of errors, or if the addition or deletion of
significant material is unavoidable, a revise proof may be ordered. Revise proofs should not be
necessary if corrections are few or minor. The typesetter should be asked to ensure that the
corrections are made, and the editor or author can use the bromides to check that this has been
done.
18.12 The need for further proofs depends on the nature of the publication. If it contains
illustrations, or if it is to be printed in colours additional to black, imposed dyeline proofs may
be ordered to verify that all elements of the copy, including illustrations, are correct and in the
right position. At this stage, the tops and bottoms of pages should be checked to see that
nothing has dropped off, but textual corrections and trivial alterations should be avoided
because of the expense involved in processing them.
18.13 Colour proofs (chemical proofs) are necessary for full-colour work. These allow
colour to be checked for accuracy, illustration positions and sizes to be verified and, if
necessary, a final check to be made on changes requested earlier. When colour proofreading,
the proofs should always be checked against the original artwork or photographs (see also
paragraphs 16.37–9), and the relevant colour system.
18.14 Colour proofs are expensive; nevertheless, a revise colour proof should be ordered if
changes are so complex as to make further checking essential.
18.15 A machine proof, or press proof, is the initial print of a work taken from the actual
printing press assigned to print it. A press proof is ordered mainly for the verification of
matching colours to the originals or to the latest approved chemical proof, where precise
colours are critical to the quality of the job, and for matching colours across folds. They may
also be required to ensure that important last-minute corrections have been made.
Proofreading techniques
18.16 When errors are detected, standard proofreading marks should be used to indicate the
nature of each correction. Some of the standard marks and their functions are discussed in
paragraphs 18.48–63.
18.17 Reading, as well as error detection, can be made easier by moving a piece of card
down both proof and copy simultaneously, isolating each line as it is read from those that follow.
18.18 Corrections must be made in ink—one colour for author or editor’s corrections
(traditionally blue) and another (traditionally red) for typesetter’s errors. Alternatively, mistakes
may be marked AE (author or editor’s error) or PE (printer’s error). Corrections to cameraready
copy should never be necessary, but if unavoidable they should be made on a photocopy
of the artwork rather than on the original material (the correction may be able to be made
without the need to remake the artwork); if corrections do have to be noted on the artwork
itself, they must be made in non-reproducing pencil.
18.19 Corrections need to be legible. Printers making corrections cannot be expected to
decipher unclear writing or follow unnecessarily complicated instructions. Both practices are
unacceptable—they increase the possibility of further errors and they cause expensive delays.
18.20 Unlike editorial markings made on the hard copy, corrections on proofs must be placed
in the left-hand or right-hand margin adjacent to the line containing the error. Marks must be
small so as not to run into another line—which may also require a correction. Additions or
corrections should never be written between lines of type because the person setting the
corrections may not pick them up.
18.21 If more than one alteration is necessary in a line, the corrections should be marked in the
margin (the one nearer the point of correction) from left to right in the order they are to be
made. Every mark in the margin requires a mark in the line, and vice versa. A vertical line or
slash separates one marginal correction from the next.
18.22 Guidelines—lines drawn from the point in the text where the correction is to be made to
the explanation of it in the margin—are undesirable unless it is impossible for the correction to
be placed next to the line. If guidelines have to be used, they should not cross each other; if they
do (as in transposing several items in an index, for example) a different colour should be used
for each. But not red or blue (see paragraph 18.18), as one of these has to be used for the
marginal correction mark.
18.23 If a number of errors occur in the same section, the whole section should be crossed out
and rewritten, since less time will be spent reading a rewritten passage than in working out
where each individual correction should be made. A short correction can be written in the
margin, but a longer one, or an addition, should be typed on separate paper and attached to the
proof. Circle a note in the margin, reading ‘insert attached’, and mark a caret in the line to show
where it goes.
18.24 Changes made in proofs often result in the introduction of new errors so proof
corrections of any kind should be kept to a minimum. Sometimes, a late alteration to the text is
unavoidable and this can cause problems in page proofs, where the position of an illustration or
an indexed reference may be affected. Page reorganisation can be avoided if the author or
editor ensures that any rewritten copy occupies the same amount of space as the original
material. Authors should keep in mind that additions may be made less expensively in the first
proofs than in later, imposed proofs.
18.25 The second proof is read against the first proof, not against the original copy, to ensure
that all corrections have been made and that no further errors have been introduced. This can be
done most efficiently by placing the two sets of proofs side by side and then checking to see that
every correction has been made. Proofreaders must guard against the natural tendency to skip
from one correction to the next; not only must each reset line be proofread carefully but also the
lines above and below to ensure that these have not been affected by the change.
