Proofreading provides the final polish to your words, ensuring clarity of message. It can provide peace of mind that your communications are the best they can be, and if frees you up to concentrate on what you do best.

Here are my top 5 benefits of proofreading:

1. Provide objectivity and a fresh pair of eyes as the author of a document or manuscript will often read what they expect to see.
2. Check on word usage and identify or amend words or phrases that your spellchecker would not spot, such as ‘that’ instead of ‘than’ or ‘to’ instead of ‘too’.
3. Check spelling, grammar, and style, and correct misspelled words or identify words used in the wrong context, like ‘their’, ‘there’, or ‘they’re’.
4. Avoid repetition of words, phrases, or ideas.
5. Provide peace of mind and assurance that your document/manuscript is the best that you can make it and will be understood by the reader.

The last step before you submit or publish a document/manuscript should be to retain the services of a professional proofreader/virtual assistant. The value of a proofreader is this: After they reviewed and revised a document/manuscript, you can be sure that it is ready for your intended audience to read.