There are no universal definitions for different types of editing, and many clients ask generically for “editing” or “proofreading” without a clear understanding of what these entail. However, which names are used is less important than clearly communicating what one actually does.
I mostly offer a service called copy-editing, which entails the following: correcting errors in language mechanics (punctuation, spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, numerals, etc.), grammar and usage; editing for word choice, transitions and writing style, such as awkward constructions, overuse of the passive voice and inappropriate tone; querying unclear terms and facts, issues of sensitive language (e.g., racism and sexism), wordiness, ambiguity, logic problems and content-organization problems at the paragraph level.
But what does this mean in practice? Below are some examples of my copy-editing work for manuscripts in the social sciences and humanities. The texts show my edits in red on the left and my comments to the author on the right (click on the images to make them bigger). By looking at these samples, you can get a clear sense of the kind of work I do. Only snippets of the texts are shown to preserve anonymity and copyright.
A letter of response to peer reviewers
An article on Maulidi and Islamic revival in Zanzibar
An integrative literature review
A cover letter for an analyst position
A court document
A chapter in a book to be published by Peter Lang
A book manuscript to be published by Bloomsbury
An article on the TV programme Crimewatch and police-public relations in Singapore
An article on heritage and authenticity in Kuala Lumpur’s and Singapore’s chinatowns
An article on the experiences of millennials who have left the church
An article on teacher competence profiles in inclusive mathematics education
An article on the recent history of China-Thailand relations as shown on screen
An article on cyber child-to-parent violence
A chapter of a book to be published by Bloomsbury
A chapter of a dissertation
An article on algebra education for secondary students with difficulties
A chapter of an edited volume to be published by Oxford University Press
A paper for a sociology conference
A journal article in the field of media and communication
A chapter of a dissertation
An article on quality of care in nursing homes for a journal that requires APA style
A letter of response to peer reviewers
An article on outdoor education in school curricula
An article on the social acceptability of renewable energy projects
A report on the development of vacant land plots in Riyadh
A report on the transportation system in Yakutia
An article on teaching practices in top-performing reading literacy systems
An article on the use of AI to fact-check health videos
An article on climate change and health communication
A chapter on the well-being of pre-service teachers with immigrant backgrounds
A proposal for research funding
An article on Christian values in EU Christian party programmes
An article using actor network theory to study the battery-material value chain
An article on the mandatory reporting of intimate-partner violence
A chapter of a dissertation
An article on the features of wise women’s expressions in ancient Greece
