Fact Checking

If you enjoy research and can do it quickly, fact checking might be a useful addition to your editorial career. A fact checker usually receives a finished document on deadline, and must verify information in it, working with the author, the editor(s), and reliable sources of information. Sometimes all a fact checker does is save embarrassment -- verifying quantities in a recipe, dates of battles, or names of obscure people. Other times a fact checker's work can prevent a lawsuit.

Steps in fact checking include:

• Gathering relevant reference works and other sources of information
• Marking up the document to note items needing to be checked
• Compiling list of items checked and sources used for each one
• Correcting any incorrect items
• Compiling list of questions for writer or sources