What should the author do when proofreading the final galleys?

The proofreading stage is intended to catch any errors in the galley's formatting and other important errors, but it should not be used to "polish the language" or to make discretionary changes.

As authors already had a final opportunity during copyediting to make corrections to the content and references, more substantial changes should not be made at this stage, unless discussed with the editor. Any language changes at this stage are no longer seen by the copyeditor and risk to revert copyediting changes (which were made to adhere to the AMA Style Guide).

While we request that authors proofread the galleys thoroughly (as described below), we also ask to limit the number of corrections at this stage to the absolute minimum. If extensive changes are necessary at this stage (e.g. more than 15 corrections) which could have and should have been done during copyediting, JMIR Publications reserves the right to reject these corrections and/or charge authors for additional work (see also: What if my proofreading corrections are rejected?).

Where to complete proofreading

Proceed to the Editing tab for your article

In the Layout section, you will find the most updated PDF proof. Please review this file.

Final corrections must be entered (in a numbered list) in the proofreading box online (see screenshot below). Under no circumstances should email be used or support tickets be filed to communicate the corrections.

What to look for

Authors are asked to carefully proofread the galley version in PDF. The text needs to be read closely in only one version for spelling and grammatical errors, while checked for formatting in each version.

• Please be particularly diligent when checking the tables, figures (including table and figure captions and footnotes) and the references, as this is where most typesetting errors are typically being made.
• We strive to have a weblink in as many references as possible, including links to webdocuments such as “grey” reports available as PDF on the Internet etc. If you have references citing reports which can be found as full text on the Internet, please provide us with the URL. We used to ask authors to archive these URLs with WebCite as well; however, as of December 2018, this is no longer mandatory due to WebCite phasing out its service to the community. 
• If references are missing a DOI or Medline link (but should have one), please let us know the DOI and/or PMID.
• Please also check and flag layout issues, such as excessive white space, figures that do not come out well or are too large/small etc.
• Using the web version, please also check internal and external links by clicking at them (at least a random sample). Are they leading to the correct pages? Is the cited  webdocument still the  one you meant to cite or has it changed? Also check the multimedia appendices - are these files (listed under "supplementary files) the correct files? Do submission date, revised version received date etc. look correct?
• Also check and correct the metadata (View Metadata link), such as author names, title, final abstract, keywords etc. These metadata will be used to generate the entry in the table of contents, and will be submitted to various databases and indices, so it is important that this information is correct and complete.
• Please do not share the attached pdf with anybody, or make the link to the article above public, as the paper is not yet considered "published". Please also note that the URL and citation information may still change and the publication may be incorrect.

We aim to publish your paper within 8-24 hours after getting your response, so the earlier we get your reply, the earlier we can “release” the paper.

We should point out again that after approval of the galleys, no changes are possible, and changes or errors discovered post-publication will necessitate the publication of an erratum erratum / correction, which may incur additional costs for the author.

The screenshot above shows the link for entering proofreading comments (opening a window to enter the comments).

1. If you find problems: Please enter a numbered list of the corrections. As we make changes in an XML document, please DO NOT REFERENCE PAGE NUMBERS or line numbers. Instead, quote the section title (or table number, or reference number) and the complete phrase or sentence where the change should be made. Do not upload corrected Word files or PDF versions - the typesetter needs a numbered list. Do not contact the copyeditor as his/her job has ended. Do not revert copyediting edits which are in line with the AMA Style Guide. Note that after we make your corrections, we will normally not send you the proofs again, unless you request it (please only request it if there are important data corrections etc.).
2. If you do not find problems: It is unusual that we are perfect and there are no typesetting errors but if you really do not find any corrections in the manuscript, please enter the following sentence in the comments box: "I and my coauthors carefully read the proofs, including author names/initials and affiliations, the tables, and checked the references, and have no corrections. I understand that after publication, even though this is an electronic journal, no changes can be made without publishing an erratum, which may be subject to additional author charges.".  

We will not be able to proceed with publication unless you enter (1) or (2) into the proofreading comments. 

We will also make a final check on whether the license to publish is on file (see Where can I find the publication forms for authors and where do I submit them?) and whether the TOC image is suitable (seeWhat makes a good TOC image?) and copyright/license information is provided (see Copyright, Licensing, Attribution of TOC images).

See also:

• What are the steps during copyediting?
• What if my proofreading corrections are rejected?
• How to submit a corrigendum (correction) or addendum