Contents for Mark My Words: Instruction and Practice in Proofreading, Third Edition

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Preface

Chapter 1. The Principles of Proofreading

• What proofreading is
• Comparison proofreading
• Noncomparison proofreading
• What a proofreader does
• How much authority a proofreader has
• How proofreading and copy editing differ
• What it takes to proofread well
• What the methods of comparison proofreading are
• How to proofread
• Why standard marks are best
• When to use standard marks
• How to mark for correction
• What you need to know

Chapter 2. Standard Proofmarks

• Rules for using standard marks
• Cautions
• Five classes of correction
• Names of proofmarks
• The basic marks
• Deletion
• Simple deletion
• Deletion with the close-up mark
• Distinguishing simple deletion from deletion with the close-up mark
• Insertion
• Short outs
• Long outs
• Insertion of space
• Replacement
  • Transposition
  • Special replacement marks
• Correcting wrong proofreading marks
• Standard marginal marks for punctuation and symbols
• Hyphens, dashes, and minus signs
• Parentheses, brackets, and braces
• Other punctuation
• Type marks

Chapter 3. Standard Proofmarks, Continued

• Moving type and space
• Placement
• Alignment
• Contour
• Line, word, and letter spacing
• Breaks
• Written-out instructions
• Measuring type and space
• Typewriter quality
• Character width
• Word spacing
• Indention
• Type size
• Line spacing
• Type quality from different kinds of equipment
• Desktop publishing and typeset quality
• Absolute measurements: Points and picas
• Fixed spaces: Ems and fractions of ems
• Variable spacing
• Recommendations for useful marking
• List of standard proofmarks

Chapter 4. More on Marks

• Alternative marks
• Book system vs. guideline system
• Recognizable variations
• Bad breaks
• Less space
• Line spacing
• Uncommon marks
• Understanding editing marks
• Standard editing marks
• Modified marking techniques

Chapter 5. Methods of Proofreading

• The three main methods
• Comparison proofreading
• Two main methods of comparison proofreading
• Solo proofreading
• Team proofreading
• Solo or team: Which is better?
• Two less common methods
• Tape proofreading
• Electronic-partner proofreading
• Proofreading speeds
• Techniques of solo proofreading
• Tools
• How much to read
• Reading aloud
• Separate steps
• Review
• Techniques of team proofreading
• General description
• Speed
• Agreement between partners
• Vocalization
• What to read aloud
• Useful shortcuts
• Punctuation and type style
• Numbers
• Symbols and diacritical marks
• Noncomparison proofreading
• Proofreading with little attention to dead copy
• Proofreading with no dead copy
• Proofreading with computers
• Scamping
• Direct correcting
• Dual keyboarding
• Spellcheck programs
• Editing programs

Chapter 6. Process, Procedures, and Tasks

• The role of proofreading in production
• Several proofreading passes
• Preparatory steps
• Steps with first proofs
• Page proofs, repros, and other camera-ready copy
• Review
• Initials and mark-off
• Finishing touches
• Revising
• Re-proofreading
• Special treatment
• References
• Tables
• Special tasks
• Sorted material
• Problem tasks
• New problems to solve

Chapter 7. Queries and Corrections

• Queries
• How corrections and queries differ
• Why query?
• What to query
• Forms of queries
• Queries written on live copy
• Query slips
• Query lists
• Content of queries
• Recurring errors
• Special abbreviations
• Speed in querying
• Cautions in querying
• Alterations and corrections
• Summary of errors and problems to mark or query (or ignore)

Chapter 8. Tips, Traps, and Reminders

• Alignment
• Communicator's signals
• Composition codes
• Confusion, sources of
• Diacritical marks
• Electronic copy problems
• Ethics
• Fact checking
• Figures
• Handwriting
• Illustrations
• Insurance
• Proverbs for proofreaders
• Publishing conventions
• Callouts
• Manuscript formatting
• Pagination
• Punctuation inside closing quotes
• Punctuation in italic and boldface
• Quality of type
• Quotations
• Recurring errors
• Scanner copy
• Spacing
• Spelling
• Style, editorial
• Tricks of the trade for proofreaders
• Word division
• Marks
• Style differences
• Frequent errors

Appendix A. Proofmarks: A Cheat Sheet

• Summary
• Explanation
• Five general rules
• Basic marks
• The kitestring system

Appendix B. Proofreader's Job Description (for solo comparison)

Appendix C. Standards for Proofreaders

• Accuracy
• Errors made by typists and typesetters
• Errors missed by proofreaders
• Speed
• Equivalents
• Summary

Appendix D. Tools for Measuring Type

• Leading and line gauges
• Pica and agate rulers

Appendix E. Editing Marks and Proofmarks Compared

Index

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