Honing your proofreading skills

Naila Zaman Medical writers and editors play an important aimed at both new and experienced medical
SRG Clinical, London, UK role in the field of scientific publishing and writers and editors alike, detailing the steps to
communications. While the responsibilities take when proofreading to allow you to hone
between these can differ, all medical writers and your skills and become an efficient proofreader.
Correspondence to: editors have skills in common – for example, they
Naila Zaman must have a strong grasp of the English language Before proofreading
SRG Clinical and an eye for detail. A large part of many writing Prior to proofreading anything, there are steps
5 Devonshire Square and editing roles involves the ability to proofread that can be taken to ensure you are set up to
London and edit text to a high standard. Whether you are maximise your efficiency and ability to spot and
EC2M 4YD editing a manuscript or abstract for a journal, a correct errors.
nailajzaman@gmail.com poster for a conference, or a sales aid aimed at
healthcare professionals, being able to pick out Limit distractions
and correct errors easily and efficiently is key. Editing and proofreading requires high focus and
Abstract After all, a proofreader is the last line of defence concentration. Before beginning, ensure that you
As part of their role, medical writers and against glaring spelling errors, inconsistencies are in an environment that fits your style of
editors are expected to be excellent and awkward grammar. A well-edited piece of working. This will vary between individuals;
proofreaders with the ability to identify and content can, among many other factors, some may prefer to be in complete isolation,
remedy mistakes such as grammatical, determine its success. while others will thrive in a busy coffee shop or
spelling or formatting errors. This article Online articles and books provide tips on the other areas with background noise.
details the steps that can be taken with each common errors to look out for while
proofread to assist you in becoming an proofreading. While these are useful, particularly Know your medium preference
efficient and adept proofreader. The for new writers and editors who are just Another important step before beginning is to
accompanying exercises provide examples of beginning their career, memorising lists may not know which medium – electronic or hard copy –
common mistakes and inconsistencies you be the most effective way to learn. This article is you prefer and which you work best with. Some
may come across when editing and
proofreading scientific content.

