What's the Difference? Editing and Proofreading Defined

Editors often get asked what the difference is between line editing and copyediting; or whether proofreading is the same as editing. The brief answer is that there are varying degrees of editing, and not every editor has the skill to perform all of them. There is a bit of overlap, but there are distinctions. It is actually better to have different people perform different levels of editing so there are fresh eyes with each reading. Editors focus on the 4 C's: clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness.

Developmental or Substantive Editing

Developmental editing looks at the document or manuscript as a whole and refines the flow, chapter/paragraph placement, presentation, narrative style and "big picture" issues. For manuscripts, this would also include plot, setting, character development, and world building. The editor provides feedback and ideas to 'develop' the writing.

Line Editing

As is implied in the name, line editing looks at every line of content and improves sentence structure, active vs passive voice, clarity and conciseness. For academic or technical writing, the would also include making sure it conforms to style guides for citations and formatting. Suggestions can be made for run-on sentences and inconsistencies.

Copy Editing

The next level of editing is copy editing, which narrows the focus to word choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling, subject and verb agreement, and adherence to style guides. This level pays attention to overuse of words, clichés, and dialogue, to name a few.

Proofreading

The final step before publishing is proofreading. This level goes over the content with a fine-toothed comb and looks for formatting issues, missed double words or double spaces, font and heading styles, page numbers, and layout. Proofreaders are the quality control specialists.

The expected reimbursement for each level of editing coincides with the amount of work. Developmental editors would be reimbursed more than a proofreader or copy editor. Understanding the differences helps ensure the writer gets what they need, and that the editor is reimbursed accordingly.