What is proofreading?
A close and thorough reading of
written material in order to
detect, and correct any errors in
spelling, punctuation, and
grammar. In other words, it's a
form of quality control.
What is copy-editing?
The technical preparation of
material for printing/publication,
together with overall checking of
structure, consistency, correct
word usage, spelling,
punctuation, and grammar.
In the publishing world the roles
of copy-editors and proofreaders
are clearly defined: they are two
different stages in the
publication process.
Outside of publishing it's not so
clear-cut and can appear perplexing. Essentially, you need
your written material to be checked. It could be a careful
perusal of spellings or typos, or you may require a heavier
edit. In most instances people require a mixture of the two,
namely a proof-edit. I am happy to discuss this with you in
more detail (by phone or email) to establish what level of
work is required.
Benefits of proofreading and copy-
editing
Don't allow spelling mistakes to spoil the quality of your work.
Spellchecker is a useful tool, but alas, it's unable to
distinguish words used in the wrong context:
there, their, or they're
dependent or dependant
formally or formerly
principle or principal
Your written material should be error-free and consistent. It
should convey your communication in the clearest possible
way with smooth-flowing text. Additionally, proofreading
and/or copy-editing provides you with peace of mind and
adds a professional dimension to the completion of your work
or assignment.
For proofreading, I will check for:
•
spelling
•
punctuation
•
grammar
•
headings and subheadings
•
page numbers
•
chapter titles
•
spacing and line breaks
•
references
•
house style
•
consistency — in format, style, and content (including
consistency in names and places, use of capitals, italics,
abbreviations, numbers, dates, times, hyphenation, and
layout).
For copy-editing, in addition to the above, I will also check
for:
•
organisation of material and structure
•
clarity
•
choice of words
•
ambiguity
•
repetition
•
errors of fact and contradiction
•
bias
•
libel
•
safety
•
I will markup heading codes, displayed quotations, lists,
illustrations, tables, and captions.
Quality proofreading and copy-editing services
Proofreading &
copy-editing benefits