6 | September 2018 Medical Writing | Volume 27 Number 3

 Zaman – Honing your proofreading skills

people may prefer the more traditional style of you to read more slowly and without skimming Compare the content to a similar piece of
using hard copies, as it is often easier to see errors text, allowing you to catch the errors you might work
in formatting (i.e. different font sizes or styles), have missed while doing so silently. But what When checking visual content – such as a
colour differences, and crop and bleed marks. about punctuation? As punctuation marks are conference poster or a galley proof – there can
Others, however, will prefer proofreading silent, reading aloud will not help with finding often be styling inconsistencies where it is not
digitally because of built-in features of software, any incorrect uses of full stops, commas, clear from the style guide which is correct; for
such as spelling and grammar checkers and Find exclamation marks and so on. example, the way the authors’ names and
& Replace functions, which allow for swift There is therefore no better way to read a piece affiliations are written, or the size of a logo.
correction of common errors. Using a digital of text when proofreading. I recommend doing Where possible, compare it to a similar piece of
format also aids in the detection of subtle both to ensure you are able to identify as many work. For a conference poster, you can check
differences in line and paragraph spacing that is errors as possible. Over time, you may find a against the poster for the same meeting that
not easily discerned through printed copy. preference for one over the other but, generally, occurred in a previous year; for a galley proof,
Although it will not always be possible to use it doesn’t hurt to do both. you can check it against a published article in the
the medium which you work best with, as same journal.
different organisations and clients work Read the sentence backwards and in isolation
differently, it is useful to have both. Once you As with small errors that can go unnoticed when Final checks
have finished proofreading, I recommend doing reading silently, your brain will fill in the gaps Once the bulk of the proofreading is out of the
a final check in both mediums – i.e. if you used a from context when reading forwards and way, it is always good to do a final check of the
digital copy, print it out at the end to identify encountering misspelled words. While the work to uncover any errors that might have been
anything you might have missed; conversely, if sentence will not make sense if you read it missed.
you proofread a hard copy, open the digital backwards, it will help pick up
version and check for errors such as line spacing spelling mistakes. Similarly, reading a Check for weird fonts, colours and
and subtle font size differences that will have sentence or paragraph in isolation
Prior to sizing
been difficult to notice from a printout. will assist in detecting issues with proofreading Do a quick scan of the work and
readability or sentence structure. This anything, there double-check anything that looks
Know the context can be done electronically by adding odd or inconsistent. There may be
Are you proofreading a manuscript in which a return or paragraph break in
are steps that can subtle errors, such as black versus
formal and technical language is more likely, or a between sentences or by increasing be taken to dark grey font colouring, that were
conference poster aimed at healthcare line spacing. If using a hard copy, a ensure you are not caught earlier.
professionals where the wording is more ruler or piece of paper to block out
engaging and marketing terms may be used to sell text is also effective.
set up to Use digital tools
the piece? Is the target audience only those who maximise your Features of digital software such as
are native English speakers or is it also intended Make notes or a checklist efficiency and grammar and spelling checkers are
for non-native speakers? Before you begin, get as As you go along, make notes or a useful tools as part of final
much information as possible on the context of checklist of anything you’re not sure
ability to spot proofreading checks; however, these
the document you are checking. This will help about or need to check later. This is and correct are not perfect and should not be
you to make sure that the style and tone remains especially useful if you are editing or errors. relied upon. They will not be able to
consistent throughout and is not inappropriate proofreading to a specific style guide; discern between homophones (e.g.
for the intended audience – for example, idioms moving back and forth between the lesson vs lessen, peak vs peek,
should generally be avoided in texts where the style guide and the content can take you out of whether vs weather, etc.) and are not reliable
audience may include non-native English the focus of the latter, so it can often be more when checking for grammatical errors. At this
speakers. useful to note things down as you go along so that stage, if all the aforementioned steps have been
you remember to check thoroughly later. This followed, there should be very little – if anything
During proofreading will also prevent you from correcting something at all – for these checkers to correct.
You are ready to proofread, but what can you do that doesn’t need to be corrected – for example,
to assure yourself that nothing is missed? when proofreading a manuscript, imagine that Take a break
the author uses qd in both the Abstract and Reading the same thing repeatedly will make the
Read aloud but also silently Introduction but in the Methods section switches brain skip words and phrases, reducing your
Reading silently has the advantage of making it to using once daily instead. Rather than correcting ability to identify errors. Taking a break and
easier to check for issues with readability and each time as you go along, you can note it down coming back to it with fresh eyes can be more
sentence flow; however, silent reading may also and check against the style guide later. It may very effective. A day or more away is ideal though not
encourage skimming of text and unintentionally well state that once daily is the correct form to use, always possible because of deadlines, so even as
skipping over small errors as your brain fills in the so correcting to qd throughout because it was little as 30 minutes away can help – go for a walk
gaps. Reading aloud, on the other hand, forces used first would not be the correct approach. in this time or read a book. The key is to take your

www.emwa.org Volume 27 Number 3 | Medical Writing September 2018 | 7

Honing your proofreading skills – Zaman

brain’s focus away from the document. If using an Conflicts of interest Over time, as you gain
electronic copy when proofreading, changing the The author declares no conflicts of interest. experience with different
look of the content (by amending font size,
types of content, you will
colour, and sentence or paragraph spacing) will
also trick your brain into thinking it is looking at be aware of the common
something unfamiliar when you come back to it. errors to look out for and
It may also be preferable to work in short blocks the techniques you can
of time, as concentration and focus can wane over
use to ensure you are
longer periods.
proofreading to a high
Summary standard.
Proofreading is a learning process. Over time, as Author information
you gain experience with different types of Naila Zaman started her career as an
content, you will be aware of the common errors Editorial Assistant for a scientific journals
to look out for and the techniques you can use to publisher before moving on to work in
ensure you are proofreading to a high standard. educational and healthcare publishing. With
The following exercises put this into practice, over 5 years of editing experience, Naila has
providing examples to test what you have learned participated in training colleagues on how to
in this article. I hope the processes and tips edit and proofread content for high accuracy
provided here will help you on your journey to and quality.
becoming a more efficient and adept proofreader.

