Key Points to Remember About Proofreading and Editing

1. Key Points to Remember About Proofreading and Editing Any writer will tell you that one of the main reasons they could get their work over the finish line was only because they used editing services and proofreading services. Although from the outside, writing seems like a stimulating and effortless pursuit, the fact is that it involves a lot of hard work and becomes self-absorbing for writers and grammatical mistakes can be easily made. We’ll cover: ● What editing services and proofreading services entail ● Why proofreading and editing can benefit authors What do editing services and proofreading services entail? Editing and proofreading have the same fundamental goal of reviewing content and preparing it for publication. However, the two services differ in the sense that authors employ them at different times depending on how thoroughly they want their work reviewed.

2. A simple way to differentiate between the two is that editing services involve an ongoing assessment of the various drafts, and proofreading services act more as a final check. The general maxim when creating a piece of writing is that you should always have it checked over by another person. The reasoning is simple: the author may have missed something, such as a spelling mistake, during the review process. Thus, using a second set of eyes to scour the content will uncover any issues overlooked by the author. So, for example, if an author is confident that their work is fine as it is, they may only want to give it a final check. In this case, proofreading services will most likely suffice. Proofreading tends to focus on surface-level issues. The editor will check for typos, spelling mistakes, grammar issues, punctuation errors and inconsistent formatting. The so-called ‘minor’ aspects that are more irritating than serious but could compromise the writer’s credibility as a legitimate and professional source of information. However, if, for whatever reason, the writer wants a more in-depth assessment of their work, editing services will often prove more suitable. Editing can often be employed as soon as work begins. It acts as a kind of signpost: when an author completes a draft, they send it in for editing, which marks the gradual completion of the document. Alongside the aforementioned proofing checks, the editor will focus on issues related to structure, format, clarity and concision, all while ensuring that the provided style conventions have been met. This means that the editor will make changes or suggestions to improve tone, themes and arguments, highlight areas that require explanation or clarification, rewrite or repurpose content to strengthen the main points, check the correct variety of English has been used, and so on. Why can editing and proofreading benefit authors? In a word: clarity. High-quality editing and proofreading will make the author’s intended message clear to the reader. Editorial support is intended to refine writing and make it accurate and authoritative. Editors know how to construct stories, use their ‘hawk eyes’ to instinctively pick up on grammatical or stylistic issues and chisel content into a tight and streamlined shape that reflects how much work went into its creation. Read More: What Writers Can Expect from Professional Editing and Proofreading Services Here’s Why Professional Proofreading and Editing Services Can Help Writers