Editors can help with a range of services from helping creative writers with their work to the project management of annual reports and corporate publications. Not all editors do the same kind of work, so match your requirements to the services editors offer.
As a communication professional, I come to my editing work with a strong communication perspective and project-management approach.
It's all about understanding the purpose, the audience, where the publication is being distributed and what you want from the process.
I adhere to the Australian standards for editing practice. The standards contain information about the tasks offered by editors.
Substantive or structural editing is the review of the draft in its entirety. This involves checking the content organisation, structure, language and style giving consideration to the intended readership. It is best to consider structural set-up and editing at the early stages of publication planning and development.
Copy editing is the review of of the draft for language and consistency, which may include tables, graphs and illustrations as well as the text. It can include grammar, spelling, punctuation; consistency; formatting; highlighting copyright or legal issues and any unusual design and production issues.
Proofreading is the checking of the document for the correction of errors that may have been introduced or missed in the editing stages. It includes identifying inconsistencies of style for correction, checking conformity to type specifications and checking typography.