Just finished proofreading my next article to be published, and it was depressing. I caught two errors that I could only groan I didn't catch in the writing stage. I should know better. But the proofs are, well, proof that I don't know better.
I used "data" as a singular, even though I berate my own writing students that the word is plural. (Note to any of my students reading: Do as I say, not as I do!)
And I seem to be completely unable to submit a manuscript in which the crustacean group "Thalassinidea" or its variations is spelled correctly throughout the paper.
I hope I caught them all this time. But experience tells me that there will be one obvious thing I missed.
I sympathize with your dislike of going over proofs; you never catch every mistake. And these days I rarely go back and read my published papers, ever since publishing one in which I didn't realize until after it came out that I had made some of the figure panels way too small. It still bothers me to this day...
ReplyDelete"(Do I say, not as I do!)"
ReplyDeleteEasier said than done! lol