There are three ways to refer to this activity and the person that does it:
proof read, proof reading, proof reader
proof-read, proof-reading, proof-reader
proofread, proofreading, proofreader
Web searches reveal that all of these are currently used on the internet. Although, the third style of spelling (proofread, etc.) produces a higher yield than the others, suggesting that it is the most popular pattern of spelling.
The word 'dissertation' strikes fear into the bravest of students. Huge word counts, enormous amounts of reading and research, as well as the need to produce a word-perfect dissertation wipes the smile off most faces.
That's right, I've just declared the death of spell check! My last post about the Cupertino Effect should be enough to convince you that relying heavily on spell check is like telling the world you have lost all self respect. If you have read that post and still don't know what I'm talking about then maybe it's time to call it a day.
Whatis.com has published a page dedicated to the Cupertino Effect. This page includes errors which actually made it to press including this beauty:
"Quaker Maid Meats Inc. on Tuesday said it would voluntarily recall 94,400 pounds of frozen ground beef panties that may be contaminated with E. coli. (Reuters)."
We have spent our entire careers working with English language development. Each editor has a master-level qualification in a linguistics related subject (minimum) and experience as an English tutor at a university.