Checking for Credibility

Saturday Writer: Copyediting and Proofreading

A writer crafts a message.

The writer’s job is to choose words with precision and arrange them carefully to convey meaning. The editor’s job is to ensure that the meaning the writer intends is indeed the one that reader receives. Sounds simple enough. It is. It’s elegant in its simplicity.

A content editor is the first to challenge the writing, looking for problems at the text level in the expression of ideas—logic, clarity, and cohesion. The copyeditor moves down to the sentence level to check for grammar, usage, mechanics, syntax and semantics. Proofreaders follow behind to check spelling and punctuation. They also check to ensure that no new errors have been introduced during the editing process.

This is a critical juncture. The focus has moved from “what” the writer is saying to “how” and “how well” the message is said.

Copyeditors and proofreaders drive some writers crazy. It’s true these specialists worry about things that the rest of us don’t remember. It’s true that on many points even they can’t agree with each other. It’s also true that a misplaced comma in a contract can cost millions of dollars. But more importantly, copyeditors and proofreaders catch errors that cause distractions—errors that get between the reader and the writer’s message.

Copyeditors and proofreaders are the superheroes that protect the writer’s credibility.

The message can be music. The prose can sing. Put a misspelled word in the middle, and the reader will stop for a second or so and lose sight of what the writer was saying.

If you can, get a friend to read after you. I have a friend who does that for me, as my eyes have a slight case of dyslexia. Early each morning she reads my blog and e-mails any corrections to me. She’s heaven sent in more ways than one. I value her. In no way does she make me crazy. I say thank you at least ten times a week.

Post Script
If you must go it alone, here’s a checklist and some tips for you.

Read paper if you can. Your eyes have more experience reading paper. They recognize mistakes in print more quickly than mistakes on screen. If you read on screen, adjust the text size up to a size you’re not used to reading. That will ensure that you see each word individually. In longer documents, check for only one or two checklist items at a time.

Copyediting and Proofreading Checklist

1. Are there any run-on or unnecessary rambling sentences?
2. Are there any unintended sentence fragments?
3. Is there a variety in sentence length and structure?
4. Are any sentences awkward or confusing?
5. Is every sentence logical and grammatically correct?
6. Is the information accurate and correct?
7. Are any words overused, redundant, repeated, or misused?
8. Are transition words used where they are needed?
9. Are all parts of the document included?
10. Are all sentences punctuated correctly?
11. Are all words spelled correctly?
12. Has the document been checked to ensure that no new errors were introduced?

If you let the work (and yourself) rest before you check it, you'll be more successful at finding errors instead of introducing new ones.

—me strauss Letting me be

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Definitions of Light, Medium, and Heavy Copyediting

Hints for Gaining Skill at Proofreading