General Proofreading Guidelines

General Proofreading Guidelines

Most issues encountered with the AI engine stem from [sentence fragmentation, spelling errors from Catholic terminologies, and repetitive phrases]{.underline}. We aim to maintain a minimalist approach to rule-setting, trusting your discernment in carrying out your tasks. With the feedback of our followers, we have updated our guidelines below for enhanced readability.

  1. Preserve the document structure and formatting to match the original raw file, especially the font face and size. The title should be positioned above the blue bar.

  2. Confirm the completion of proofreading by replacing this term (The text may contain some errors) with (Proofread).

  3. Ensure precision by attentively noting essential details such as the saint's name, proper nouns, book titles, quotation marks for direct speech, and Latin phrases.
    For instance, Iesus autem tacebat, (Mt 26:63-73), St. Therese of Lisieux, Fulton Sheen. For saints’ names, we prefer the prefix St. instead of Saint.

    For any unclear terms, please use Google Search as a verification tool. Should any uncertainties remain, feel free to notify me for further consultation with Fr. Conor.

  4. While we welcome the discretion of our proofreaders to highlight Gospel text in boldface or italicize personally meaningful sentences, we'd like to establish some guidelines for consistency in sentence formatting. We do this to enhance readability. To this end, please adhere to the following standards while maintaining a consistent font face (Cambria 11).

    • Boldface: Use exclusively for all Gospel passages. Please check that the entire passage is placed in boldface, even if you type it in several paragraphs.

    • Italics: Employ for other Scriptural passages.

You're not required to use boldface or italics for quotes from Church documents or Missal sections. You may also choose to use double quotation marks, particularly when the quote itself contains single quotation marks. Maintain consistency in your formatting choices throughout the document. If you'd like, you may also specify the source of the Scriptural passage. When doing so, please place the period after the parenthetical citation and use the approved abbreviations for the Bible books.

By ensuring this uniformity, we aim to maintain the readability and coherence of the document, while still allowing individual proofreaders the freedom to emphasize text in a way that resonates with them.

  1. Avoid compressing all your sentences into one dense paragraph. To facilitate a better understanding, Fr. Conor requests that the text be divided into digestible portions.

  2. Unify fragmented sentences to maintain their coherency. Here is an example:

    Fragmented:

In the mystery of the church as his body. Christ has, in a sense, opened his own redemptive suffering. To all human suffering. With Christ. Sickness and illness. Attained their full meaning. One of the prayers in the divine office says. Grant Lord that your faithful. May become partakers in your passion. Through their sufferings in this life.

Corrected:

In the mystery of the Church as His body, Christ has, in a sense, opened His own redemptive suffering to all human suffering. In Christ, sickness and illness have attained their full meaning. This sentiment is reflected in one of the prayers from the divine office, which says, "Grant, Lord, that your faithful may become partakers in your passion through their sufferings in this life."

Keep in mind that reading offers an entirely different experience from listening. Feel free to adjust the text as needed to enhance its readability.

7. Adherence to capitalization conventions plays a key role in maintaining reverence and decorum. Before diving into these conventions, I'd like to present the standard texts for our opening and closing prayers. To set these prayers apart and enhance readability, it's effective to italicize them:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Some might prefer to capitalize the initial letters of “Father” and "Lord" in ‘Saint Joseph, my father, and lord’. Instead, Fr. Conor suggests that using lowercase “f” and “l” might be more appropriate, as capitalized versions are typically reserved for Our Lord.

Other capitalization norms involve addressing or referring to religious figures and entities. Pronouns like 'His' and 'Him' are capitalized when referring to God or Jesus Christ. The word 'Church' is also capitalized, whereas 'pope' or 'bishop' is typically lowercased unless directly preceding a name. Furthermore, the 'O' in 'Our' is capitalized when referencing 'Our Lord' or 'Our Lady'.

8. Conclude with your initials at the end of the document (e.g., Olv, MVF, GD). This step is
essential, as it allows readers to acknowledge your contribution and facilitates
communication should any errors be discovered later.

Lastly, to ensure accuracy and context, we recommend this proofreading approach:

Start by reviewing the transcript, noting any errors, Gospel passages requiring verification, or sections that need checking against the podcast. There are some meditations that use Church documents or the book In Conversation with God by Fr. Francis Fernandez. Feel free to use them as guides.

Listen to the meditation, pausing to make corrections as necessary. Follow with another listen, reading the document simultaneously. We suggest a final document review without audio to capture any potential issues for readers who won't use the podcast.

That’s it! We appreciate your efforts and are eager to see the beneficial impacts of your work.