If you have already written something and would like a bit of help and advice before you publish your work or pass it on to others to read, then check out our editing and proofreading services.
Editing and proofreading services – what’s the difference?
If you are unsure about the differences between editing and proofreading here is a quick summary.
Editing
The main purpose of editing is to ensure that a document or piece of text makes sense and reads well. Although an edit does also include correcting any grammar and spelling mistakes (see Proofreading below), as editors we will also recommend or make changes to your text to improve its flow, readability, use of language and consistency. To help you achieve this we will:
- reduce wordiness by removing any unnecessary or elaborate words (new and inexperienced writers tend to think that using more words and words that sound ‘clever’ is a sign of a good writer but in general the opposite is true – the best advice is to keep it simple)
- check that the appropriate words have been used to express ideas rather than words seemimgly picked from a thesaurus
- check for and clarify any ambiguities
- offer advice on organisation and structure
- ensure that your writing flows naturally
- make sure that the tone and style of writing is suitable for the intended audience
- check for active and passive voice (passive sentences tend to be longer and are less engaging for readers but this doesn’t mean that the passive should never be used)
- ensure that despite all of the above your writing still comes across as sounding like you rather than the work of an editor (we don’t want ‘your own voice’ to be lost through over editing)
To calculate the cost of editing, type in the number of words below and then click in the Total fee box. The fee is based on a standard service which is typically 4 working days (96 hours) depending on the length of the document. If you require a faster turnaround time, please contact us through our Contact page or call us on 07801 291165.
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Proofreading
Proofreading focuses on the correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting and syntax and is therefore usually best done after a thorough edit (see above) and just before you publish or release your work. For example we will check your writing for:
- spelling errors or typos (it is not enough to rely on the spell check feature on your computer)
- the correct use of punctuation such as commas, full stops, colons, semicolons, quotation marks, apostrophes
- grammatical errors to make sure that your writing is grammatically correct
- the correct use of words particularly words that sound the same but have different meanings (for example, to, too and two and there, their and they’re – spell checkers cannot identify these errors)
- formatting and typographical issues such as double spaces after full stops, the layout of your text and the choice and use of typefaces (fonts)
To calculate the cost of proofreading, type in the number of words below and then click in the Total fee box. The fee is based on a standard service which is typically 4 working days (96 hours) depending on the length of the document. If you require a faster turnaround time, please contact us through our Contact page or call us on 07801 291165.
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What next?
If you are happy with the cost of editing or proofreading please get in contact with us to discuss our payment methods and how you should submit your document(s). We can accept documents in Microsoft Word format and Apple Mac Pages format. We edit documents using the Track Changes feature so as you can easily see the recommended corrections/changes and then accept or reject them. When all edits have been completed, we will email you two versions of your document:
- a corrected version which includes all of the changes that have been made using Track Changes
- a fully edited ‘clean’ version which includes all implemented changes/edits and is ready to print/publish
We can also provide additional comments on our recommendations.