Proofreading: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What proofreading is

A proofreader checks a finished document for spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting errors. They correct the mistakes without rewriting your content, which makes proofreading the last check before a document is printed, published or sent.

Signs you need it

  • Your document is final, but you suspect typos or inconsistent formatting after several rounds of edits.
  • A printed or published version must be error free, such as a brochure, catalog, menu or annual report.
  • Headings, page numbers, fonts or list styles change from one section to the next.
  • You have read the text so many times that you no longer see the errors.
  • A reader has already caught mistakes in an earlier version.
  • The document is going to a client, funder or public audience where errors look careless.

What the pro does

  • Confirms the final version and the format it will be printed or published in.
  • Checks spelling, grammar and punctuation line by line, including names and places that are easy to misspell.
  • Checks headings, numbering, captions, bullet styles and fonts for consistency across the whole document.
  • Looks for words that are spelled correctly but wrong in context, such as the wrong form of a word.
  • Returns a marked copy showing each correction, with a short list of questions where the meaning is unclear.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Length of the document and the number of pages or slides.
  • Number of images, tables and captions that need checking.
  • Whether the text is in more than one language or uses specialist terms.
  • Whether the proofreader checks a printed proof or only the digital file.
  • Turnaround time when the printer or publisher has a fixed date.
  • Whether a second check is needed after the corrections are made.

What a written quote should spell out

  • The document length and the file format the proofreader will receive.
  • Whether corrections are shown as tracked changes, a marked copy or a clean copy.
  • What is checked, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting.
  • Whether the proofreader checks the final print proof or only the digital file.
  • The turnaround date, and whether a second check is included.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Will you change my wording, or only fix errors?
  • Do you check headings, captions, page numbers and table contents?
  • Can you work in my file format, and will you return a marked copy and a clean copy?
  • Do you check the printed proof too, or only the digital file?
  • Which style guide do you follow, and can I give you my own house rules?
  • How many errors do you usually find in a document like mine?

Red flags

  • Rewrites sentences you asked them to keep as they are.
  • Returns the document with no marks showing what changed.
  • Promises that the document will be free of any error after a single read.
  • Does not ask which spelling style or house rules to follow.
  • Works from a copy that is not the final version and does not confirm before starting.

What you can do yourself

You can run spell check, read the text backward sentence by sentence to catch typos, and check headings and page numbers in print preview. Hire a proofreader when the document will be printed, published or submitted to someone who will judge it, or when you have read it so often that you cannot see the errors.

Licenses and permits

Proofreading is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about general business rules, and ask the proofreader for samples of work in your document type as proof of skill.

Proofreading questions

Can a proofreader change my content?

They should correct errors only. If they see a problem with the content, they should flag it with a comment and leave the decision to you. Confirm this before work starts.

Should I send a PDF or the original file?

Send the original editable file, since corrections are easier to make in it. If the layout is final and only a PDF exists, ask whether the proofreader can work from that.

Do I need to check the proof after the corrections?

For a printed piece, yes. Check the corrected print proof before you approve it, since changes sometimes move text and shift page breaks.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer proofreading remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

Edit history

How guide reviews work

How it works

  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See screened pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

More writing, editing and translation guides

Find a pro near you

Find a pro

About this guide

Request proofreading