Also commonly called structural or substantive editing.

The first round of editing, which looks at the work as a whole.

Examines the content and organization of the text.

Addresses pacing, ensures the point or argument is clear, fills in any gaps in information (or plot holes in fiction), and redirects tangents.

The editor collaborates closely with the writer to shape the piece into its strongest possible form.

It's important not to skip this step—if the work is disorganized or long-winded, copyediting (editing at sentence level) alone isn’t likely to create a positive experience for the reader.

Also called stylistic editing.

A line-by-line approach to edit for style and flow.

Often combined with copyediting.

Ensures that the tone and reading level of the piece is appropriate for the intended audience and medium.

Employs Conscious Language principles.

Checks for repetition, redundancies, passive voice, tangents, parallelism, proper tense, and consistent POV.

Examines sentence and paragraph structure, and smooths transitions.

Overall goal is to produce tight, logical, and structured prose that remains true to the author’s voice and vision..

Should be completed prior to formatting.

Ideally done in MS Word using the Track Changes feature.

Addresses errors with grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage.

Some sentences may be recast to resolve errors and improve flow.

Ensures the appropriate style guide is consistently followed for abbreviations, capitalization, treatment of numbers, references, etc.

Employs Conscious Language principles.

Includes any visuals such as tables, graphs, figures, and captions.

Checks basic facts, simple calculations, timelines, and other details.

Generates a style sheet to track style choices throughout the project.

Is a vital step to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency.

Proofreading is actually the final editorial task.

Marked up on final page "proofs," either hard copy or PDF.

Limited in scope—larger issues should already have been resolved.

Fixes lingering issues with spelling, grammar, and typos.

Also addresses layout: spacing, headings, pagination, breaks, etc.

Includes any visuals such as tables, graphs, figures, and photo captions.

Requires collaboration with the typesetter or designer.

A vital step to ensure your final project is correct, clear, and consistent!