Proofreading checklist: before and after balancing

This checklist will help you review a typeset book, whether you are reading the first draft or a later revision. It explains what to check now and what to check after the final page layout is settled.

Before balancing: check the text, completeness, formatting and content of the book. Finish any rewriting and agree the wording.

After balancing: check the final page layout, page numbers and anything that depends on where material appears.

Balancing is the final adjustment of facing pages, spacing and page breaks. It can move text, notes and illustrations to different pages. That is why final page-number checks come later.

How to send clear corrections

• Work on the latest PDF supplied for review. Use the commenting tools in Adobe Acrobat Reader and follow the PDF markup instructions. Give exact replacement wording; use notes for layout instructions.

• Refer to the page number printed on the page. Printed page 1 may be the eleventh page in the PDF because of the pages before the main text. For an unnumbered page, give its title and the PDF page position, clearly labelled.

• If several people are reviewing the book, combine their comments into one agreed set and resolve conflicting instructions before returning it.

• Save the annotated PDF, reopen it to confirm that the comments are present, and return that file.

Complete textual corrections before balancing wherever possible. Rewriting afterwards can change page breaks and require further balancing. If you discover a real error in a balanced proof, report it; do not leave it uncorrected simply because the layout is finished. Ask which pages and references will need checking again.

Before balancing: check the content

Use these checks on every unbalanced draft. Skip items that do not apply to your book. The author or editor still needs to review the content, even when the typesetter carries out technical checks.

1. Text and completeness

Read for spelling, grammar, punctuation and errors missed before typesetting. Check names, dates and facts. Compare with the agreed manuscript wherever you suspect missing or duplicated text, especially at chapter openings, endings and transitions. Flag any remaining placeholders.

For a repeated correction, specify its scope and any exceptions. Broad find-and-replace instructions can change unintended words or passages, so each occurrence should be checked.

2. Formatting and consistency

Check headings, paragraphs, lists, quotations and emphasis. Make sure italics, bold and small capitals appear where intended. Give a clear example: “Please format this heading like the one on page 24.” Labels such as “Heading A” or “extract” can mean different things to different people.

3. Table of contents: wording and coverage

Check that every required chapter and section appears, in the right order and at the right heading level. Match each entry to the heading in the book, allowing for any agreed shortened wording. Check lists of illustrations and tables too. Leave the final page-number check until after balancing.

4. Running heads: wording

Running heads are the short titles at the top of the pages. Check that they identify the correct book, chapter or section. If a title is too long, as in the example below, add a comment at the chapter heading with the exact shorter wording to use.

The wording on left- and right-hand pages may differ according to the book’s design. Mark a repeated wording change at its first occurrence and say that it applies throughout the chapter. Check the final styling, including italics and special characters, after balancing.

5. Footnotes and endnotes: text and numbering

Check that every note reference points to the right note, that no notes are missing or duplicated, and that the text is complete. Confirm whether numbering should continue or restart at each chapter. For an automatic numbering problem, flag it once at the start of the affected chapter; there is no need to renumber every note by hand.

Some books use manual or partly automated notes, such as the compact notes below. Ask the typesetter how numbering changes should be marked in those cases.

To remove a whole note, mark its reference number in the main text for deletion and add “Delete this note and its reference.” This makes the instruction unambiguous. Check note wording now; check final note placement and awkward splits after balancing.

6. Hyphenation: transliterated and foreign-language words

You do not need to check routine English hyphenation. Focus on transliterated words and words in other languages. For a foreign-language word, attach a comment identifying the language, for example, “Hyphenate according to French.”

For a transliteration, give the permitted breakpoints. In be~~ra~chot, one tilde (~) marks the preferred break and two mark the second choice; three can mark a less desirable option. More than one breakpoint can have the same preference. These are instructions for the typesetter, not characters to print in the book. The typesetter can apply the rule to repeated occurrences.

If a word must stay together, say “Do not hyphenate.” Do not add a permanent hyphen merely to fix a line ending. My usual preference is to avoid breaking capitalized or already hyphenated words, or breaking a word across pages or columns, where the spacing allows. See Wonky Hyphenation for examples.

7. Web addresses and live links

Check that each printed web address is accurate and each clickable link opens the intended page. A working link can still lead to the wrong destination. Flag long addresses that run into the margin; the typesetter can adjust their line breaks while preserving the link. Do not insert an extra hyphen into an address. See this Chicago Manual of Style explanation of URL line breaks.

8. Chapter and section structure

Check chapter numbers, heading order and the distinction between main headings and subheadings. Make sure no heading, paragraph or section is missing or repeated. Agree the structure now; leave checks for stranded headings and very short final chapter pages until after balancing.

9. Images, captions and requested sizes

Check that every image is present, is the correct version, and has the right caption, number and credit. Check cropping, orientation and any labels within the image. Confirm that it belongs with the surrounding discussion.

I initially place images as large as the text area and their print quality allow. If an image looks blurred or is too small for its purpose, flag it and supply a better original if available. Ask the typesetter to confirm suitability at the intended printed size; enlarging a low-resolution image does not restore detail.

