Writing and Style Basics
1 | Three Types of Editing: Proofreading, Copy Editing, and Content Editing
Key Point
Best Practices
The three main types of editing performed by scientific editors, and at times by the authors/co-authors themselves or supportive colleagues, are proofreading, copy editing, and content editing. Learning about these different types of editing services and when they are appropriate to use will help you to become more efficient at producing high-quality grant proposals and manuscripts.
Proofreading
In modern parlance, proofreading refers to skimming a polished paper or proposal to look for inadvertent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting that were missed during earlier review steps. It is the quickest type of editing. Oftentimes, authors perform the final reading because they are most familiar with the content. Because it is hard to edit your own work, check the proof with fresh eyes (that is, after taking a break from writing) and in a different format, such as a PDF versus Microsoft Word file or a print out. Reading the text aloud is also very helpful for catching proofreading errors.
Copy Editing
Copy editing takes more time than proofreading but is still relatively quick. This work involves both the above corrections for the mechanics (grammar and so forth) and also minor to moderate improvements in style or clarity. For example, topic sentences may be recommended to aid in the flow of logic, acronyms, or technological concepts may be defined or explained in more detail, and headings may be changed to achieve a parallel structure. All academic documents stand to benefit from a good copy edit by someone with fresh eyes who is also familiar with scientific style and formatting conventions. Hence, do not hesitate to ask for editing support—even the best writers commonly employ an editor. Typically, that person is an editor at a journal, an editor affiliated with either an academic organization or editing company, or a senior colleague.
Content Editing
Content editing, also called substantive editing, is the most time consuming of the three types of editing. In conjunction with the above copy editing work, a content editor may make extensive changes to improve clarity and logic and better highlight the significance and novelty. Furthermore, additional text and keywords may be recommended (or organizational changes made) to demonstrate the alignment with a journal’s scope or funder’s priorities. Conversely, deletions may be recommended if the text is redundant or tangential. Content editing is typically carried out by an experienced scientific editor.
Whatever type of editing support you seek, view the experience as an educational opportunity to improve your writing skills. If you pay careful attention to the changes that were made, you will be more likely to avoid the same pitfalls in future writing projects. A brief conversation with your editor beforehand about what type of editing is being sought or will be provided can be beneficial for professional collaborations. In addition, if there are questions after the edits are returned, a conversation with the editor may be useful to clarify the problems identified and determine the appropriate solutions.
