Editing, Rewriting + Proofreading

Editing

Leaders and managers are often too busy to be perfectionist about their writing, and even the best writers need an editor. Basic text editing (copyediting) is about two things:

  • Removing errors – grammar; vocabulary; factual or formatting inconsistencies; and

  • Improving readability – through better logical flow, sentence structure, ordering of paragraphs, hierarchy and phrasing of headers, etc.

Whereas bullet points can so easily become unreadable lists of lists, full sentences and paragraphs are flexible and expressive. The written word is a powerful medium for sharing meaning at speed, in depth, with subtlety and control. Good writing also expresses what we value - and even something of who we are. For academic or professional audiences, text should not only be correct, precise and concise but should also:

‘give the readers the feeling of being respected at same time as being informed or motivated. The best way to achieve this aim is by knowing the values, knowledge and interests of your audience.’

(Sky Marsen, Professional Writing: The Complete Guide for Business, Industry and IT. Palgrave Macmillan)


The more changes we make to a text, the more we move from basic copyediting into structural editing (and eventually rewriting). This requires analytical skills, an ear for tone, and lateral thinking.

  • Improving structure can improve consistency with the overall objectives of the text, and improve traction with audiences;

  • Cutting length can achieve the same, and brings new opportunities for structure: the two usually happen in parallel.

Writing and editing software can assist with this process. But we have to take active writing decisions too, if we are to evaluate decisions made by AI. It is well established that we struggle even to read, if other literacies (listening, speaking, questioning and creating) are not also engaged.

Rewriting

At the heavier end of content or structural editing; sometimes also referred to as development/al editing.

The web is full of text “rewritten” by humans and/or software, often lacking in quality or originality. But in publishing terms, rewriting means:

  • Realizing the strategic intent of the text

  • Making it appropriate and accessible to different target audiences

  • Repurposing it for different channels or formats (with permissions)

  • Taking preparatory work up to publishable quality

  • Achieving consistency of tone and texture.

Rewriting adds reader appeal and hence commercial potential to your work. Converting a PhD dissertation or collating presentations at conferences are obvious examples - albeit the main economic payoff is usually professional visibility and progression. (Publishers themselves take on academic rewriting/development editing only occasionally, where they identify unusually high sales potential.)

In practice, writing is always a synthesis. Think of writing a bid, for example. You have models you wish to follow or change, sources you want to draw on and details you want to foreground: a more or less defined plan and vision. Rewriting involves parallel processes of adding, cutting, sequencing, (re)phrasing – and keeping in touch with this, your original vision.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the quickest and lightest form of editing. Mainly an error check, it’s for writing that is already in good shape - a quality assurance process after others have made their input. In some legal or technical texts, for example, sentence structure is pretty much determined by the content; rephrasing would be a risk to accuracy.

Translations, even those of high quality, generally require light editing (for style and language) rather than just proofreading. I assist individuals and firms wanting 100% accurate texts that do not read like a translation.

 
 

I have collaborated with Andrew a number of times and found him to be a knowledgeable, responsive, skilled and reliable editor. He has assisted me with communicating rights-based social research and advocacy to new audiences, displaying a sound grasp of the normative debates involved.

– Dr Su-ming Khoo, National University of Ireland Galway

I've had a big week with two job interviews which, I'm very pleased to say, have been successful. And see below: positive response from the procurement people. …I took in all your comments including for the cover email template. Great introduction, clear presentation and eloquent wording.

–  CV and bid editing client, London

Reads fluently and idiomatically: can be used as it stands without further revision. [No criticisms of any of the following]: Reference material and EU-specific terminology; spelling and grammar; style and register; clarity of expression.

– European Commission translations bureau quality check (industry/regulatory text, Baltic States)