To request a smaller image, add a sticky note on it with the required width in centimetres. See how to mark image sizes and placement.

To place several images on one line, identify exactly which images should be grouped and in what order. In the example below, “merge 4” requests a row of four images.

Large gaps or awkward image positions may be temporary while images remain attached to the relevant text. Final spacing and placement are checked after balancing. Flag anything that obscures text now so it can still be proofread.

10. Tables and numerical data

Check table titles, row and column headings, values, units, totals, symbols and explanatory notes. Make sure each value sits under the right heading and that the table agrees with references to it in the text. Flag missing rows, clipped entries or type that is too small to read. Final page breaks and surrounding spaces are checked after balancing.

11. Special characters and other languages

Check accents, transliteration marks, Hebrew or other scripts, mathematical symbols, superscripts and subscripts. Look for missing characters, empty squares and misplaced marks. Check reading order and punctuation where languages are mixed. Provide the exact correct character or wording when requesting a correction.

12. Quotations, citations and bibliography

Check quotations against their sources and verify authors’ names, titles, publication details and cited page or verse numbers. Make sure citations identify the intended source and that required bibliography entries are present and consistent. Identify the correct target of an internal cross-reference now; verify its final page number after balancing.

13. Front and back matter

Check the title and subtitle, author and contributor names, title page, copyright page, edition details, ISBN where supplied, dedication and acknowledgements. Check appendices, glossary, bibliography and other required sections. Make sure everything is present, correctly ordered and ready for publication.

14. Previous corrections and readiness to balance

Compare each revised draft with the corrections you returned. Confirm that each correction was implemented as intended, including nearby punctuation and formatting, and resolve outstanding queries. Before asking for balancing, make sure all contributors have finished their content review and all required text and images have been supplied.

After balancing: check the final pages

Use these checks on every balanced proof. If later corrections move material, repeat the affected checks, especially page numbers, cross-references and image placement.

1. Table of contents and other lists

Check every entry against the finished book: wording, order, heading level and printed page number. Do the same for lists of illustrations and tables. Repeat the page-number check if a later proof changes pagination.

2. Running heads: final appearance

Check wording, left- and right-hand placement, and changes at chapter or section boundaries. Check italics, small capitals, accents and other scripts. Flag overlong headings or collisions with page numbers. For a repeated formatting correction, mark the first occurrence and state its scope; still inspect the remaining pages for exceptions.

3. Footnote placement and splits

A long footnote may legitimately continue onto the next page. Check that each footnote starts on the page containing its reference and that any continuation is clear and complete. Flag the final line of a paragraph within a footnote left alone at the top of the next page, a misplaced separator, or a note colliding with the main text or an image. See the explanation of widows and orphans.

4. Internal cross-references

Verify every reference to another page, chapter, section, note, figure or table, whether it was entered manually or generated automatically. Replace placeholders such as “page XX” and check wording such as “above,” “below” and “opposite” against the final layout.

5. Chapter endings and stranded headings

Check that the last page of each chapter has at least three lines of main text, unless an exception has been agreed. Flag a heading left at the bottom of a page without enough following text, an isolated opening or closing line of a paragraph, or an awkwardly short final line.

6. Final image placement

Confirm that each image is still beside the relevant discussion, with its correct caption and credit. Check the final size, crop, order of grouped images and legibility of labels. Make sure images and captions do not overlap text, notes or page numbers.

7. Final table layout

Check that each table is in the right place and fully visible. If it continues onto another page, make sure the continuation is clear and column headings are repeated where needed. Check that rows, notes and units remain understandable and that no entries have been lost or clipped.

8. Page numbers and page sequence

Check that page numbers run in the correct sequence and appear where the design requires them. Confirm the agreed numbering for the pages before the main text, often lower-case roman numerals, and the start of the main sequence, usually page 1. Check intentional blank pages and chapter openings; a page without a printed number may still count in the sequence.

9. Repeated citations and “Ibid.”

Follow the book’s agreed citation style. If “Ibid.” is used, check that it still refers unambiguously to the immediately preceding note and the correct source and page. If the publisher requires a fuller citation at the start of a page, check this now. A page break alone does not automatically call for “Ibid.” For clarification, see Chicago’s guidance on repeated citations.

10. Index

If the book has an index, check the final version after pagination is settled. Check entries, alphabetical order, subentries, page numbers and ranges, and “see” or “see also” references. Make sure the index has been updated after any changes that moved text.

11. A complete visual page check

Look through every page, preferably as facing pages as well as individually. Flag missing or duplicated material, unexpected blank areas, overlapping elements, uneven spacing and clipped text. Check chapter openings and transitions carefully. Recheck any transliterated or foreign-language words whose line breaks have changed.

12. Final corrections and approval

Confirm that the latest corrections have been applied correctly and that every query is resolved. Recheck any pages or references affected by those changes. Give approval against the exact PDF filename or version you reviewed, and make clear if anything is still outstanding. Approval of an earlier draft does not cover a later revised file.

If you are unsure about an item, ask before approving the book. A short query now is easier to resolve than a correction after printing.