Module 2: Working On Pdfs and Digital Material (C) : All Present and Correct'
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antcbeModule 2: Working on PDFs and digital material (c)
‘All present and correct’
Checking what’s there – and what isn’t there
By now you are getting accustomed to checking systematically through a document, listing the
items you need to look at and making sure that they are all present and correct. For example:
• numbering sequences – are they complete, with the numbers neither skipping nor
repeating?
• headings – are all the headings of the same type presented in the same way as each other?
• lists – are they treated in the same way, with the same style of bullet or numbers, the same
closing punctuation (if any) and the same level of indent? There can be more than one style
of list in a document, and that’s fine – as long as each style is consistent each time
• within the text itself, if the same item is mentioned more than once (such as the title of a
book or a company report, or the name of a prominent person), is it the same every time?
If you encounter omissions or duplications, it is best to query these, rather than assuming the
correct order: for example, if a list is numbered from 1 to 10 but there is no item 7, it could
mean that item 7 is missing – or it could mean that the list should have only nine items, and that
the final three must be renumbered. Another example is if a paragraph ends with a comma
rather than a full stop: should the comma be a full stop, or is the last part of the sentence
missing? Never guess!
However, there is more to proofreading than simply reading what’s there; you have to be aware
of what isn’t there, but should be. You might encounter the following missing items:
• a page cross-reference that cannot be filled in until the document is complete, with the
material in its final position and page numbers added
• outstanding/incomplete material, such as new or replacement material to be supplied by
another party
• the full version of an abbreviation – these are usually spelled out at the first mention, with
the abbreviation following in brackets, but this is often forgotten (never make the reader
guess what something means!)
• queries not yet answered – make sure that these are carried forward at every stage,
otherwise they will be forgotten about
• incomplete material that is awaiting the outcome of another event, such as an Act of
Parliament about to be passed and that will bring a change to existing legislation, or a
sporting event such as the Olympic Games about to reach its conclusion.
When you see something that is unfinished, always make sure that it is noted and the
information passed to the relevant person – if you don’t do it, nobody else will!
Similarly, if something is promised, check that it’s delivered – for example:
• a reference to an illustration: is the illustration present, in the appropriate place and
showing what the text says it shows?
• mention of an annual event that occurs on a certain day: is the date correct, not copied over
from the previous year and therefore incorrect for the current year?
• a page cross-reference: does it take the reader to the correct information?
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© M E Aherne and GV Clarke 1 Module 2(c)
• ‘above/below’: is the item in the place described?
It is attention to this ‘bigger picture’ that makes the good proofreader.
Footnotes and endnotes
Some books, articles, reports and other such documents include notes, which appear either as
footnotes (at the foot of the page) or as endnotes (at the end of the article, report, chapter or
book). The copy-editor should ensure that there is a note ‘indicator’ (a superscript number or
letter or footnote symbol) in the text to match the relevant note, and vice versa – there is a note
for each indicator in the text.
We cover notes in more detail later, but footnotes are mentioned here too because there is one
in Assignment B. How you deal with them depends on the type of proof you are working on:
• if you are proofreading a galley (a proof not yet in its final form, not yet divided into actual
pages) of text that contains footnotes, you will need to draw attention both to the text
mention and to the footnote itself so that the typesetter knows which items are to appear
on the same page as each other. Sometimes the footnote appears in the very next line in the
galley, and sometimes all the footnotes for a chapter are grouped at the end. When the
typesetter makes up the pages, the two parts (the text mention with its indicator and
the footnote text itself) must appear on the same page. It will help the typesetter to find
them if you flag them in some way, preferably in the left margin: by the line of text where
the indicator (e.g. an asterisk) appears, put a concise note saying where the footnote is in
the proof; where the footnote appears, put a concise note (again, in the left margin) saying
where the text mention is in the proof;
• if you are working on a document in its final form, and the notes have been placed at the
end but need to become footnotes, you will need to indicate which notes have to be moved
on to which page so that each note is on the same page as its indicator. In later modules we
look in more detail at this procedure and how to rectify the problems it throws up – for now,
we just want you to be aware of the positioning requirements for footnotes.
And now you are ready for Exercise 2.3, which will entail alertness to everything just discussed.
Don’t just read the words – remember the ‘bigger picture’!
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