Proofreaders and Copy Markers
Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors. Excludes workers whose primary duty is editing copy. Includes proofreaders of braille.
- Median pay
- $51,120
- Doing it now
- 8,500
- By 2035
- Down 0.9%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
1,100 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Correct or record omissions, errors, or inconsistencies found.
- Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.
- Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.
- Compare information or figures on one record against same data on other records, or with original copy, to detect errors.
- Consult reference books or secure aid of readers to check references with rules of grammar and composition.
- Route proofs with marked corrections to authors, editors, typists, or typesetters for correction or reprinting.
- Consult with authors and editors regarding manuscript changes and suggestions.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- English Language and Literature, GeneralSee 1,301 colleges that teach it
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesSee 506 colleges that teach it
- JournalismSee 409 colleges that teach it
- Business/Corporate CommunicationsSee 64 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Creative and expressive
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $51,120 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.