Course overview
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Priya's Thursday, two ways

8 lessons · 27 prompts

A day in the life of a Proofreader: what changes with these prompts.

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Priya, a freelance proofreader for small history publishers.

Priya starts Thursday with a chapter on river trade for a small history publisher. The author has sent a draft with footnotes, a map caption, and a long list of place names. Priya opens ChatGPT and pastes the first three pages. She asks it to catch basic errors and list repeated capitalizations, such as River Road and river road.

Next she opens Claude and gives it the publisher's style guide plus a sample page. She asks it to ensure style consistency and flag terms that change between chapters, like harbor master and harbour master. Claude returns a short list. Priya checks each one against the guide.

After lunch, Priya uses Gemini to check facts and citations. She asks it to review the footnotes for a claim about a nineteenth-century bridge and to note any source that looks incomplete. It finds two dates that do not match the text. Priya marks them for the author with a gentle note.

Before she closes her laptop, Priya asks ChatGPT to prepare final clean copy of the chapter and a short style sheet summary. She sends the author a clear email with the main changes. With the hour she saves, she walks to the park and calls her sister.

Before

  • Reading every line twice
  • Sticky notes on every page
  • Deadlines feel like a race
  • Eyes tired by mid afternoon

After this course

  • One careful pass, then a check
  • Style guide rules held in view
  • Author notes ready to send
  • Time for a walk outside

What you'll learn

  • Catch Basic Errors: Ask AI to find spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes before you begin a close read.
  • Ensure Style Consistency: Use prompts to compare a document against a style guide and spot inconsistent terms or tone.
  • Review Formatting Details: Check headings, lists, and citations so the layout matches the project's rules.
  • Check Facts and Citations: Flag claims that need a second look and verify that sources are listed correctly.
  • Prepare Final Clean Copy: Ask for a polished draft and a short style sheet summary for the project.
  • Communicate with Authors: Draft clear, kind feedback that explains each change and why it matters.
  • Advanced Style and Specialized Content: Build custom style guides, check inclusive language, and proofread technical or academic writing.
  • Admin and Workflow: Organize files, track time, and draft client invoices with AI's help.

How this course works

  1. 8 lessonsOne task of your job each, from catch basic errors to admin and workflow.
  2. Ready-to-paste promptsCopy, fill in the parts in {{brackets}}, paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
  3. Tick and completeTick the prompts you tried and mark each lesson complete.
  4. Get certifiedFinish and keep the prompts as your own library.