[bksvol-discuss] Proofreading ideas.
- From: "Lynn I" <lynnskyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "bookkshare volunteer list" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:52:10 -0500
Hi Gwen, Kim, and all other volunteers who may be new to proofreading!
I'm sure by now you realize that all of us use different methods to proofread.
We may do things in a different order, but the end result should be a book with
similar characteristics such as standardized fonts, page breaks, paragraphs and
so forth. I well understand that it can seem overwhelming at first, because
there's so much to think about and remember.
Here's what you really need to remember--proofreading is a learning process. It
is not something you learn all at once. For example, it is only in the last few
books I have proofread where I have converted em dashes to double hyphens,
standardized and enlarged chapter heading fonts, and converted smart quotes.
Why didn't I do this before? I didn't understand how to do this even though I
had read the excellent directions provided by several people on this list. It
made me feel pretty inept, so I did nothing about it--and I've been
proofreading books since Spring, 2008.
A few weeks ago, I began an e-mail conversation with Mayrie about something
totally unrelated. I felt comfortable with her, so I asked if I could ask her a
few questions. She graciously agreed, and I sent her an example of text where I
had replaced the em dashes with double hyphens. She looked at it, and told me I
had done it correctly. After that, I was embolden to tackle smart quotes and
changing fonts for chapter headings.
I mention this is a way of encouraging you to begin the process. Start with
something simple--maybe a short book or a children's book. Make sure it's
something that interests you. Also, as others have said, it's very helpful to
begin with books that have been scanned by careful scanners because you will
have less correcting to do.
I'm a Braille reader, and I use JAWS and a Braille display to proofread with. I
set punctuation to most, and read line by line. I do all of my proofreading in
Word. But before I start reading. I refer to my checklist which I have Brailed
on index cards. I personally do certain things before I even read a book. You
can do the same thing using speech. I find a checklist of some kind helps me
remember what I have done, and keeps me from forgetting things. Here's what I
do ... you can use the ideas that are helpful and disregard those that are not.
Remember, we each may have a different process, there is no wrong or right
order here--Use what works well for you.
1. Before I checkout a book to proofread. I look at the book information page.
I highlight and copy pertinent information such as title, author, copyright
date, copyright holder, ISBN number, number of pages, the brief and long
synopsis information, the categories which the submitter has indicated for the
book, and the submitters name and e-mail address (if available). I save this in
a separate text file so that I can refer to it. This also tells me if I'm going
to have to add additional information, or do any editing in that area.
2. After downloading the RTF file, I make a copy of it and store it either in
a different folder on my computer or, as I usually do, on a flash drive. I do
this in the event I make a mess of my original file.
3. Next I open the RTF file and standardize fonts, line spacing and paragraph
format, set the paper size to legal,and immediately save the changes. I don't
proofread technical reference manuals or text books, so it's easy to do the
standardization of fonts and paragraphs.
4. Next, I look to see if the number of pages in my RTF file matches the
number I obtained from the book information page. If it matches, I breathe a
huge sigh of relief. If it does not, I know that I have to figure out why
things don't match. maybe the preliminary pages are not included in the
submitter's page count. Maybe, there are unnumbered pages at the end of the
book. Maybe additional page breaks have been inserted. Maybe there a duplicate
pages. Maybe, there are actually pages missing, and I may have to contact the
submitter and ask to have some pages scanned. In any case, I don't get overly
concerned. The reason for the numbering discrepancy will likely become apparent
as I read through the book. I just know it's something I will have to resolve.
5. Next, I look to see if there is a page numbered as "1." I use that as a
reference point to number the preliminary pages. I'm a very orderly person, so
it's important to me to know what I have to do with page numbers. Everyone does
this differently. Page numbers are not absolutely required. Some books do not
have them. At any rate, once I find a page numbered "1" or find any page
number, I can begin to track page numbers.
6. Next, I do things like convert em dashes to double hyphens, remove "smart"
quotes, split dialog, and make sure there are no spaces either preceding or
following dashes. I also make sure the ellipsis are treated properly.
Instructions for how to do all of these things as available on the "volunteer"
page. Some people spell check prior to reading the book, and again after
reading it. Personally, I do not spell check until I have read the entire book
because I find it too easy to change things I shouldn't such as the spelling of
proper names and certain intended slang words. After I have read the book, I
can more easily recognize what may be a scanning OCR error. But if it's helpful
for you to spell check prior to reading, by all means do so. Just be careful
about what you change.
7. I now begin reading the book. As I read, I make sure that page numbers and
chapter headings are surrounded by a blank line, make sure that there is a
blank line at the top and bottom of each page, change the font of chapter
headings or chapter numbers to Times New Roman 16 point, remove extra blank
lines that should not be there, remove any extra page breaks that have been
accidentally inserted, remove headers or footers at the top or bottom of pages
which contain the book title or authors name (only in the text pages), correct
known OCR errors, and remove any extra characters such as back slashes,
slashes, brackets, spaces, and carets that the OCR program inserted during
scanning. Most of these occurrences are easily caught when punctuation is set
to "most". When I come across a page that is blank, I make sure to insert [This
page contains no text.] If there are picture captions, I make sure they are
noted as such. Again, there are instructions concerning how to deal with
picture captions and descriptions on the "volunteer" page. I'm especially alert
to strange characters that appear at the top and bottom of pages, or at the end
of a line of text. Usually it's pretty obvious that they are "junk characters"
and should be removed.
8. As I read, I make a list of things I need from the submitter such as
missing pages, a rescan of any pages because I cannot figure out what a word or
sentence should be, or any other clarification I may need. I do my best to
include page number references for the submitter, and if I think my question is
confusing, I will copy the particular word or sentence about which I have a
question. I e-mail the complete list of what I need to the submitter after I
have read the entire book, unless I know that I particular submitter likes
questions one at a time.
9. After I receive what I need from the submitter, I make all necessary
changes, spell check the entire document, and copy the file to a folder I have
created on my computer called "submit." Personally, I find it easier to upload
a book when it is the only one in a folder. I've come very close to uploading
the wrong book, so having it in a separate folder is a good insurance policy
for me.
10. Before I upload the book, I open the text file I had saved which contains
the book information and make sure that the title, author's name, copyright
date, copyright holder, ISBN number, publisher, page count, and book categories
match what appears on the book's "checkout" form. I remove any "hold for"
designation that may be in the title. If the book is part of a series, I make
sure that the title reflects that. I also reread the brief synopsis and make
any necessary changes. I usually include a long synopsis if one is not
provided, though it is not necessary to do this if an ISBN number is present. I
do so only because I enjoy knowing as much about a book as possible before I
decide if I want to read it, and I assume others may feel that way also.
I hope this encourages some of you to try your hand at proofreading. The real
key is don't be afraid to try, and most of all, don't be afraid to ask
questions as you go. Asking questions is the only way to learn, and none of
this is easy, at first. *smile*
blessings.
Lynn I
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