Proofreading & Editing Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Proofreading & Editing facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which mark indicates that a hyphen should be deleted and the words should run together? → A dele mark through the hyphen
2. Which sentence uses the semicolon correctly? → She edits manuscripts; she also proofreads novels.
3. Who is responsible for catching any errors in a proof of a text? → The proofreader
4. Which of the following is a run-on sentence? → She proofread the document she found several errors.
5. Which type of error involves presenting accurate facts in a misleading context? → Contextual inaccuracy
6. What is a 'widow' in publishing? → A single line of text at the top of a new page isolated from its paragraph
7. What does 'stet' mean on a proofreading markup? → Let the original text stand (ignore the correction)
8. Which symbol is used to indicate that two words should be joined into one (close up space)? → ⌣ (close-up mark)
9. What is the primary goal of copy editing? → Correcting errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style
10. Which is an example of a misplaced modifier? → The editor reviewed the carefully draft.
11. True or False: Serif fonts should be used for document text (i.e., Times New Roman) → True
12. What does 'sic' mean when used in edited text? → The quoted error appeared in the original source as written
13. Which is NOT typically a copy editor's responsibility? → Rewriting entire sections for better narrative flow
14. You could give someone a ___________ to the head with the height of that karate kick! → heel
15. Which style guide is most commonly used in academic psychology and social sciences? → APA Publication Manual
16. Which sentence correctly uses an apostrophe? → The editor's desk was cluttered.
17. What is the correct possessive form of 'children'? → children's
18. In APA style, how are numbers below 10 typically written? → As words
19. When you have done drafting the document, what is the first step in the proofreading process? → Read it out loud
20. A fact-checker finds that an article uses the word 'data' as a singular noun ('the data shows'). This is: → A usage issue that depends on the publication's style guide
21. Which organization provides a professional code of ethics for editors in the United States? → Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
22. Which sentence correctly uses 'fewer' vs. 'less'? → There are fewer errors in the final draft.
23. What does proofreading involve? → Correcting any errors that might have slipped past before publication
24. Which of the following statements has proper punctuation? → When Richard saw the beautiful cabin, by the lake, he was happy too.
25. When editing a document, what is a 'conflict of interest'? → A personal relationship or financial stake that could bias the editor's judgment
26. What does 'parallel structure' mean in writing? → Using the same grammatical form for items in a series
27. What does 'preserving the author's voice' mean in editing? → Making edits that improve correctness without changing the author's unique style or tone
28. Only editors are eligible for proofreader's marks; writers are not. → False
29. Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? → Running quickly, the bus was caught by her.
30. What does the instruction 'ital' mean in a proofreading markup? → Set the marked text in italics