A Question to Volunteer Proofreaders

[GollyRojer]

Hi, proofreaders. I've volunteered, and want to know what methods you guys use. I know the old obsolete symbols that would be entered by hand, but I can't imagine anyone is still using those. I also know that many proofreaders use Microsoft Word because it keeps a record of changes made, so that the author can compare edits with their original. And, it's conceivable that you just make changes to the text you've been sent and send the edited version back as a text file.

So how are you guys handling it?

 

[NotWise]

In proofing for work, I've always used the word processor's "record changes" function, whether in Word of LibreOffice.

I also use marginal comments.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Change tracking + comments, whether in Word or Gdocs or some other product, is pretty standard. Definitely want the author to be able to see changes/suggestions rather than simply accepting all the proofreader's changes.

 

[THBGato]

Like Bramblethorn, when I beta-read for other authors, I just use the comment function on Google Docs.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I usually use tracked changes for edits, and lots of comments. For both work and on Lit. Work is sometimes less snarky.

 

[TheLobster]

The sole time I had a beta-reader, we used Google Docs and it worked great.