PROOFREADING
The Modern Proofreading Checklist for Essays, Articles and Emails
A repeatable final review covering correctness, clarity, structure, consistency and publishing details.
A reliable proofreading process works from larger issues to smaller ones. Reviewing everything at once makes it easy to miss errors, so use separate passes.
Pass 1: meaning and structure
Confirm that the document answers its purpose, follows a logical order and contains the evidence or details the reader needs. Fix structural problems before polishing sentences.
Pass 2: sentences and word choice
Check sentence boundaries, agreement, punctuation, repetition, vague wording and unnecessarily complex constructions. Read important sentences aloud when the intended rhythm matters.
Pass 3: consistency and final details
Check names, capitalization, numbers, terminology, headings, links and formatting. Compare important revisions with the original when accuracy matters.
Frequently asked questions
What should I proofread first?
Start with purpose, structure and factual consistency, then move to sentence-level correctness and finally formatting details.
How is proofreading different from editing?
Editing can change structure, argument and wording; proofreading is usually the final pass focused on correctness and consistency.