Proofreading Reports
Reports, defined as ‘written accounts of facts that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated’, can be diverse and varied. Many organizations, including governments, businesses, the media and educational disciplines make use of reports. Reports should be accurate in their presentation, context and style; they should be free of all kinds of grammatical and stylistic error
s. Making a report suitable for publication entails writing, editing and assimilating the information that will be used in it. When proofreading a government report on Energy Conservation, consistency is of the utmost importance. For example, it should be absolutely clear throughout the text whether one is referring to a metric ‘tonne’ or simply a ‘ton’. This is only one example of where errors can arise in the text, and it is these inconsistencies that have to be checked before a report is published. Accuracy in reports cannot be over-emphasized as inconsistencies in the text can lead to extreme errors, for example, ‘a company waved its claim for a fairer deal’. Professional proofreading will ensure that sentences are free of jargon, repetition and that they are not chock-a-block with factual mistakes. A simple error like the insertion of a comma in the wrong place can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, in ‘the crystal ball’ there is no comma between ‘crystal’ and ‘ball’, which is a compound noun. Dates should be presented consistently throughout a document. For example, 23 July 2006, is clear and easy to read; here figures are separated by a word, but it should not be July 30, 2006 in another part of the text. The same applies for the names of organizations, especially when capitalization must be adhered to. References in a report must be presented in a precise and systematic manner and in keeping with a stipulated house style. Since 1999 Apollocommunication has helped government bodies and businesses to adopt an appropriate house style where one is not in place already. A house style is meant to ensure consistency in presentation of the written word. A report that has been proofread and presented in a professional manner will be free of jargon, spelling mistakes and precise in its meaning.
____________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
