First off, I hope American readers had a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks for indulging me in a brief absence, but even compulsive multi-taskers like me have to turn off the computer and walk away every now and again.

If you have read this site for any period of time, you know how much I enjoy reading the Harvard Business Publishing blog. For those of you who enjoy it, as well, please check out their podcasts, available for free on iTunes. They have a substantial number on a variety of topics. Not everything will feel relevant, but they're definitely worth perusing. If you prefer video to audio, they have dozens of video podcasts, as well.

One housekeeping note: many of you who visit this site regularly also read the Forensic Healthcare Online blog. Just a quick note to mention that that site has now moved to an independently hosted site. Please reprogram your bookmarks to go to www.forensichealth.com. Although we haven't completely worked out the bugs related to forwarding the old site and adding some new content, the basics are there. Stay tuned for new features over the next couple weeks.

I am well aware that proofreading and editing don't sound like the world's most fascinating blog entry topics. But they're on my mind right now as I read several pieces written by colleagues. Granted these are articles for publication, so proofreading and editing are expected; the authors know that this is part of the gig. But proofreading and editing are acquirable skills, and as you write with greater frequency, necessary ones.

You may not have signed up to become a writer, but your job certainly requires it of you: funding proposals, policies and procedures, staff evaluations, community awareness campaigns, thank you notes to donors and other supporters. All of these require solid writing skills. And good quality writing reflects well on you and on your program. Part of ensuring quality is ensuring that your work is typo free, grammatically correct, clear and concise, and effective in its purpose (be that asking for money, publicizing your services or trying to recruit new staff). So proofreading and editing are essential.

My best recommendation is to find a ruthless editor; someone you trust and who you know has your best interests in mind. Let them have a crack at your work before it goes anywhere. For me, that's my business partner Val--she's detail oriented, writes well herself, and isn't afraid to let me have it with both barrels. Look around your world and see if there isn't someone who fits that bill for you.

But it wouldn't be true to my nature if I didn't also recommend  turning to the Web. There's so much good stuff out there on the topic, finding strategies and resources is a snap. One of my favorites writing sites is Grammar Girl, and she has a short entry on proofreading that provides a great introduction to crafting a method for yourself. Most of us don't have a particular system for proofreading--we simply read through it and make corrections as needed. But she points out some strategies to ensure you're proofreading effectively. I employ all of them, and she's right--they do help.

For more recommendations on proofreading and editing, you can also check out some of these sites:

• LR Communication System's Proofreading & Edting Tips
• DailyWritingTips' 8 Proofreading Tips and Techniques
• The Writing Center at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Proofreading & Editing
• Interactive Training's Top 50 Proofreading Tips