Free

Here are 10 easy ways to proofread your own work.

These are:

1. Wait a few days before proofreading your work.
2. Avoid distractions.
3. Read your work out loud to someone.
4. Double check spellings of academic, scientific and technical terms.
5. Proofread all parts of your work.
6. Print out a hard copy of your work.
7. Check your work for overused words.
8. Proofread small chunks of text at a time.
9. Use a spell checker.
10. Proofread your work slowly.

This is the second cheat sheet in the series. If you find yourself repeating the same words continually you will find it invaluable. Download the free PDF to find out which words are the most overused and suggestions for synonyms to replace them with. For example, important : significant, substantial, meaningful, critical, vital, notable With this cheat sheet your work will become an absorbing read!

This is the first in my series of cheat sheets, providing you with a convenient list of the most commonly misspelt words in English. Print out the attached pdf and stick it on your wall for quick reference.

There are a staggering number of free software tools out there. Here are my favourites which I recommend to my clients.

1. Ghotit (Windows, free online service)
This is a very helpful plugin for Microsoft Word which is written for people with dyslexia. It uses a contextual spell checker, which means that it will catch more mistakes than traditional spell checkers. Even if you don't use Microsoft Word you might also find this free online service of value.
http://www.ghotit.com/