What are the different types of editing?
“No iron can pierce the human heart as chillingly as a full stop placed at the right time.”
— Issac Babel
When it comes to choosing a professional editor to work on your academic writing - be it a dissertation, an impact case study or a grant proposal - things can get confusing. What’s the difference between proofreading and copyediting? What does a developmental editor do? And which editing comes first? Read on for our mini-guide to the different types of editing.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final polish of a piece of writing: a safety net that ensures nothing slips through. Typically, a proofreader will look out for micro-level errors such as spelling mistakes, typos and punctuation errors; grammatical errors; and errors in page numbering, text alignment, spacing, font size and style. If you have limited funds to invest in editing, it’s always worth getting a proofreader to check your work before it goes out into the world.
Copyediting
A copyedit will check for and correct grammatical, spelling, syntax and punctuation errors as well as consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals and hyphenation. Continuity errors will also be checked, as well as factually incorrect statements. In academic writing, this continuity applies to anything from acronyms to references or statistical information. Finally, a copyedit will check for potential legal liability and verify that a piece of writing does not libel others.
“The wastebasket is a writer’s best friend.”
— Isaac Bashevis Singer
Line editing
Although a line edit will check and correct all the potential errors involved in copy editing and proofreading, the real work in this kind of editing is to do with the writer’s language. A really good line editor will suggest changes to the language to make it clearer and stronger, changes that will also enhance and strengthen a writer’s style, voice and impact.
Developmental editing
Sometimes called structural or content editing, this is the Big Daddy of editing services and is usually best employed at an early draft stage. A developmental editor will read a manuscript paying particular attention to macro-areas such as structure, pace, voice and meaning.
Typically, a developmental edit will entail detailed notes on a manuscript, including areas that need development and suggestions for rewrites. Comments may also be embedded into the text to illustrate areas in need of further work. This kind of editing is very labour intensive and, to be really effective, requires an editor to have a deep understanding of structure and narrative technique.
And that’s it: four very different types of editing, all incredibly useful for any form of academic writing, but best employed at different times.
For anyone who’s interested in learning more about the relationship between writing and editing, the following books are highly recommended:
· Athill, D. Stet, Granta, 2011
· Coyne, S. The Story Grid, Black Irish Books, 2015
· Saunders, G, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, Bloomsbury, 2021
· Maxwell, W. The Happiness of Getting it Down Right, Random House, 1998