{"id":224,"date":"2023-12-12T10:49:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T10:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/?p=224"},"modified":"2023-12-12T13:33:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T13:33:38","slug":"content-proofreading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate Checklist for Content Proofreading for Content Writers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_58 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69ea15e6ebedd\" ><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input aria-label=\"Toggle\" aria-label=\"item-69ea15e6ebedd\"  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69ea15e6ebedd\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#Proofreading_Checklist_Every_Content_Writer_Should_Have\" title=\"Proofreading Checklist Every Content Writer Should Have\">Proofreading Checklist Every Content Writer Should Have<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#1_Review_the_topic\" title=\"1. Review the topic\">1. Review the topic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#2_Structure_and_format\" title=\"2. Structure and format\">2. Structure and format<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#3_Copywriting\" title=\"3. Copywriting\">3. Copywriting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#4_Readability\" title=\"4. Readability\">4. Readability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#5_Reference_links_and_attributions\" title=\"5. Reference links and attributions\">5. Reference links and attributions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#The_Meticulous_Proofreading_Process_We_Follow_At_Degefy\" title=\"The Meticulous Proofreading Process We Follow At Degefy\">The Meticulous Proofreading Process We Follow At Degefy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/content-proofreading\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does proofreading by humans still matter, even with AI-powered apps like Grammarly that verify everything from spelling mistakes to sentence formation?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, proofreading retains its importance because AI-powered apps cannot verify factors like clarity or style that humans can. By proofreading your article through an experienced proofreader or editor belonging to a reputed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/\"><b>content writing agency<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you ensure your write-up creates the right impression, and your message is conveyed correctly to the audience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many times, we think proofreading is a waste of time. Finalizing your content after doing a check on an AI-powered app is a risk. It can affect your content&#8217;s readability and accuracy. Many times, AI tools do not identify the subtle meanings or context of your text and may even suggest inappropriate changes, which, when accepted, can be disastrous. Though you may have a great product, poorly edited writing, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate capitalization can make your brand look unprofessional and increase the effort of the reader to understand it. Typos and grammar errors can ruin the content&#8217;s flow and irritate readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many readers will ultimately not read the piece of writing as they are turned off by the errors. What&#8217;s more, poor quality of content on your website can affect your brand value and cause damage to your reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make proofreading an indispensable part of content writing, you need a proofreading checklist that your writers can refer to so that your content is perfect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Proofreading_Checklist_Every_Content_Writer_Should_Have\"><\/span><b>Proofreading Checklist Every Content Writer Should Have<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This checklist contains everything you need to verify while proofreading your content:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Review_the_topic\"><\/span><b>1. Review the topic<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step is to review the finished content and check if it aligns with your overall content and marketing strategy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check if it matches your intent, whether to educate readers or to establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verify if the content matches the interests of your customers based on your buyer persona and if it has solutions for their pain points.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check if your post keeps up with the current trends, seasons, or events.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch out for any outdated strategies or tips that need to be replaced.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, a proofreader&#8217;s job begins even before the writing job has started, i.e., via reviewing the entire topics stringently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Structure_and_format\"><\/span><b>2. Structure and format<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you have reviewed the intent of your article, you can move on to the technical aspects of your content, such as the formatting or structuring.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Flow<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Verify if your content makes sense from beginning to end. Check the introduction of the article and how you are going from one subheading to another. Verify the logic of the post as a whole and check if the thought in the post is well-organized. You can establish flow in your content by adding questions, images, and relevant statistics.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Hierarchy of headings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ensure you have used the appropriate headings to organize your content. You also need to check if the sub-topics to main headings are properly organized. Make sure your writing has bullet points instead of long paras. Make the most use of H1, H2, and H3.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>White space<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: White spaces are a big turn-off! It&#8217;s important that, as a proofreader, you ensure there is proper spacing between the words, paragraphs, and images, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that formatting and structure are covered, it is time to look at the other technical aspects:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Copywriting\"><\/span><b>3. Copywriting<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Grammar and spelling<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This is where you can leverage an AI-powered tool like Grammarly to help you spot mistakes in spelling and grammar that you can instantly correct. However, it is important to note that suggestions by Grammarly are not always right. Hence, you need to use your expertise here.