Phase VI: Proofreading and Final Copy

Summary

Once the article is out of copy-editing and all outstanding edits have been addressed, the article is sent to the proofreader. Lead editors should email the assigned copy-editor and proofreader once fact-checking has begun so they know to expect a draft. Proofreaders work to make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes and that citations are properly formatted. Proofreaders do not make changes to wording or language beyond fixing mistakes. Once the proofreader has finished their review, they initial their work in the spreadsheet and send the final document back to the lead editor. The lead editor creates a new, final copy of the manuscript, adds it to to the Final Drafts folder, and notifies the Managing Editor.

Total time: 1 week

Suggested deadline: Proofreaders should be given ~3 days to turn around edits.

Editor action items: Make a clean copy of the document to send to the proofreader; check edits and accept/reject as necessary; when finalized, make a final copy (including pull quotes and word count) and notify the managing editor

What else you need to know:

Read more about the Copy Editing Process and see our Style Guide.

Once the articles are out of proofreading, editors will add the hyperlink to the final copy to the spreadsheet and complete this checklist, which includes selecting pull-quotes and determining final word counts. Remember to make sure that the title and authors are correct!