Proofreading Tips

Is It “Cite” or “Site”?

2026-01-23T02:00:18+00:00January 23rd, 2026|Proofreading Tips|

It's a construction site (not cite). These two get mixed up all the time, and spellcheck might not save you. Cite means to reference a source. Be sure to cite your sources in the report. Site means a place or location (physical or digital). Visit our Tempe site to learn more. Not sure [...]

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Adviser or Advisor: Which Is Right?

2025-12-31T23:39:59+00:00December 31st, 2025|Proofreading Tips|

Both adviser and advisor are correct spellings. But if you follow AP style, adviser is the preferred choice. The Associated Press sticks with -er for consistency, even though advisor is commonly used in academia, finance and government titles. So if you’re writing a news release or using journalistic style, go with adviser. Otherwise, follow your organization’s preferred usage.

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On site vs. On-site vs. Onsite: What’s the Difference?

2025-08-11T16:10:46+00:00August 11th, 2025|Proofreading Tips|

On-site On site Onsite These three versions may look similar, but one is used more often: “on-site.”   On-site (with a hyphen) is the correct adjective: We provide on-site support for your equipment.   On site (two words, no hyphen) works only when used as an adverbial phrase: Our technician is on site today.   [...]

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Equity and Equality: What’s the Difference?

2025-04-22T21:53:08+00:00April 22nd, 2025|Proofreading Tips|

The words equity and equality both originate from the Latin root aequus, meaning "even," "fair" or "equal." From this root, Latin gave rise to aequitas (which became equity) and aequalitas (which became equality). While the two English terms share a common linguistic ancestor and some conceptual overlap, they carry distinct nuances — even in Latin. [...]

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Pre-pregnancy or Prepregnancy?

2024-12-27T20:34:45+00:00February 22nd, 2025|Proofreading Tips|

Your gut might tell you to hyphenate “pre-pregnancy” or other words using the prefix “pre.” But you might be dating yourself. That’s because in recent years, the Associated Press added “pre” and “post”  to the list of general prefixes that don't need to be hyphenated. And — we love it when this happens — the [...]

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How to Stylize Bulleted Lists

2024-12-27T20:28:58+00:00January 20th, 2025|Proofreading Tips|

We have another important entry for your company style guide: how to stylize bulleted lists. It’s worth adding this one because a lot of people go rogue. Here’s what you need to explain: Capitalization in Bulleted Lists Some people always capitalize the first letter of every bullet point. Others lowercase it if each bullet is [...]

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Should I Use “Says” or “Said”?

2025-01-21T23:30:56+00:00December 26th, 2024|Proofreading Tips|

Attribution is important in stories, and you may be confused about whether you should use “says” or “said.” You might also wonder: Does it really matter?  This won’t surprise you, but at Active Voice Communications, we think it ALL matters. At a bare minimum, it matters because style consistency is important. So, your organization should [...]

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Guidance on capitalizing New Year

2024-11-22T08:14:23+00:00November 22nd, 2024|Proofreading Tips|

As you prepare your content to welcome your audiences to the new year, it's a good time to brush up on capitalization rules. Here's the general rule: Capitalize "New Year" when referring to the holiday, but not when referring to the concept of a new year in general. That means: Yes, capitalize "New Year" in [...]

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