Making a check list
18.26 There is no quick method of proofreading. Accurate proofreading requires good
organisation and will involve several stages. Proofreaders should always begin by:
1) familiarising themselves with the particular publication they are going to correct, and from this reading 2) draw up a list of the special points to be watched. 3) Each point will need to be checked separately; in anything other than the most basic document it is impossible to check accurately, and in the onereading, the many components that might make up a particular publication. Figure 18.1 illustrates a possible check list, and the following paragraphs summarise common points to be watched. The proofreader should treat each item in the check list as a completely separate stage so that there is less likelihood of anything undesirable slipping through. FIGURE 18.1
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SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION ERRORS
18.27 The proofreader must read slowly, against the copy, noting every letter in every word
along with all the punctuation, and any line in which an error has been found should be read
again. Missing characters, especially opening or closing quotes and parentheses (round
brackets), can be easily overlooked if the reading is hurried. Although inconsistent spelling,
capitalisation and punctuation within quotations should never be altered unless it differs from the copy supplied, such discrepancies should be queried and brought to the attention of the author or editor.
WORDBREAKS
18.28 End-of-line hyphens need careful checking, since wordbreaks which cause the reader to
misread a word or mistake its meaning can not only mislead but also interrupt the sentence flow.
The place at which a word may be broken depends largely on its pronunciation. For guidance in
dividing words see Collins Gem Dictionary of Spelling and Word Division.
18.29 Hyphenation should not occur in two consecutive lines and never in three or more. Such
a situation should be referred to the author since rewriting is often the only way to eliminate the
problem. The hyphenation of shortened forms needs special care (see paragraphs 3.24–7).
18.30 Pages should not end with a divided word. While under some circumstances this might
be acceptable on a left-hand page, it is never an option when a right-hand page is concerned.
ORPHANS AND WIDOWS
18.31 Pages should not end with a heading nor with only one or two lines of text following a
heading—it is better to let the page fall short and put the heading on the following page. Pages
should not end with the first one or two lines of a new paragraph if it is preceded by paragraph
spacing (such lines are known as ‘orphans’)—three lines of text should be regarded as the
minimum allowable. Short lines at the top of a page (‘widows’) can be eliminated by rewording
(author’s responsibility); by respacing the preceding line(s); or by letting the previous page go
longer.
PARAGRAPH INDENTION
18.32 Paragraph structure must be consistent. For example, in normal text a paragraph set
with the first line full out should not suddenly appear among paragraphs set with their first lines
indented. Special care should be taken with subparagraph indentions, as style variations can be
easily missed when subparagraphs occur pages apart. Doubtful instances should always be
referred back to the editor or author.
SPACING BETWEEN LINES AND WORDS
18.33 There should be no noticeable irregularities in the spacing around headings and
subheadings, or in the space between the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next in
unjustified lines. Naturally, some variation in word spacing will occur in justified lines.
PRELIMINARY PAGES (PRELIMS)
18.34 Prelims should be checked to ensure that all information, such as cataloguing-inpublication
(CIP) data from the National Library of Australia, the ISBN and / or ISSN, the
copyright statement and the publishing history, has been included where appropriate, and that
the page numbering (generally in roman numerals) is correct.
PAGE NUMBERS
18.35 Page numbers (folios) must be checked for sequence and to ensure that none are
missing or repeated as a result of changes to content. Paragraph numbering can also be affected
by changes to content. The addition or deletion of a paragraph will mean that all subsequent
paragraphs must be renumbered—a correction all too easy to miss.
LISTS
18.36 The indiscriminate use of dashes, bullets, figures or letters should be noted and referred
back to the editor or author. Indentions should also be checked for consistency.
HEADINGS (RUNNING HEADLINES AND FOOTLINES, CHAPTER HEADINGS, SUBHEADINGS)
18.37 Headings need to be checked to make sure that the appropriate levels, type sizes and
fonts have been used. Running headlines should relate to the chapter, section or page on which
they occur. While the wording of the running lines is usually identical to the headings they repeat, proofreaders need to be aware that long chapter or section titles may have been abbreviated in the running line for reasons of space.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
18.38 Entries in the table of contents must match the headings contained in the text and page
references must be correct. The proofreader should be told at the initial briefing who will be
responsible (author, editor or proofreader) for inserting the page numbers in the contents table.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, FIGURES OR TABLES
18.39 The same applies as for the table of contents.
CAPTIONS
18.40 Captions should relate to the subject described; possible transpositions should be
referred back to the editor or author. The typeface, type size and style of punctuation used must
be consistent.
