Writing an academic essay for the first time? Well, it can be intimidating and extremely difficult to write a winning essay. Even if you do write, is it worth getting you an A+ grade? Try writing an essay and send it to the proofreaders, you’ll receive a copyedited manuscript with all those peculiar marks which will make you believe it’s something from another world.
Here we are talking about proofreading marks which are most frequently used by copyeditors or proofreaders while editing a document. Let the professionals take care of the hard work in an efficient way, just place an order and leave the rest on us.
What are proofreading marks?
These are notations and symbols which are used by the proofreaders while correcting a document. These markings, which seem to have come from a Martian world, are most commonly called ‘footprints’ and divided into two types, symbols and abbreviations.
A list of symbols and abbreviations is used by the proofreaders while suggesting changes to improve punctuations, grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, etc. while editing a hard copy document. Normally, a proofreader places the abbreviations in the margins along with an arrow which shows the part of the text where correction is needed. On the other hand, the symbols are incorporated into the text.
Commonly used proofreading symbols
Now when you have accurate knowledge of proofreading marks definition, let us understand the most commonly used symbols and abbreviations. You can normally find the proofreading marks written in red ink as it ensures better visibility. Let’s check out some of the most common symbols along with their meaning.
- Add space: #
- Make equal space: eq#
- Insert Semicolon: ;/
- Insert Hyphen: =
- Insert question mark: ?
- Insert parentheses: ( / )
- Insert brackets: [ / ]
- Set as bold: bf
- Set as italics: ital
How to make proofreading marks in Word?
Editing a document in Word has made it easier for the proofreaders to edit a document. So, instead of changing the color of the text in Word, the proofreader can instead use ‘Track Changes’ and ‘Comment’ options. Using the copyeditors mark in Word is quite easy; all you have to do is follow the steps mentioned below.
Steps for ‘Track Changes’
Step 1: Open MS Word and open the document which you need to proofread.
Step 2: At the top of the Word Document, you will see a menu bar where you can find ‘Review’. Click on it and look for ‘Track Changes’, as it will turn on the marking. The proofreader can edit the document by keeping the ‘Track Changes’ on, as it allows the editor to keep track of the changes made to the original file.
Step 3: While editing a particular text in the document, for example, if a comma or a full stop is missing, just type the changes you want, and it will appear in red color automatically.
Step 4: If you want to delete a particular sentence or part of the text from the Word document, all you have to do is select the wording and press ‘Delete’. Here, the original text won’t be deleted but you’ll rather see a ‘red cross – outline’ on it.
You can also hide all the red changes by selecting the ‘No Markup’ option instead of ‘All Markup’. It will mask all your actions and make them look like your usual add/delete processes while keeping the changes tracked.
Steps for ‘Comment’
Step 1: Click ‘Review’ on the menu bar of the Word document and select ‘New Comment’.
Step 2: Select the text in the document which you want to comment on. The word document will shift towards the left while making way for the comment column on the right. The comment column looks like a sticky note where the copyeditors can add a comment.
Step 3: You can move on to the other parts of the document and if you click on the ‘New Comment’, the next comment column will be numbered automatically.
Chicago manual of style proofreading marks
Proofreading is the last and final stage of the writing process where the editors recommend changes in your final draft to make it ready to publish. The Chicago manual proofreading marks quiz will test the knowledge of the proofreaders in terms of ‘The Chicago Manual of Style’. Outlined below is an example of the editing and proofreading quiz as per the manual.
1. He double-majored in Telecommunication and Information Technology
- Is the hyphen in double-majored correct?
Or
- Is it conflicting to the rule of Chicago Style.
2. ‘How I Met Your Mother’, first aired on March 31, 2014, on CBS.
- Is a comma at the end of the title correct?
Or
- There’s no need for a comma at the end of the title.
Answering such questions will test your knowledge as a proofreader and allow you to learn the basic editing and proofreading styles of ‘The Chicago Manual of Styles’.
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