The Invisible Work of a Copyeditor

Copyediting is done after editing and before proofreading. Interested in copy editing? Wondering what is the heart of the work of a copyeditor or the traits of a good copyeditor? Read on…

There are multiple content writers in Mumbai and blog writers in Mumbai, but what sets one apart from the other is the style of writing and the level of copyediting done on the work. Copyediting ensures that the workis error free and meets the reader’s expectations. So what does a copyeditor do?

An effective copyeditor should review the content for spellings, punctuation, inconistencies, usage and grammar. They should adhere to the preferred standard styleguide and add titles, headers and footers, pull quotes for the article, find abbreviations that need explanation, correct typos, and add caption photos if they are missing. They also ensure that titles, table of contents, page numbers, footnotes, glossary, appendices and an index are included if required in the document.

For example, the job of a copyeditor would include identifying exclamation marks or italics/bold and capitals that have been overused. They would also be the ones to identify if very long sentenences have not been punctuated correctly or if the paragraphs are too long and need to be shortened by a senior editor. They also check to see that names of all people and things have been spelled correctly.

Furthermore, a copyeditor is expected to be alert to unclear passages or questionable sentences. They should inform their senior copyeditors about doubtful sections of the text and seek clarification from them before proceeding to make changes to the document. They should also be able to spot factual errors and verify quotes and dates. This skill of a copyeditor prevents embarassing errors of fact and any legal problems, such as copyright issues, libel, obscenity and racial slurs. To prevent breech in copyrighting, they should seek permission or suggest the same.

Sometimes copyeditors are also involved in the technicalities of the production. They know the approximate number of words that the publisher wants and accordingly are expected to shorten sentences to fit length limits of a particular layout.

They are also involved in the design of the production. Illustration and tables support text. Copyeditors suggest senior editors if any illustrations are required or any illustrations are forgotten. They also indicate where the illustration or the table should be located in the document. They will also ensure that all of the artwork is suitable for publishing. For these reasons, copyeditors should have good interpersonal skills for dealing with other editors, writers and designers.

All of this comprises the heart of the work of a copyeditor.To conclude, copyeditors have to be skilled grammarians who can edit engaging material remarkably without changing the meaning. There are certain edits that a copyeditor does not do. A copyeditor does not rewrite and restructure the text. The copyeditor does not ghostwrite a document, proofread, or do research beyond the basic facts.

If you consistently didn’t do well in grammar at the school level or if your spellings are poor, copyediting is not the job for you. Also if you find it hard to accept the author’s writing style or you hold strong opinions about it, then again copyediting is not for you. It will be difficult for you to do a good job.

Stylus solution is one of the best content writing companies in Mumbai which provides its clients various services which include technical writing, content writing, article writing and education among many others. (Delnaz Edulji)