What’s the deal?
In all jobs the first hour is free. I’ll make general comments or suggestions for your document or edit a sample of it. If you’re interested in having more, I will then give an obligation-free quote. I hope my comments are helpful regardless of whether you decide to engage me to do more.
Do you edit academic theses?
Yes. My special interest is helping writers whose native language is not English. The time I’ve spent learning other languages gives me some understanding of the challenges they face.
I can edit to any style guide you use. If it’s an in-house guide, I’ll need to have access to it.
What can you do for my website?
I’m not the overall website designer. My focus is getting the words right. On the web, even more than in other documents, you’re pitching to readers with a very short attention span. Every word needs to pay its way. So it’s all the more important to road-test your content with someone outside your organisation who can take the role of a first-time visitor and point out anything that’s unclear.
Do I really need an editor?
It depends on how important your document is. Maybe not, if it’s a routine report going to someone that you trust not to worry about a few mistakes.
But be careful. It may only take a few small issues on each page—a typo here, a grammatical mistake there, an unclear or wrong-tone sentence—to undercut your carefully crafted image as an expert professional.
How does an editor help?
It’s not that the editor is any cleverer than you. It’s not that the editor knows more about your subject than you.
The main thing is simply that the editor is not you. An editor can see problems that you won’t notice because you’re too familiar with your own work.
At the copyediting and proofreading stage, the editor is trained to notice details that you may miss because you’re distracted by thinking about the subject matter.
What does editing involve?
Editing is usually divided into three stages: structural editing, copyediting and proofreading.
Structural (substantive) editing means suggesting improvements to the length, structure, content and character of the document as a whole considering its purpose and intended readers. For example, it will ensure that:
- the length and level of detail suits readers’ needs and assumed knowledge
- the story or line of argument is clear and complete; nothing important is missing
- the order of material and the structure of sections and headings is logical and supports the line of argument
- the overall character conveyed by the use of language (for example neutral, formal, academic) is appropriate for readers’ needs.
Copyediting means checking the document line by line to ensure that:
- spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct
- the intended meaning is clear
- language is used consistently to convey the desired character
- styles for elements other than normal text, such as headings, tables, captions and block quotes, are used consistently
- the style for words follows an agreed style sheet on matters such as use of capital letters, hyphens, numerals, italics and rendering of specialist terms.
Proofreading means checking all other details—for example, there are no typographical errors; pages, headings, tables, illustrations, captions, notes and references are correctly numbered and styled; cross-references are accurate; in-text citations match the reference list; hyperlinks work; the table of contents matches the document.
The borders between structural editing, copyediting and proofreading are not bright lines, and authoritative sources don’t always agree on which details belong in which category. So it’s important that we consult thoroughly to have a clear mutual understanding about the sort of intervention you’d like.