Copyediting Vs. Proofreading - A Comparative Analysis

With the demand for copyediting and indexing increasing continuously, a lot of service providers for the same have emerged. However, unfortunately many of them are unable to guarantee quality work. But there are some premium digital prepress companies providing copyediting and document indexing services in India which can be relied on without any concerns; they know their job very well.

If you want to hire a company providing copy editing and proofreading services, you must do proper research on what your preferred service providers are actually offering. Most often, if not always, your expectations and your service provider’s support may mismatch.

Getting acquainted with the actual differences between various types of content correction services will help you to opt for appropriate solutions from any of the best prepress services India based companies. Let us discuss about the different types of content correction services that may be of importance to you, but before we proceed further, let us point out the differences between proofreading and editing so that you get a clear idea of what you are looking for:

Proofreading & editing: what is the difference?

Editing

The purpose of editing is to improve the quality of a piece of written content by improving language and expression. Editing improves language quality and sharpness as well as readability. An editor will ensure the appropriate words are used to express the correct meanings. The editor would change passive voice to active voice, thereby ensuring a better reading experience. An editor checks if the content is based on an appropriate tone and would remove unnecessary words, if required.

Proofreading

Proofreading is an easy task compared to editing and it involves lesser effort too. Proofreading can rectify surface errors with regard to language use, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. The proofreader will check if commas, full-stops, and all other punctuations are used in an appropriate manner and whether there are any double spaces. The proofreader will conduct an overall check on the manuscript to identify and rectify errors.

Types of copy editing

• Proofreading

  In this level of editing, spacing, formatting, consistency, spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, consistency of verb and tense as well as pronouns are checked. Editors won’t make drastic changes to any of your words or sentences as these are a part of higher level editing services. This refers to the process of conducting a review of the final document to ensure the use of the correct grammar, formatting, spelling, and punctuation. For some people, proofreading is the last step to revise a document before it is forwarded for publishing. The proofreader handles this task by comparing various manuscript versions in printed form and this may include a thorough checking of the headers, formatting, page numbers, etc. So what kinds of errors are rectified during proofreading? When a document goes for proofreading, it has been already edited. So by the time proofreading is performed, the content is already organized properly and all errors with respect to sentence construction and grammar usage. So proofreading is all about spotting small or large errors that remained unidentified or were incorporated during the editing process. It is the job of a proofreader to ensure that the final document is free from all sorts of errors and inconsistencies with regard to grammatical errors, improper formatting or typographical issues. Document proofreaders can be asked to handle any number of revisions as the number of revisions is not associated with an increase in the overall price. However, if proofreaders identify excessive mistakes, they may end up recommending another round of professional editing.

• Higher level copy editing

  Obviously proofreading as mentioned in earlier category will be done. Additionally, the editor will check for clearness, conciseness, correctness, completeness and consistency. They will work on the paragraph and sentence structure, delete redundant words, use synonyms for frequently repeating words and weak sentences or words will be replaced with more professional and powerful ones. A typical typesetting service provider assures that the tone stays intact. There will be noticeable changes and you can review them to assure that it falls in line with your expectations.

  An accidently out-of-place or wrongly spelled word can completely change the meaning of a context. Many times errors intrude into your work and whether it is for print or digital media, hiring an expert copyediting service provider in India is highly recommended.

  With an eagle’s eye, the professional scans the whole document, finds out the errors and fixes them thus assuring total quality. The process encompasses the following

  • A comprehensive analysis and inspection of text with a focus on the requirements, nature and expectation of target audience.
  • Confirmation of approvals in regard of the external sources mentioned in the document.

  With the help of a reputed copyediting service provider in India, the manuscript is tweaked and prudently inflated to meet the global publishing standards. The professionals eliminate any type of errors related to grammar, word choice and phraseology as well as textual inconsistencies.

• Substantive/line editing

  It is very close to copy-writing. Editors will based on the need rewrite certain parts of your submitted document. This is in fact a developmental process where editor recreates the substance thus educating you regarding how to write in a better manner. Adding new content in case if the matter lacks soul may also fall under the scope of this content correction service. The process takes more time and effort. Therefore, this is expensive as well.

  Other types of services usually demanded are submission formatting, reference and citation formatting services, glossary development, table of contents and index development as well as fact-checking. Also, read more about some of the difference between line editing and copy editing.

  English editing have three levels namely, basic editing, advanced editing, and premium editing. Editors delivering basic editing rectify typos and grammatical errors. Advanced editing is a comprehensive process that is commonly applied to polish research papers. Editors delivering this type of editing service continue to render editing support till the paper gets accepted and printed. The purpose of this level of editing is to rectify language and grammatical errors, ensure logical flow and to maintain structural accuracy, help in the writing of a cover letter to propose for journal submission, and to develop a document assessment report. The researchers are also guided by editors on matters related to submission as well on drafting appropriate responses to reviewers’ feedback.

  Researchers who want to get their articles published in scientific journals should consider hiring a professional scientific manuscript editing service. A scientific manuscript may get rejected if the language fails to satisfy the expectations of the journal editors who have high standards. This is a real challenge for non-native English speakers. Professionals performing scientific manuscript editing hold master degrees or PhDs in scientific subjects and so they are in a perfect position to handle complex matters.

• Indexing

  Though many times regarded as a supporting process for copyediting, document indexing services have huge relevance and must never be overlooked. An astutely and concisely done process perfectly reflects the value of ideas in a document. It creates a gateway to the ideas of the author.

  A typical company in India is proficient in formatting the index exactly as per the specifications and style guide suggested by you. They also note and communicate any sort of inconsistencies or typographical errors found. In India, services for subject specific indexing and also for documents, books, journals, manuscripts, research papers, course materials, images and photos are highly preferred.

With MAPSystems, excellence is guaranteed in all aspects of the proofreading services. People working with us are passionate about words and they hail from content writing and copy-writing backgrounds; some have worked earlier with highly reputed, professional proofreading companies.

We can help you with all types of professional copy editing services. Call us for a quote.