Four Keys to Better Proofreading

1. Print it out.

It’s hard enoughfor thebrain to spot the typos and other forms of error in a piece you’ve agonised over and know backwards. It’s near impossible to spot them all on your screen.

Don’t be overconfident in this important regard.

2. Read it aloud.

Better still, print it out and read it aloud.

You’re much less likely to miss a mistake when you’ve given voice to it.

3.  Have someone else read it aloud to you.

As an additional process, have someone uninvolved with the bid, or even the subject matter, read it aloud to you.

That way, your brain can’t read what it expects to see on the page.