Definitely, Gerald! There are so many places where we communicate in writing.

Be careful with “replace all” in academic text especially, because you might accidentally replace the name of an author in the citation list.

By the way, those who proofread video transcripts need to be careful. I once saw “Coleen” instead of the correct spelling for the chemical “choline” and for translated text be careful to catch if a writer translated directly when unnecessary. Someone once spotted the Malay language direct translation “tunjuk dia tali-talinya” for “show him the ropes” and “Api!” (fire as in Burn) when the correct translation should have been “Tembak!” (Fire as in Shoot).

Thanks for pointing out that error, Corey! I appreciate you reading/proofreading so closely. 🙂

Great article! I love the combination of tactile engagement with the content as well as working backward to keep your mind and eyes from glazing over as you look through the piece.

I noticed early on in this piece a sentence that could use a touch-up – especially since this is an article about proofreading – “There’s a common misconception is that proofreading is the same activity as reading.”

I think eyes glazed over the ‘is’ in that sentence when it got reworked. Hopefully that’s helpful!

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts!

I also generally proofread content only after several hours have gone by since I wrote that piece of content. That way, I can avoid the bias your brain has to correct typos automatically, since it just wrote out what it “believes” is great content, just because it is super-familiar with it.

I agree – I like the idea of reading your writing out loud. It also helps you to review your style, as anything awkward or overly formal will stand out straight away when it’s spoken.

Slowing down might be the next logical step because as you say, when the error leads to the typing of a word, even a wrong one, it is difficult to spot.