Often confused with copy editing, proofreading is a task that must be carried out towards the end of the publishing process. It involves checking a single galley or template against the edited manuscript to ensure complete accuracy and conformity with the design specifications. Proofreaders often find grammatical errors that have been missed by the editor(s), and Grammourpuss always make a point of bringing any queries to the attention of the relevant person (with a smattering of good old fashioned tact, of course) to avoid embarrassment later on.

Figure 1  Proofreading in action

Indexing

A job that can only be carried out once all the pagination, layout, illustration and proofreading work is done, indexing involves reading the work and noting the page numbers of all relevant points in order to produce an accurate and comprehensive index. It's far too laborious and boring for authors to carry out themselves, but nothing is too dull for Grammourpuss.