Copy-editing & proofreading services

You’ve got something to say. You’re pretty sure there are people who want to hear it.

Question: how do you get your message across in a clear, reputation-enhancing way?

Answer: you hire a copy-editor to work with you. She cracks out the red pen and before you can say “I don’t believe in Oxford commas,” your writing is sparkling with professional expertise.

Types of editing

You can choose any of these editing types, or we can work out which would best suit your project.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the underpinning of copy-editing.

The proofreader scours your work for spelling and grammatical errors (yes, even the ones that Microsoft Word hasn’t got the hang of) and corrects them for you.

FC // proofreading process

Print out the writing. Studies indicate that proofreading on paper is more accurate than trying to spot errors on-screen. My own experience suggests the same.

Mark up the errors. (Using British Standard marks, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.)

Make changes in document. Highlighting the proofing marks on the paper copy as I go.

Check changes. Going through the highlighted changes and making sure none were missed.

Ask about proofreading

Line editing/copy-editing

Line editing assesses the copy as a whole, making improvements where necessary.

It means that the editor scans for awkwardly-phrased sentences, consistency in tone, strength of argument and so on. Basically, it boosts your content up a few levels.

FC // line editing includes

All proofreading checks, plus:

Sentence structure and tone
Clarity and strength of message
Accuracy of claims
Formatting improvement and consistency

Ask about copy-editing

Fact checking

Fact checking means checking sources and altering incorrect information.

If you’re happy with the quality of writing but want to be doubly sure of accuracy, fact checking could be the right choice.

FC // fact checking includes

Checking or finding sources for objective claims (e.g. statistics, historical references)
Confirming contact information and hyperlinks

Ask about fact checking

Need some writing done first?

Check out my writing services.