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Plagiarism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Check if your post is free from plagiarism and see if you have cited the sources properly and attributed them correctly to any third parties from whom you may have borrowed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Active and passive voice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Read the content out loud to see if there is a healthy balance of active and passive voice. The use of too much passive voice can make your content look flat and also make a sentence unnecessarily complicated. Ideally, the passive voice in your content should be 10% or less. Active voice makes the content clearer for readers and prevents it from becoming too wordy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Introduction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The introduction should be so impressive that it will hook the reader to read the entire article. Some kickstart ways to do it are storytelling, comparison, statistics, and question marks. This helps arouse emotions and generates curiosity in the minds of the readers, making them read the entire piece.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a screenshot of how we used storytelling to explain a complex topic in a technical blog we wrote for a client:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-225 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy1.png 512w, https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy1-300x188.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Image: Introducing the topic \u2018Significance of cross-browser testing\u2019 in storytelling format<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Readability\"><\/span><b>4. Readability<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your post should be reader-friendly, with adequate white space. Here is what you need to check:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">See that text styles like bold or italics are used sufficiently to give the readers a break from the usual text and help them easily spot the takeaways while skimming the article.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure that content is understandable to the average consumer without jargon that can confuse them. One way to check if your content is reader-friendly is by seeing if your content is easy enough to be understood by a sixth-grader.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hemingwayapp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hemingway App<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make your writing more readable and look better. It is an editor that highlights and improves the grammar, fluency, and sentence structure of your content.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-226 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy2.jpg 512w, https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/degefy2-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Image: Displays how you can make your content more readable and presentable<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Blue: Shows the adverbs that can be changed to simpler words<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Green: Highlights the passive voice in your content that can be changed to an active voice<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Red: Shows the sentences that are difficult to read<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Pink: Displays phrases that you can replace with simpler alternatives<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Yellow: Shows the sentences that can be hard to understand for readers<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure that content has short paragraphs that can be easily read and contains bullet points, wherever needed. The reader should be able to pinpoint the post\u2019s most useful information easily whenever needed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Reference_links_and_attributions\"><\/span><b>5. Reference links and attributions<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For content to be of high quality, research and references must be added to increase the post\u2019s credibility. Ensure you check these two important factors:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Credibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: See if the sources you have used are credible and trustworthy in your niche. Adding links to reliable sites like Harvard Business Review and Wikipedia establishes the trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Source properly cited:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> See that any quotes, images, or studies are properly credited to the right sources. Refrain from any copyright issues that may occur.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Meticulous_Proofreading_Process_We_Follow_At_Degefy\"><\/span><b>The Meticulous Proofreading Process We Follow At Degefy<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Degefy, our expert content writers and editors follow a systematic process for effective proofreading that ensures every content is readable, optimized, and error-free.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, our editor does a quick check to see if the outline of the post is proper, with a suitable title, introduction, and sub-headings that are properly formatted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, the content is checked to verify if the information is accurate and taken from reliable sources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, the write-up is checked meticulously using reliable tools like Grammarly to identify typos, sentence formation, grammar mistakes, and other errors. We also check each internal and external link to verify if they are from the right sources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If mistakes are found, they are corrected in suggesting mode by the editor, and the content is again given to the writer to modify. The writer is instructed not to remove the comments so that the editor can verify if the changes have been made or not.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We never approve content until we are 100% satisfied with its flow, accuracy, structure, readability, and information, even if it takes multiple checks and many rewritings from the content writer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><b>Conclusion<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether your content is a blog, an email, a social media post, or website content, proofreading should not be overlooked. When your content is error-free and perfect, you boost your authority, make an excellent impression on your audience, and show them how you care about your work and pay attention to detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to derive these benefits, you need to entrust your proofreading to a reliable <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/degefy.com\/content-writing\/\"><b>content writing agency<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like Degefy, which has extensive experience writing and editing content for top brands worldwide. Our seasoned team of content writers and editors will polish your content to perfection, weeding out the mistakes and ensuring that language, tone, and style resonate with your brand\u2019s voice.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does proofreading by humans still matter, even with AI-powered apps like Grammarly that verify everything from spelling mistakes to sentence&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[9,12,17,15],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224\/revisions\/240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/degefy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}