Key points: ● Have the text in your figures proofread before converting them into an image. ● Remember to translate the text in your figures if you have created them using your first language. ● Check whether you need to use points or commas as decimal separators in your data points. ● Take care when copying or re-sizing your images. Figure preparation is not always within your control, especially when you are working with co-authors! It’s also easy to overlook your data pres

A lot of people in the UK, and indeed in other parts of the world, will tell you that ‘z’ spellings (usually verbs, e.g., realize, organize and summarize) are American English and examples of Americanisation (Americanization!). They maintain that ‘realise’, ‘organise’ and ‘summarise’ are the correct way to spell those verbs in British English. These days, ‘-ise’ spellings are more common in British English texts but you can actually use either ‘s’ or ‘z’ spellings, as long as

Sometimes I don't have a style guide to work from, for example, when authors haven’t decided which journal to submit their work to and they want to keep their options open. I can still do the proofreading, but these are some of the things I check with the author(s) early in the process. Would the author(s) prefer British or US spelling? Knowing this helps me to standardize the spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary throughout the document. If I’m working with a student

Other proofreaders will approach jobs differently but there are some things I know will save me time and confusion in the long run. I generally work on Word documents and there are five things I check before I even begin the proofreading: This sounds obvious, but can I open and save the document? If I can’t, I need to let the author know as soon as possible, especially if we’re in very different time zones and the time frame for the proofreading is short. Has the author sele