TABLES, DIAGRAMS AND FIGURES
18.41 All numbers, especially multiple digits, need careful checking. The best way to read
numerals is character by character—for example, ‘1979’ should be read as ‘one nine seven
nine’. Omissions and duplications in page numbers, footnote indicators, and notations in outlines
and lists are frequently overlooked—as are misplaced decimal points. Tables and illustrations
should lie as close as practicable to their textual reference.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
18.42 Telephone numbers must be treated consistently: 06 295 4411 in one place should not
reappear as (06) 295 4411 further on.
ADDRESSES
18.43 A single publication should not contain such variations as:
| AGPS | A.G.P.S | AGPS |
| GPO Box 84 | G.P.O. BOX 84 | GPO Box 84 |
| CANBERRA, ACT, 2601 | CANBERRA | Canberra ACT 2601 |
| A.C.T. 2601 |
ENDMATTER
18.44 It is important to ensure that no endmatter has been omitted or transposed, and that
page numbering is correct (see paragraphs 14.46–64). Each appendix should begin on a new
page, although short appendixes may run on. The space between each run-on appendix should
be kept as consistent as possible.
FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES
18.45 Footnotes must always fall—or at least commence—on the same page as their
references. See also paragraphs 14.108–14.
CROSS-REFERENCES
18.46 If a publication contains references to illustrations, tables, sections and equation
numbers, the proofreader must ensure that they are accurate.
INDEX
18.47 The index, if based on page numbers, cannot be completed until after the final
pagination has been settled. Once it is typeset, it should be checked by the indexer. Indexes
based on paragraph or section numbers are not dependent on page make-up—unless page
numbers are also included, which sometimes happens.
The standard marks
18.48 Standard proofreading marks have evolved over many years and are an unambiguous
and widely recognised means of indicating required corrections. Some of the more frequently
used marks are explained in paragraphs 18.49–63 and are illustrated in figures 18.2 and 18.3.
FIGURE 18.2
Symbols for correcting proofs
FIGURE 18.3
The reader’s proof
Forms of address used among chinese living outside China are generally different from those employed in the People’s Republic of China. Pronunciation and romanization vary according to the dialect, for example Tan and Chan are the same name in Hokien and Cantonese respectively. Spelling frequently varies toconform with European orthography, e.g. Chong in Singapore and Hong Kong (British spelling) is rendered Tjong in Indonesia (Dutch spelling). Chinese who have lived in Indon-China often adopt a Gallic spelling, for example Qui for Kee. The outdated English romanization system mentioned above is more commonly used by Manderin speakers outside the People’s Republic of China. The following points should be noted. – Normally, English-speaking Chinese men are referred to by non-Chinese as Mr and unmarried women as Miss. Although women in the Peoples Republic of China do not change their family names on marriage, most Chinese women outside that country would accept being addressed by their husband’s name preceded by Mrs, and indeed would expect to be so addressed. – ‘Lim Yew Lee, for example, should be addressed oral - ly as ‘Mr Lim’, not ‘Mr Lee’. In correspondence the three names should be used. Among close friends and family members he would usually be addressed on the familiar level as ‘Yew Lee’. - Owing to Western influence, some overseas Chinese place their Family names last and signify the change by linking the personal names with a hyphen, for example ‘Mr Yew-Lee Lim’. Sometimes the personal names are abbreviated to initials for busines spurposes, for example ‘Mr Y. L. Lim’ – When the Malaysian titles Dato or Tun are bestowed on Malaysian Chinese, the full Chinese name is used, for example ‘Tun Tan Seiw Sin’, when first mentioned. Later, ‘Tun Tan’ may be used.
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The passage used for figures 18.3 and 18.4 is taken from Robert Hyslop, Dear You: A Guide
to Forms of Address, AGPS Press, Canberra, 1991.
18.49 The delete mark is used only when something is to be removed from a line. It should
never be used when another letter, word or words, line or paragraph is to be inserted in place
of the deleted matter. A diagonal line through a letter to be deleted, or a straight line through a
word or words to be deleted, indicates where the deletion is to be made. Anything needing to
be removed should not be so obscured by heavy marking that the person making the
corrections cannot distinguish which characters to take out. If a comma or full stop, or even a
single letter, will be completely covered by the textual delete mark then it may be circled
instead, so that it is still visible. The form of the delete mark written in the margin need not be
exactly as shown in figure 18.2, but it should be made in such a way that it cannot be confused
with any handwritten letter, such as d, e or l. Where a letter is to be deleted from the middle of
a word, the delete mark may be written within ‘close up’ marks (paragraph 18.50). This
composite mark is called the delete and close up mark.