Exercises
Exercise 1: Find the error in each sentence Exercise 3: Find the inconsistencies in the text receiving once-daily dosing (n=99; 73.3%).
Instructions: Circle the error in each sentence. Instructions: The following paragraph pairs are The mean relapse rate (standard deviation [SD])
There is one error per sentence. taken from the same manuscript. Identify and decreased significantly from 1.35 (0.77) before
1. These results indicate that Drug X is more circle the inconsistencies between each study drug initiation to 0.23 (0.72) after 12
effective then placebo in reducing symptoms paragraph. months of treatment, representing a reduction of
in patients with diabetes. 83% (p<0.0001).
2. We showed that this method is more percise Manuscript 1: Paragraph 2: The reduction in the number of
than the current standard diagnostic tools. Paragraph 1: This was a Phase 3 multicentre trial relapses was significant in all treatment arms,
3. Tools are available for physicians to assist to determine the safety, efficacy and tolerability with the highest reductions observed at month
them in the management of the patient and of Drug X in patients with chronic obstructive 12 in people who received the study drug b.i.d.
they’re disease. pulmonary disease. Patients aged 18-54 years (N= 101; 86.3%; P < 0.001).
were assessed prior to study start and at Month
Exercise 2: Find the errors in each sentence 48. The primary endpoint was the proportion of
Instructions: Circle the errors in each patients with reduced frequency of exacerbations
sentence. There are multiple errors per sentence. with Drug X compared with placebo.
1. More than ≥50% of patients expereinced Paragraph 2: This phase III multicenter trial
treatment-emergent adverse events, the found that patients receiving treatment with drug
most common of which was headache, X had a reduced frequency of exacerbations
nausea and dizziness. compared with patients who received only
2. Healthy males and women aged between 18 placebo. The primary end point was reached
or 35 years with a body mass index of in all treatment groups, except for those in the
<30kg/m2 and total body wait of 50 kg were 40–54 yrs age group.
enroled into the study. Manuscript 2:
3. The incident rate ration (IRR) for diarrhia Paragraph 1: Overall, 200 patients were free from
was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CL]: relapses at Month 12 after initiation of the study
0.21–3.22) for treatment with drug A, 0.90 drug. This proportion was highest in the
(95 CI: 0.63–1.11) for drug b, and 2.85 subgroup of patients that received twice-daily
(95% CI: 0.65-8.35) for drug C. dosing (n=101; 82.5%) followed by patients

8 | September 2018 Medical Writing | Volume 27 Number 3

 Zaman – Honing your proofreading skills

Answer key Manuscript 1: them can be confusing for readers so it is

Exercise 1: The errors are underlined. l Phase 3 vs phase III. The latter is in lower case preferable to use one style throughout.
1. These results indicate that Drug X is more and uses Roman numerals instead of Arabic l Patients vs people. The first paragraph uses
effective then placebo in reducing symptoms numerals. patients, while the second refers to them as
in patients with diabetes. l Multicentre vs multicenter. “Center” is the US people. Although sometimes interchange-
2. We showed that this method is more percise English spelling, while the first paragraph uses able depending on the context of the study,
than the current standard diagnostic tools. UK English spelling. it is usually better to avoid switching
3. Tools are available for physicians to assist l Years vs yrs. The second paragraph uses the between identifiers as this could be
them in the management of the patient and shorthand “yrs” when it was written out in full confusing to readers.
they’re disease. in the first paragraph. l Style of presenting n/N values. In the first
l Hyphen vs en dash. In the age range in paragraph, there are no spaces between the
Exercise 2: The errors are underlined. Paragraph 1, a hyphen is used but in n and the equals sign and the value when
1. More than ≥50% of patients expereinced Paragraph 2 an en dash is used instead. referring to the number of patients, while
treatment-emergent adverse events, the most l Endpoint vs end point. Paragraph 1 uses the the second paragraph has a space after the
common of which was headaches, nausea and correct spelling while the second paragraph equals symbol. The way that this is written
dizziness. (5 errors) adds an unnecessary space between the will depend on the style guide, but usually
2. Healthy males and women aged between 18 words. there are no spaces. In addition, a capital
or 35 years with a body mass index of l Drug X vs drug X. Generally, drug names N is used to refer to the overall population
<30kg/m2 and total body wait of 50 kg were will be in lower case unless the product is a whereas a lower case n denotes a sub-
enroled into the study. (5 errors) brand. population; therefore, in this instance, the
3. The incident rate ration (IRR) for diarrhia “N=” in Paragraph 2 is incorrect as the
was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CL]: Manuscript 2: number of patients is from a specific sub-
0.21–3.22) for treatment with drug A, 0.90 l Month 12 vs month 12. In the first paragraph, group only and not the overall population.
(95 CI: 0.63–1.11) for drug b, and 2.85 (95% the first letter for month is capitalised as this l P value style. Similar to the above, there is
CI: 0.65-8.35) for drug C. (6 errors) is referring to a specific time point in the no one correct way to present p values and
study. The second paragraph is in lower case, styles will vary. However, in the absence of
Exercise 3: which is inconsistent but also incorrect. a style guide, the same style should be used
The inconsistencies between both paragraphs in l Twice-daily vs b.i.d. Although the meaning of consistently throughout the manuscript.
each manuscript are detailed below. these is the same, interchanging between

www.emwa.org Volume 27 Number 3 | Medical Writing September 2018 | 9