What is Copy-editing?
If you're looking for editing services, you might wonder, what exactly does a copy-editor do? Copy-editing is an essential step in the writing process, ensuring your text is polished, coherent, and stylistically consistent before moving on to proofreading.
Copy-editing focuses on improving your content by addressing:
- Grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors
- Clarity and readability of sentences
- Consistency in tone, style, and formatting
- Fact-checking basic details if required (ex., that figures in a table add up correctly)
- Identifying and revising awkward phrasing or ambiguity
Unlike proofreading, copy-editing is a more in-depth process that enhances both the technical and stylistic aspects of your writing, ensuring it is professional and engaging.
When to Hire a Copy-editor?
You should consider hiring a copy-editor at an earlier stage in the publication process, before the final proofreading stage. This ensures that your text is thoroughly reviewed and polished before it is prepared for final checks. Specifically, you should seek copy-editing services when:
- Your document has been drafted but needs improvement in clarity, coherence, and style.
- You want to ensure consistency in tone and formatting, especially for professional or academic writing.
- You need errors in grammar, punctuation, and syntax corrected before final proofreading.
- You require light fact-checking or suggestions to refine the wording of your text.
