~ by Laura Schaub, Friesens Print Sales Consultant, El Paso/Texas
Proofreading may be a tedious task, but it is crucial for ensuring the accuracy and quality of your yearbook. Spending time on proofreading will pay off when your book arrives at school without errors.
Our research tells us that the most common complaint from parents and students is misspelled names. To avoid this issue, request an official list of students by grade from the registrar. Use this list to verify the names in each grade.
If you come across a name like Christopher Smith and think he prefers to be called Chris, confirm with him how he wants his name to appear in the yearbook. Also, note any students who were not photographed on portrait day. If a student is on a “do not picture” list, it’s okay to exclude them, but if they missed both portrait and retake days, find a way to include them in the yearbook.
Check all names in the index, group identifications, portrait section, and captions. Post the list in the classroom and have section editors and their teams verify all names as they type them for captions and stories.
When proofreading stories and captions, read them aloud to catch mistakes. Listen for subject-verb agreements, pronoun-antecedent agreements, dangling participles, misplaced modifiers, misspelled words, and ensure the story progresses logically. Verify facts, ensure quotes start new paragraphs, and check that sources are correctly identified.
Pay close attention to punctuation errors. Establish a style guide, share it with your students, and adhere to it. Many schools use The Associated Press Stylebook. Utilize grammar and punctuation tools available in many computer applications.
Ensure consistent typography throughout the book. Use the same size and font for all stories and copy, typically 10-point in a serif font like Palatino or Garamond. Research shows serif fonts help students read copy more quickly.
Set yearbook captions in the same size and font throughout the book, usually 8-point. To contrast with the copy, use a sans serif font like Arial or Helvetica. Consider adding small titles to each caption in 12-point bold to help readers identify which caption corresponds to which photo.
Yearbook headlines should have primary and secondary components with a consistent look throughout the book, with slight variations for each section. For example, place a secondary headline above or below the primary headline to lead readers into the story. Use the same size and font for all headlines.
If you have multiple students helping with proofreading, assign specific tasks to each. One student can check all headlines and folios, another can check all captions, another can read all stories, and another can verify the spellings of all names. If you have an index, assign a student to check its accuracy.
Double-check the page numbers on your table of contents, as moving pages can affect these details. The more you proofread, the more accurate your book will be, leading to happier buyers and fewer “you made a mistake” calls and emails.
University of Oklahoma Professor Emerita Laura Schaub has been a national education specialist in yearbook for over 12 years. She previously served as executive director of the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association at the University of Oklahoma, where she taught typography, design, desktop publishing, and photography. Schaub is a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Key recipient, past Oklahoma Journalism Teacher of the Year, former Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Distinguished Adviser, and was inducted into the National Scholastic Journalism Hall of Fame in 1991.
