A Quick Guide for Proofreading Jobs

Proofreading jobs require quite a few skills and professional training. Are you passionate about reading and have a keen eye for checking the details? 

If so, you need training on proofreading style guides and online proofreading tools to master the skills required for proofreading jobs.

The content is the most valued asset of this era. Many companies, publishers, product developers, academicians, and students are always in search of online proofreaders to get their content proofread. 

As the demand is high, the remote proofreaders are paid well and are privileged to work from remote locations/proofread anywhere.

Proofreading Jobs Online

As mentioned earlier, proofreading jobs require a keen eye for details. There was a time when proofreaders were reading articles in hard copies and were using proofreading symbols to mark the corrections.

In the era of the internet, most of the proofreading services are done online with the help of some proofreading tools.

Proofreading Checklist

As the online proofreaders receive edited articles for review, their accuracy level should be higher than copyeditors’ accuracy. The general checklist of online proofreading include:

1. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation – this does not only cover correcting erroneous spelling but also checking whether the article follows US/UK spelling, style, usage of words, etc. as per the given guidelines.
2. Sentence structure and clarity of content – this check covers the readability of sentences, grammatical agreement of sentences, and preciseness of the content.
3. Consistency of text with artwork, graphs, tables, and other elements of the article – checking whether the data given in the writing is in agreement with display elements of the article. For example, if the text is specifying thousands of employees, the graph visualizing the data should also denote thousands of employees.
4. The correctness of citations – includes citations for all the elements such as tables, graphs, artworks, footnotes, and references. The online proofreader needs to check whether all the cited elements are presented and vice versa.

In addition to these points, professional proofreaders get serious when it comes to following style guides such as MLM, APA, and Chicago. The style guides describe the presentation style for every single element of the article. I have listed below a few guidelines for your understanding:

1. Writing author names with initials or full names.
2. Usage of acronyms and abbreviations.
3. The style for foreign language words (italics/bold).
4. Citation style – fig. or figure for artwork, (1) or [1] or superscript (1) for reference/footnote citations, etc.
5. The necessary elements and style for reference, bibliography, etc.

The style guides run for a few hundred pages; you may purchase the guides, go through the instructions, and get yourself familiarized with the styles. The best seller of APA is available on Amazon: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 7th Edition, 2020 Copyright.

Proofreader Salary

I would say the payment for proofreaders vary based on the following factors:

1. Expertise – proofreaders who have proven a high level of proofreading skills receive high payment and are given regular work.
2. Efficiency – an efficient proofreader reads more pages in a day, whereas a few proofreaders are a bit slow in proofreading. The more pages you proofread in a day, the more will be the pay.
3. Level of proofreading – the content publishers classify the level of proofreading basis the requirement. The levels can be simple, medium, and complex (or levels 1, 2, or 3).
4. Subject – academics, mathematics, medical division, litigation, business writing, etc., are the subjects online proofreaders mostly focus on. The payments depend on the subject and the depth of content.

Freelance proofreaders go through the requirements such as level of proofreading, general guidelines, schedule, and budget before accepting the contract.

Remote proofreading job is a lot different from freelance proofreading contracts. The remote proofreaders are working with a team of other proofreaders and publishers, and they get a fixed salary.

Freelance proofreaders’ salary varies widely as they have to manage their schedules, build rapport with their clients, and search for regular work.

You may check on Glassdoor or Indeed to get a rough figure of how much the proofreaders are making.

Online Proofreading Jobs from Home

As mentioned earlier, most of the proofreaders are privileged to work from home. With the help of internet connectivity, computer/laptop, and power supply, online proofreaders are managing their work from home.

Some of the companies and publishers provide their tools and in-built metadata to the proofreaders to automate the tasks. Though the tools cannot handle the complete proofreading, they somewhat help the online proofreaders to check the style elements.

You can read the article 'Professional Tips for Working From Home' to get complete guidance to handle your job from home without any hassle.

How to Get Online Proofreading Jobs?

You may directly write to the companies and publishers to find an online proofreading job. Sending a well-written resume, cover letter, and sample copy of the article you have proofread will help you to get the remote proofreading job. The job portals are also frequently posting openings in online proofreading.

You may also read the blog ‘Google online work-from-home jobs’ to understand the project opportunities available on Google.

Remote Proofreading Jobs for Beginners

Are beginners/freshers recruited for remote proofreading jobs? Yes, if you hone your proofreading skills. You may join online courses, read through style guides, and start doing sample projects.

Recruiters appreciate your effort when you submit your sample projects for their review. The sample project does not only show your level of expertise but also expresses your interest in the work and job initiation skills.

Conclusion

Though remote works have their cons such as isolation from colleagues, no on-the-go coffee, and lesser walk through streets, people prefer work from home jobs to manage their other responsibilities. Scheduling your timing is great as long as you stick to the schedule. When you are your boss, never excuse laziness interfere with work.

Online proofreading is an excellent job for those who love reading and can spot errors as they read through the articles. I would like to know how your online proofreading journey goes, share your experience in the comments section.