Style Manuals
For rules of spelling, punctuation, and grammar not covered by the company's house style, the proofreader is expected to refer to a standard style manual for reference. Sometimes the company will ask that a specific standard reference be used, but most often they'll take it for granted that you have some kind of authoritative guide.
Chicago Manual of Style/Words into Type
The two most popular all-inclusive style manuals are The Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press, and Words into Type, published by Prentice Hall. One or the other of these books is probably a must if you plan to pursue proofreading seriously. Which should you buy? They're both excellent, and they both cost around $35. (You may be able to get them cheaper at a discount bookstore. You can also order The Chicago Manual of Style at a discount through VERBATIM. There aren't many differences between the two references, so you may want to choose on the basis of which layout you like better. As a very rough rule of thumb, most people who deal in scholarly work or textbooks use The Chicago Manual of Style, while most businesses and some publishers rely on Words into Type.
AP Stylebook
Another less detailed, but widely used, style manual is The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. It is published by Addison-Wesley. (Neither the Chicago Manual of Style nor Words into Type is available in soft cover.)
Elements of Style
Elements of Style, which is usually mentioned by every proofreader, is also an excellent resource for style. It's not nearly as inclusive as the others we've mentioned, but for basic style, it can't be beat, and it's fun to read besides. It costs reasonable in paperback.
Specialized Style Manuals
There are many style manuals available for specialized areas. The American Medical Association, for example, publishes the Manual for Authors & Editors for people who write, edit, or proofread for medical journals and books. If you find that most of your proofreading business is in a specialized area, you'll probably want to get a style manual for that field.
Style Sheets
Your employer may also ask you to make a style sheet, especially if you're proofreading a book or other long copy. On a style sheet, you note things like which alternative spelling has been used if there is a choice, the way that questions and answers have been set up, the way that lists are handled, etc. For example, let's say that an instructional book uses a question-and-answer format at various points throughout the text.
If you're working for a publisher, you may be given a printed style sheet that includes details of house style, suggests references, i.e., which dictionary and/or style manual to use, and then divides the rest of the sheet according to the types of notations you'll need. However, most employers, if they mention it at all, will just tell you to keep a style sheet.
Making Your Own Style Sheet
To make your own style sheet, take a blank piece of paper and divide it into sections. Some people make one square for each letter of the alphabet, often combining l-J-K and other little-used letters. You'll need both the front and the back to get squares large enough to write in if you use this method. When you have a style detail or a spelling you want to jot down, you put it under the appropriate letter of the alphabet.
Another method is to divide the sheet according to the kinds of notations you're making: one square for spelling; one for abbreviations; one for format; one for punctuation; one for numbers and dates, etc. If the employer doesn't specify the format for the style sheet, do whatever works best for you.
Many businesses employing proofreaders have never heard of such esoteric tools as style sheets; people like this certainly won't care whether you make a style sheet or not. You will care, however, when you get to page 65 and come across the word travelling, which you remember having seen earlier in the copy but can't remember whether it was spelled with one / or two. If you had written it down when you saw it the first time, you wouldn't have to go leafing back through to make sure they were both written the same way.
What to Include on a Style Sheet
What do you include on a style sheet? If your employer doesn't give you any guidelines, you'll have to experiment a bit. Writing down too many things slows down your proofreading, but not including enough wastes time, too, since you usually have to look back through work you've already done. For very short pieces, you may not need a style sheet at all. With experience, you'll get a feel for what should be written down.
Correcting Inconsistencies
In most cases, you'll want to make later inconsistencies conform to the first occurrence. However, if you find that something's been done fifty times one way and only once another way, it's obviously easier to make the one conform to the fifty, regardless of which came first.
One last word about style sheets - occasionally your employer will ask that you return your style sheet along with your work. If you thought the style sheet was for your eyes only, you might have doodled in the margin, jotted down a couple phone numbers at the top, and so forth. Keep it neat, you never know!