18.50 Too much space between letters, words or lines is corrected by the close up mark. This
is used in both the line and the margin. Sometimes a word space is misplaced so that the last
letter of one word appears at the beginning of the next. When this happens, the close up mark
followed by a ‘space mark’ (paragraph 18.51) is written in the margin, and a close up mark and
a vertical line—in the appropriate position—are made in the line.
18.51 The space mark is used when more space between words is required. A vertical line or
caret indicates where the space is to be inserted. If word spaces in a single line are unequal, the
equal space sign is written in the margin and carets are inserted in the place where the problem
occurs. Note that spacing between words in two successive lines is not always the same in
justified setting.
18.52 A paragraph mark (¶ ) in the margin tells the keyboard operator to start a new
paragraph. In the line, either another paragraph mark before the first word of the new paragraph
or, more commonly, a mark to the left and partly under the word will show where to begin the
paragraph.
18.53 To run two paragraphs together, run on is written in the margin and a line drawn from
the end of one paragraph to the beginning of the next.
18.54 The need for vertical alignment is rare with computer-generated output; its use is
mainly confined to tables.
FIGURE 18.4
The corrected proof
Forms of address used among Chinese living outside China are generally different from those employed in the People’s Republic of China. Pronunciation and romanisation vary according to the dialect, for example Tan and Chan are the same name in Hokkien and Cantonese respectively. Spelling frequently varies to conform with European orthography, for example Chong in Singapore and Hong Kong (British spelling) is rendered Tjong in Indonesia (Dutch spelling). Chinese who have lived in Indo-China often adopt a Gallic spelling, for example Qui for Kee. The outdated English romanisation system mentioned above is more commonly used by Mandarin speakers outside the People’s Republic of China. The following points should be noted: – Normally, English-speaking Chinese men are referred to by non-Chinese as Mr and unmarried women as Miss. Although women in the People’s Republic of China do not change their family names on marriage, most Chinese women outside that country would accept being addressed by their husband’s name preceded by Mrs, and indeed would expect to be so addressed. – ‘Lim Yew Lee’, for example, should be addressed orally as ‘Mr Lim’, not ‘Mr Lee’. In correspondence the three names should be used. Among close friends and family members he would usually be addressed on the familiar level as ‘Yew Lee’. – Owing to western influence, some overseas Chinese place their family names last and signify the change by linking the personal names with a hyphen, for example ‘Mr Yew-Lee Lim’. Sometimes the personal names are abbreviated to initials for business purposes, for example ‘Mr Y. L. Lim’. – There is a trend among urban, western-educated Chinese to add a western Christian name to their given names, for example ‘Peter Lim Yew Lee’, who may be known as ‘Peter Lim’ or ‘P. Y. L. Lim’. – When the Malay titles Dato or Tun are bestowed on Malaysian Chinese, the full Chinese name is used, for example ‘Tun Tan Siew Sin’, when first mentioned. Later, ‘Tun Tan’ may be used.
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18.55 The mark for transposing is used for letters, words, phrases, lines, paragraphs—
indeed for anything that needs to be moved from one position to another. The indication of
where the transposition is to be made in the line is drawn in the same way as in editing a
manuscript but trs must appear in the margin in proofs so that the change can be clearly seen.
18.56 Abbreviations or figures to be spelled out should be circled in the line and spell out
written in the margin. Note that spelling out something in the text makes the line, and possibly
the paragraph and page, longer. If there could be any doubt about the spelling, the full word
should be written in the margin, rather than spell out.
18.57 The word stet is used when something earlier marked for alteration is to remain
unchanged. Dots or hyphens under the crossed-out material indicate what is to remain. Where a
note in the margin is also crossed out, stet as set will clarify what to let stand.
18.58 To mark a change from capitals to lower case, a diagonal line is drawn through the
letter and l.c. written in the margin.
18.59 To mark a change from lower case to capitals, three lines are drawn under the letter
(or letters) and cap (or caps) written in the margin.
18.60 To supply a character where none appears, a caret is placed at the spot and the
required character shown in the margin.
18.61 An apostrophe or quotation mark should have a reversed caret beneath it, to indicate
its superior position.
18.62 A full stop, when noted in the margin, should be circled so that it can be clearly
seen.
18.63 Semicolons, colons, question marks and exclamation marks, if written clearly, need
no further identifying marks, except that a question mark that might be mistaken for a query
should be followed by set within a circle.