Utah Rolls Out Online Document Proofreading

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 07/07/08

The University of Utah has acquired a site license of CyProof's ErrNET for online document proofreading. ErrNET runs on CyProof's servers and is accessed through the user's Web browser. To check a document, users upload their files to the Web site, the cost is calculated, payment is requested, the document is processed, and the results are presented for download. The service works with PDF files.

"ErrNET 'pinpoints' spelling, grammar and structure errors, and is an incredible timesaver in the draft stages of producing quality research manuscripts," said Shawna Derry, administrative assistant, Center for Biophysical Modeling and Simulation, and the Department of Chemistry. "The amount of time ErrNET saves in our initial proofreading process allows a larger amount of dedicated time to focus on the core subject matter of the manuscript, which is the primary objective and absolutely essential."

The software was originally developed for a large publisher to assess and improve the quality of writing and reduce editorial time and costs. It checks grammar, style, spelling, and punctuation. The database contains multiple rules of grammar and punctuation, thousands of incorrect, verbose, and awkward phrases, and what the company claims is the "world's largest spellchecker" that includes over two million terms. The database is updated weekly with new error checks and terms for the spellchecker.