By now, you probably realize that proofreading should correct any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes in a text.  But what other tasks should a proofreader undertake?  The “house style” is something all editors need to be aware of, wherever they work.  Here are a few points to keep in mind.

Proofreading should be used to make sure that a text conforms to house style.  “House style” is an agreed set of rules that a college, publisher or company has decided upon so that all their texts conform to an approved pattern.  For a college or university these instructions could be used for essays, dissertatons or other assignments in the approved style.   A publisher’s house style will be applied to any books or journals that their authors’ produce.  Often, the house style will be set out in a style guide or manual.

Why is house style needed?  Top proofreading tips! – Languages vary so much within the bounds of correct usage. There are controversies within English, for example, over the serial comma (or “Oxford comma”).  The style guide makes sure that all editors at a particular company or publisher know the rules they need to stick to so that the text will not confuse the reader.  For instance, to see a page of text where both “organize” and “organise” were used would be confusing and perhaps annoying for the reader.

Proofreading tips

The reader must believe that the text they are reading is an authority.  Even if the reader doesn’t agree with the writer’s point of view, they want to trust that the author is an expert in their field and can be trusted to deliver either the facts or their measured opinion on a topic.  That is the same whether the reader is reading a television instruction manual or a heavy academic text.  One mistake may go unnoticed, but frequent or repeated mistakes will worry the reader and can lead to a breakdown in trust.  The house style isn’t the only thing that the editor needs to be aware of in order for a text to have this sort of authority, however, it can go a long way to helping the text achieve this acceptance.

Are you trying to edit your work to agree with a house style?  Have you tried a proofreading service?  Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below.