National Proofreading Day!

March 8^th. Yes, it’s International Women’s Day, but for the editorial-minded, it’s also National Proofreading Day! Between this and National Grammar Day just a few days ago, who knew editors were such party animals?

We get a lot of emails from clients who use the terms “proofreading” and “editing” interchangeably, but the two are actually very different. Proofreading, at its truest sense, focuses only on superficial errors with spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation. It is usually done as a last step on a paper or manuscript, once the deeper editing has been done. Editing, on the other hand, is more complex, looking at how ideas are presented and the information is described. Editing involves reorganizing and restructuring ideas and engaging with the material on a deeper level. It also involves critiquing the material, paying attention to tone, syntax, and providing feedback. Typically, there are multiple rounds of editing on a paper, and then a final proofread.

Proofreading isn’t just for papers, though. There’s nothing more off-putting than emails with spelling errors, and Grammarly even found that spelling errors can hurt someone’s chances in the online dating world! When you write something, you put your best self out there, whether it’s a text, an email, a dating or job profile, and more. Taking the extra time to go over it and run a spell-check, or have someone look it over for you, can make a big difference.

Did you know we can help? In addition to providing assistance with dissertations and theses, we can also help with school or job applications, statements of purpose, teaching philosophy statements, resumes or CVs, and more. We’d be happy to edit or proofread any materials you have. If you’re interested to see how Dissertation Editor can help you with your specific project, don’t hesitate to email us at info@dissertation-editor.com.