Proofreading on screen without missing lines

Reading on a phone or laptop is faster than reading on paper and less accurate. The eye skips, the page scrolls, and a line disappears without being read. These habits make up the difference.

Set the screen up

• Zoom to 125–150 percent so a line holds 60–70 characters. Long lines are where skipped words hide.
• Use a plain font and dark text on a light background for the proofreading pass, even if you prefer dark mode normally.
• Turn off notifications. A single interruption in a three-minute test costs a line.

Keep your place

On paper you would use a ruler. On screen, select each sentence as you finish it, or move the cursor through the text. Some people read aloud in a whisper; it slows the eye to the speed of the voice, which is the speed at which errors are seen.

Know your detection rate

Detection rate = errors found ÷ errors present. Screening tests usually want 90 percent with few false flags. Track yours on the result page. If you find 70 percent, the usual cause is speed: you are reading at normal pace. If you find 90 percent but flag many correct words, you are guessing; only mark what you can name.

A three-minute routine

1. 30 seconds: read for meaning, mark what jars.
2. 90 seconds: sentence by sentence, checking agreement, homophones and endings.
3. 45 seconds: punctuation and capitals only.
4. 15 seconds: look again at any word you were unsure about and decide.