Professional editing adds value to your work.
Whether your work is commercial or academic, writing or translation, it is worth using an experienced native speaking editor before you publish.
Editing
The right hand column below provides a brief summary of the various types of editing. Most of the members of this site offer editing services. Their links are listed below.
Editors & specialist subjects
- Billy Nolan
- Architecture & construction, urban design & planning, landscape design, interior design, product design
- Cloud 9, Anne Paris
- Medical & paramedical, general healthcare, marketing, public relations & corporate communication, entertainment & tourism
- Dave Thomas, Native Speaker Translations
- Life sciences, chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, physics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, astronomy & space research, scientific policy, research funding proposals
- NEEDSer
- Behavioural sciences, commerce, earth & environmental sciences, health, humanities, life sciences, psychology
- PC Translations
- Finance, commerce, law, development aid
- LiDa Language Services
- Public relations, marketing, IT, telecom, management, policy, academic publications, art, culture, fashion
- Language Matters
- ICT, education, science, sociology, economics
- Back2Back Language Services:
- Finance, commerce, law, development aid
- Michael Gould Associates BV
- Policy documents, reports & annual reports, magazines & brochures
- Cathy Scott, Brief Encounters
- Advertising & journalism
Types of editing
There are several types of editing:
Developmental editing
Helping the author of a document (or a client) to develop a document into a finished product. This will often involve making a number of draft documents. This can include:
- Suggesting content, organisation and presentation
- Rewriting, writing and researching
- Suggesting topics or providing information about topics
- Proof reading
- Revising
Substantive editing
Also called stylistic & structural editing. This involves reorganising the text to improve the order in which it is presented - reorganizing paragraphs, sections or chapters, rewriting segments of text to improve readability and tailoring the vocabulary and sentence structure to the readership. This can include:
- Checking that ideas are clearly formulated
- Checking and correcting style, word usage, punctuation, and grammar
Questions or uncertainties are usually submitted to the author with the edited document.
Copyediting
Correcting while preserving the meaning and voice of the original text. The client may well impose pre-set rules and these will often be made available as a corporate style manual or as style sheets. Alternatively reference may be made to a specific manual of style. Tasks include:
- Correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and word usage
- Checking accuracy and consistency of terminology use
- Reading for overall clarity and sense - considering target readership
- Checking with the author about possible errors or inconsistencies
- Cross-checking references, figures, etc for consistency with references to them in the text
Proofreading
Comparing the latest stage of text with the preceding stage, marking discrepancies in text and possibly checking for problems in page make-up, layout, colour separation or type. Proofreading may also include:
- Checking proof against typesetting specifications
- Correcting or querying mistakes or inconsistencies that may have escaped the editor or writer
- Reading for typographical errors or for sense
Revising
A fast check of text for errors and omissions. This often follows translation.