“The first draft is black and white. Editing gives the story color.”
-E.J. Hill
Substantive Editing
Substantive edits look at the language, content, presentation, structure, and style of an entire piece to ensure that it all stays on message and flows cohesively. These edits include copyedits and proofreads but also focus on the broader picture of the piece.
What I look at:
Communication with your target audience
Structural elements
Logic and style
Terminology
Sentence structure and clarity
Document fluidity
Format
Copyediting
To paraphrase Amy Einsohn and Marilyn Schwartz, copyeditors focus on the four C’s (clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness) to enhance the CardinalC: communication. Copyeditors are the second pair of eyes to the author’s first. Copyedits include proofread edits
What I look at:
Errors in grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation
Technical consistency
Continuity
Factual inaccuracies
Legal issues
Overall inconsistency
proofreading
As they say, “the devil’s in the details.” Proofreading focuses on the nitty-gritty of the text and format. After a document is edited, copyedited, and just about ready to be final, a proofreader focuses on text and formatting errors to ensure total accuracy.
What I look at:
Typographical errors
Misplaced punctuation
Page numbering
Header/footer consistency
Table/figure/picture placement within the text
Line and page breaks