Professional editing services

There can be several different levels involved in editing a written work: copy editing, stylistic editing, and more in-depth substantive editing. Whichever level or levels are required, we guarantee we will work carefully and accurately. Your confidentiality is guaranteed.

If sending by e-file, we can accept PDF and Word formats. Log into our secure Client Area where you can upload your documents.

In all of our editing, we read for bias and inaccuracies, and we will alert you to any materials that may be libellous (offensive to an individual) or that require copyright permission to reprint (quotations, poems, song lyrics).  

Copy editing

When we copy edit your work, we correct

• grammatical errors
• misplaced or incorrectly used punctuation, and
• misspelled words

We also

• suggest how to replace misused words and phrases
• check that headings/subheadings are well placed
• edit tables, figures, and lists
• edit photo captions if requested to do so
• edit notes, references, and bibliographies (our editors are well versed in MLA, APA, and Chicago citation styles)

In addition, we create a Style Sheet that outlines the rules of punctuation, how numbers are used, what is capitalized and what is not, and how words are spelled. We identify the specialized words you use so that they are used consistently.

Copy editing can move quickly if your writing is clear and sharp. This is called a “light copy edit.” If your work requires more detailed copy editing, it would be a “heavy copy edit” and would take a bit longer.

Stylistic editing

A stylistic edit will help clarify your meaning, eliminate jargon, correct faulty syntax, and give your writing an overall polish.

Substantive/Structural editing

This is a more involved editing process. We work with what you have written and assess it for structure and flow. When necessary, we move paragraphs to better connect ideas, shorten sentences that are too long, and carefully take out repeated information. To help you follow our changes, we include written comments or queries that explain why we are suggesting the change. If we edit onscreen for you, we use "track changes" so that all the edits can be seen and approved.

Indexing  

We are now offering back-of-the-book indexing services. Please contact us for more information.

Quick Quote: You can send us up to 10 pages of your work for a Quick Quote through our online service. Please note that the quote will give you a sense of what the editing costs might be while giving us a sense of the level of editing that might be required.