A beta reader (or betareader) is a person who reads a work of fan fiction with critical eye with the aim to improve grammar, spelling, characterization, and general style of the story prior to release to the general public. Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... Proper spelling is the writing of a word or words with all necessary letters and diacritics present in an accepted, conventional order. ... For the legal concept, see characterisation (conflict). ...

The term is an appropriation from the software industry which has 'alpha' versions of software (during internal development) and 'beta' versions (released to the public as a work in progress). It has been suggested that Release to manufacturing be merged into this article or section. ...

Since most fan fiction is published directly to the internet, there is little peer review or barrier to publication thus there is no guarantee as to the quality of the work. Some writers, however, seek feedback on their work prior to posting their works to be read. A beta reader, who may or may not be known to the author, can act like a proofreader, looking for spelling and grammar mistakes, or like a traditional editor, pointing out plot holes or problems with continuity, characterisation ,or believability. In non-fiction, they might help the author check the facts. The beta readers are typically other fan fiction writers or avid consumers of fan fiction. Peer review (known as refereeing in some academic fields) is a scholarly process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of funding for research. ... Proofreading is reading a proof copy of text for the purpose of detecting errors. ... Proper spelling is the writing of a word or words with all necessary letters and diacritics present in an accepted, conventional order. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... An Editor is a person who prepares text—typically language, but also images and sounds—for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it. ... A plot hole is a gap in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic set-up by the plot. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For the mathematical concept, see characterization (mathematics). ... Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. ... An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... Look up Fact in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A Fact is any of the following: Something actual as opposed to invented. ...

Other types of writing groups use the term critiquer or critter.