Once you have written your article, an e-mail or document, getting your text free of mistakes is important if you wish to express yourself in a professional way. A spell checker can help, but they are often far from perfect. To follow you will discover a number of techniques to make your proofreading more effective.

1. Focus

If you’re going to check for mistakes, then you will need to concentrate. That means getting rid of distractions and potential interruptions. Switch off your smart phone, close your e-mail, and find a quiet area where you are less likely to be disturbed.

2. Print it

Individuals read differently on screen and on paper, so print out a copy of your writing. If you read aloud, your ear may well pick up on errors that your eyes have missed.

3. Word check/ cheque

Similar Words or Homonyms are words that share the same spelling or pronunciation, but have different meanings, for example accept except or complement compliment, check and make sure your word usage is correct and in context.

4. Grammar

People often mix their and they’re, its and it’s, your and you’re and so on. If there is something that can hurt the credibility of your text, it is a similar mistake. Also, remember that the apostrophe is never used to form plurals. Focusing on the words is good, but do not neglect the punctuation. Pay attention to capitalised words, missing or extra commas, spacing used incorrectly and so on.

5. Check Your Numbers

Stating that the value of any given thing is important, especially if it comes to contractual agreements etc. so make sure your numbers are correct, as an extra zero here and there could lead to a lot of confusion.

6. Backwards Reading

When writing we tend to become less aware of our mistakes as the brain automatically corrects the errors that have been made while reading over text. In order to break this habit read your text backwards, it’s surprising how much you can pick up.

7. Ask a colleague

After your own initial proof reading, if possible ask a colleague or friend to read the text over for you. You cannot beat a fresh set of eyes. So you have checked and double checked and your satisfied your work is good, then you are good to publish your efforts.