Key Principles of Effective Editing 

People often think that editing is a case of checking grammar and punctuation, but there is much more involved. Quite often people can hear there is something wrong with a sentence when it’s read, which is a sign that one or more rules of grammar have been broken. However, there are errors that are better at hiding than others and may not be detected when reading. Fixing those problems without a comprehensive knowledge of grammar can be a challenge and waste valuable time. However, someone with the correct training can see these errors quickly and fix accordingly.

Did you know that editing is based on five principles. The writing must be:

  • concise (staying on track without waffling)
  • clear (easily understood)
  • complete (understood without being ambiguous)
  • consistent (with spelling, style and tone)
  • correct form (follows the standard rules of grammar).

Understanding the Stages of Editing

There are different levels of editing depending on how much is involved to correct the content; in other words, it’s the condition of the material that identifies what type of editing is required. The levels are:

  • Structural (also known as developmental or substantive) editing
  • Copy (also known as line editing)
  • Proofreading.

While the stages can overlap, these descriptions explain the different stages of editing:

  • Structural Editing (Substantive or Developmental Editing)

As the name suggests, this entails a complete overhaul of the material. The order of information must be delivered in logical sequence. Tone, language, terminology used, logical flow, repetition, inconsistencies, and legal requirements fall within the substantive editing stage. It’s the foundation of the content and, like foundations in everything, it has to be right.

  • Copy Editing (Line Editing)

This level focuses on completeness, consistency, readability and audience suitability. Material requiring copy editing usually needs attention to spelling and grammar.

  • Proofreading

The final level, proofreading, is a final check of the content to ensure previous changes have been altered, it also scrutinises and fixes issues with chapter headings, typographical errors, spelling mistakes, page references, unclear text, names and terms, and format.

The Important of Editing for Business Success

Every business-related document has a purpose: to sell, to promote, or to offer information. Each document must be error-free to be received well by its intended audience, and that intended audience usually means your potential clients. Annoying distractions, such as misspelt words and incorrect punctuation can interrupt the flow causing your potential customers to lose interest. That means you could lose sales as well as respectability.

For a business, a website is a crucial selling machine. It never sleeps. It can be better than your best sales person, but if it doesn’t engage with your visitor and provide a professional image, then your visitor will simply move onto another website, someone else’s business. The content on your website must deliver valuable information and it has to be error-free. If a website has errors, then it can jeopardies sales and creditability for your business.

But there is more than just your website’s content that has to withstand the scrutiny of customers and potential customers. There is business documentation that goes out to customers (such as promotional information, newsletters, media releases, information and marketing campaign emails), and even internal documentation (such as reports, manuals, procedures). It can all benefit from editing or proofreading, which can improve your existing business material.

To help ensure your message is not lost through spelling errors, poor grammar or weak content, submit a sample of the documentation and we will provide a quote.

Request a quote.