Proofreading marks are a shorthand that editors, teachers and publishers use to show corrections on a printed or marked-up page. One of those marks tells the person making the changes to add parentheses around some words. This page explains the idea, shows a worked example, and lists other marks you will meet often.
What the Insert Parentheses Mark Means
The instruction is simply: put parentheses here. The editor does not want you to rewrite the sentence. They want the existing words enclosed, or a missing opening or closing parenthesis added.
Proofreading charts are not completely standardized. Style guides, publishers and schools publish slightly different versions. A commonly shown form is the parentheses written in the margin, often with a slash between them, so that they read as an instruction rather than as part of the text. If you are marking work for a class or a client, check which chart they use and follow it.
How to Mark Parentheses on a Proof
Most systems use two linked places on the page: a mark in the text and an instruction in the margin.
- In the text, show where the change belongs. A caret (^) placed at the insertion point is the standard way to show something is being added.
- In the margin, write the symbol or instruction for what to add. For parentheses, that means writing the parentheses mark described by your chart, on the same line as the caret.
- Keep marks legible. Use a contrasting color, write clearly, and place the margin note on the side closest to the change.
- Separate multiple changes on a line with slashes in the margin so each is read in order.
Worked Example
Original text:
The conference will be held in Lisbon in October see the schedule for details.
Marked correction: place a caret before see and another after details, then write the parentheses mark in the margin. The corrected text reads:
The conference will be held in Lisbon in October (see the schedule for details).
In this case the editor may also want a period after the closing parenthesis, which would get its own mark.
Other Common Proofreading Marks
The following marks are widely used across charts. As above, small variations exist.
| Meaning | Typical mark |
|---|---|
| Insert text or punctuation | Caret (^) in the text, with the addition written in the margin |
| Delete | A line through the text, with a delete symbol in the margin |
| Capitalize | Three short lines under the letter, and “cap” in the margin |
| Lowercase | A slash through the letter |
| New paragraph | Paragraph symbol (¶) |
| Let it stand (ignore the change) | “Stet” in the margin, with dots under the text |
| Transpose | A curved mark across the letters or words to swap |
To answer common questions directly:
- What is the proofreading mark for capitalization? Three short underlines beneath the letter or word that should be capitalized.
- What is the proofreading symbol for insert? The caret.
Where Marks Go: Text and Margin
Keep a clear rule: the mark in the text says where, and the note in the margin says what. Without both, the person making the corrections may not know what you meant. If you correct the same error several times in a line, add each in its own margin position, in the order it appears.
Tips for Clean Proofreading
- Read once for sense and once for mechanics such as punctuation and spelling. Revising in passes is one of the habits in our rules of writing.
- Mark only what needs to change.
- Use the same chart throughout a document.
- When you are unsure, add a short note rather than relying on a symbol the next person may not know.
- Read a printout or zoomed view; small marks like closing parentheses are easy to miss on a screen.
When to Use Parentheses
Before you ask for parentheses, make sure they are the right choice. They suit supporting details, short explanations and asides that the reader can skip. If the added words are important to the meaning, commas or dashes may work better. You can compare the options in our guide to interrupting words and phrases, and see more on how marks affect reading in the importance of punctuation.