Description of editing services

Each client’s project is individual and requires individualized attention. That said, there are different levels of attention documents may require. Take a look at this list to see what your project might need:

Content editing

Content editing examines the manuscript’s structure, looking at pacing, voice and tone. In addition, redundant information, repetitious phrases, clichés, misplaced modifiers, shifts in noun-verb agreement, consistency, organization, flow and clarity will be addressed. At this stage of the editing process, the author should expect to make significant changes to the document, and content editing should not be substituted for actual copyediting or proofreading.

Content editing is particularly useful for projects that need reorganization or rewriting. It can range from simple to more complex. In its simplest form, the editor helps rewrite awkward or unclear passages, clarifies sentence structure, and corrects grammar errors. More complex jobs may require the editor to look at the piece’s overall organization, rewrite extensive portions of the piece, and check or clarify facts.

Copyediting

The middle ground between proofreading and content editing, copyediting offers a check for basic errors such as spelling, general grammar mistakes, word usage, punctuation and style consistency. Implicit in the copyediting process is the assumption that the manuscript is in its most readable (i.e. understandable) form. In theory, the copyediting process will merely make good work look even better.

Copyediting, while thorough, does not offer an in-depth critique of the manuscript. It is a good choice for an author who has gone through the content editing stage, polished his or her manuscript and is ready to put finishing touches on it.

Proofreading

The last editorial stage, proofreading checks a document for errors in spelling, punctuation and format, not for grammatical errors. This is the final polish for your document and should not be substituted for copyediting or content editing.