What's the difference between proofreading and editing?

Answer 1

Proofreading is usually the action taken to mark up a draft, showing errors, misspellings, and phrases that may be confusing

Editing is making changes to the draft, and also the process of proofreading and looking for bigger fixes that may need to be made, such as the order of information in an essay or making the conclusion clearer

Answer 2

Editing: Large changes in your paper that can be done throughout the drafting stages of the writing process

ex. improving structure or organization, adjusting tone, editing content to be more concise or relevant, and evaluating rhetorical strategies for maximum effect

Proofreading: Reviewing your paper in its final draft for consistency and accuracy

ex. reading aloud to check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting (MLA, APA, ect)

You can use this breakdown to develop a method of editing and proofreading that best suits your needs. Happy Writing!

Answer 3

The responsibility of a proofreader lies in the name: proof reader. A proof is a completed document that is ready for publication. The proofreader compares the finished document with the edited manuscript to ensure all errors have been fixed and that all formatting is correct. Before the document reaches the proofreader, however, it must go through the editing process.

There are seven roles in the book editing process - book coach, beta reader, manuscript evaluator, developmental editor, line editor, copyeditor, and proofreader - but these roles can be condensed or disregarded for other kinds of texts. The writer of an academic paper, for example, would not utilize the services of a book coach or a beta reader, but they might ask a peer to review it against their instructor's standards.

In the simplest terms, book coach, beta reader, manuscript evaluator, and developmental editor are all content editors. They look at the substance of the story or article. The line editor, who can also be the developmental editor, reads for literary style and tone. The copyeditor looks at the mechanics of the text, fixing spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation and compound words, numbers, trademarks, copyright and permissions, word choice, and some text formatting. They also do basic fact-checking and, for books or serial projects, create style sheets.

After a manuscript - book or paper - has been through the editors and all the corrections have been made, it is ready for publication. The proofreader gives the finished document one last pass.

Answer 4

These two terms are often confused but there are clear differences. Generally proofreading involves reviewing a paper for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors as well as checking that the style guidelines (APA, MLA, etc.) for whatever particular style is being used are followed. Generally, a proofreader won't be substantially changing sentences significantly or even adding suggested additional sentences or material to a work. A proofreader may suggest different word choices based on errors in parts of speech etc.

Editing is a more intensive process, especially in the book publishing industry. An editor will review a work more from a content, tone, and clarity perspective. While an editor may not be an expert in the particular field he or she may point out to the author where text is not clear or confusing and even suggest alternative ways of expressing an idea so that the writing is more clear. The goal of an editor is to ensure that the text flows smoothly and with clarity. Editors will correct for run on sentence structures, incomplete sentences, the flow of the text and where there may be redundancies or perceived gaps in the information being presented. Editors will sometimes include the types of corrections that a proofreader will be looking for but the act of editing is much more intensive regarding the message being communicated in the work and whether the intended purpose is achieved by the written presentation.

In either regard it is always the responsibility of the author to accept, reject or revise and present the final piece of writing as his/her own work.

Often speakers of English as a second language will need both editing and proofreading and many colleges and universities accept 2nd language users of English will need both proofreading and editing assistance. I always stand ready to assist native and non-native speakers of English with proofreading and editing services. Let me know if you need my assistance.

Regards,

Dr. Bill Newell