Online Proofing: Everything you need to know

Although more and more people are turning to online proofreading, many still question the quality of online over traditional in-person proofreading. When it comes to in-person vs. online proofreading, a few major differences affect your final product; namely how your document will be edited and if you’ll be communicating directly with your editor. Keep reading to learn more about online proofing for your projects.

Traditional Vs. Online Proofing: What’s The Difference?

Traditional proofs are printed on paper, and deadlines for reviews typically last two to three days. There is also a high chance that at least one of the people in charge of reviewing your work has a different cultural background than you do. Online proofing usually happens through an online system, which allows for a wide variety of reviewers from all over the world with many different backgrounds.

Accessibility, speed, and availability are some of the major differences between traditional and online proofing. With traditional proofreading, there is a much higher chance of your project not being completed because you must have it in front of you. You can spend up to two days in a room alone with your editor, trying to figure out if each sentence is correct or not. This process takes additional time, but the editing results are usually worth it. Meanwhile, online proofing helps save time and makes the process easier.

How Online Proofing Works In Five Steps

Online proofing usually happens through an online system, which allows for a wide variety of reviewers from all over the world with many different backgrounds. This makes the process faster and more accessible than traditional in-person proofreading and offers you a higher chance of getting your document back to your customer on time. The process is simple: you create a project, set up review steps, and invite reviewers to correct your documents.

Create A Project

This is the first step in any editing process, and it’s where you’ll create your project page for your document. The goal is to ensure everyone involved in the process can find it and understand what they need to do when it comes to proofreading, commenting, or approving edits. Once this is done, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Upload Files And Set Due Dates

You’ll find it best to upload your document and ensure that there is no unnecessary content included (like figures or images). Make sure that you have all of the necessary files needed for proofreading. Also, make sure you only upload the items that are needed because if you upload everything, you’ll have more reviewers uploading their files which can be a bit of a pain.

Collect Feedback From Reviewers

When your reviewers start commenting, you’ll see their comments in a special commentaries section where you can view their suggestions and give them your opinion. You can also ask for comments directly on the document itself, but these comments won’t be visible to all reviewers.

Collaborate Until You Get Approval

You can use many tools to collaborate, such as adding comments to the document itself, emailing statements and documents back and forth, and even reaching out via messaging. Reasonably good online proofreading platforms will offer these options for different collaboration methods. As an editor, however, you do have the final say over what happens with your document. Therefore, it’s important that you communicate effectively with your reviewers to make everyone happy.

Repeat For Remaining Review Steps

Once your editor decides that the document is ready to go, the process for online and traditional proofs is pretty much the same. You still need to make sure that the editor’s decision is correct and that they didn’t skip anything important (this can be done with a double-check). Then, it’s time to ask for approval.

If you have multiple rounds of proofreading, you’ll repeat all the steps above for each round. At the end of the last round, you’ll have your document fully proofread and ready to be sent to your customer.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Online Proofing

Proofreading through a proofreading platform is a completely new way to proofread documents. You won’t have to worry about the time and effort that goes into proofreading or editing; Proofreading professionals are experts in their field, and your document is in good hands. If you can’t find the right words for your document, an expert in your field will help you find them.

The Bottom Line

It’s a great way to work remotely and get your documents proofread by experts and professionals who help you avoid communication breakdowns. It’s also a great way to stay on budget when hiring proofreaders and editors. 

With online proofreading, your document will get back to you much faster and with fewer mistakes than if you’d picked someone without an expert eye. You can also work at your own pace since you have time to review the document while your reviewer is working on it. This means that online proofreading is up there regarding professionalism and efficiency – something that the traditional way of editing may be lacking.