Skip to main content
When you need help, what kind do you need?

Choosing the editing you need

Use this page to decide which level of editing service is right for you. Copyediting? Line editing? Structural editing? A full rewrite? Team guidance? (Bonus: If you don't use Shorewalker DMS, this page will still help you to tell another editor what you really want.) By David Walker.

Shorewalker DMS offers a wide range of editorial service levels. That's because editing is not one thing. When you decide you need editing, you also need to decide: "Which sort of editing do I need".

This page sets out the different kinds of editing task, and what you buy with each sort of editing. These tasks make up a spectrum. At one end are the detailed sentence-by-sentence editing known as line editing, and text-and-image check known as proofreading. At the other end is the sort of intensive structural edit that leaves few paragraphs untouched, and a structural review of the document which may be followed by extensive reworking.

To better understand our work, Shorewalker DMS has collected data on the speed of different editing tasks. As well as our own internal data, we have speeds for a number of respected outside editors. These different sources give us surprisingly consistent information.

The biggest surprise: the work involved in an intensive structural edit can differ from a normal proofread by a factor of ...

20.

Yes, a tough structural edit on a complex issue can easily take 20 times as long as a final check of the same item. It typically also requires greater skill.

What do you need?

Because material can be edited in all sorts of ways, Shorewalker DMS will take some effort to establish just what level of editing you want and need. The broad categories are set out below: proofreading, copyediting, line editing, structural editing, a structural review, and rewriting. You will also often need a document's key messages condensed, for when you must explain it to people who don't have time to read it all.

It's worth noting that the editing categories below do not follow any agreed industry standard. Editing currently has no standard set of terms. The word "editing" and its variations are used loosely by editors and clients alike.

Shorewalker DMS uses terminology that we believe is the most common and best understood, based partly on a classification developed by Editors Canada. Our terminology also aligns with data we have collected on editing speeds. But other firms may use the same terms to mean different things, or use different terms to mean the same things.

After reading this page, you will probably still have questions about just what level of work your material needs. So talk to us. Our 15-minute consultation is free and can help you understand much better what your options are.

Proofreading

Proofreading is generally the simplest check you can request on a document. It typically happens when you have the final designed text. It is material that you do not expect to alter once proofreading changes are complete.

In proofreading, an expert checks the final, design-complete print or electronic document for uncorrected faults in:

  • internal consistency, including in the use of graphics
  • grammar
  • spelling
  • punctuation
  • style guide compliance
  • formatting
  • bibliographic references
  • adherence to legal requirements (such as use of trademarks).

Proofreading is largely a mechanical exercise in applying rules set out in dictionaries, grammar rulebooks and the organisation's style guide. It usually does not involve proactive improvements to the structure of the document. It need not involve the writer.

The document should be edited before it is proofed. That's partly because at this stage, extra design work will be needed for any changes that do more than correct errors.

And the proofreader should ideally be a different person from the editor, because the proofreading is ideally done with fresh eyes.

When you have specialist material – be it in business, science, a professional field or something else – then you should aim for a proofreader with deep experience in that speciality. (Shorewalker DMS can provide such specialist skills.)

Needed for proofreading

To start work, a proofreader needs:

  • your text, usually in Microsoft Word format (although Shorewalker DMS can convert it from a wide range of other formats where necessary)
  • the style guide or guides from which your authors have worked
  • an agreed deadline.

Editing

Editing usually implies more intervention than just proofreading. Editors always look for the things that proofreaders check – spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting. But then they go further – sometimes much further. Often they will communicate with the author multiple times during the editing process. They actively suggest how content might be changed to, among other things:

  • better convey your meaning
  • make your document easier to understand
  • make it more enjoyable to read
  • ensure the text does not needlessly offend particular groups.

This is sometimes called a "substantive edit". But this term still doesn't designate just how much editing a document will get. Determining the extent of editing is an important part of the editing process.

Copyedit (or light edit)

A copyedit is one where the text is already in near-final shape; now you need someone to give it a light polish before it is proofed and sent for publication. This is sometimes referred to as a "light edit". It is akin to the work that newspaper copyeditors do when reporters file their stories.

Our data suggests that in some cases, a copyedit can take not much more time than proofreading. It also typically sharply reduces the time taken for proofreading and the last-minute changes needed. That result makes sense: both tasks share many challenges. Typically both a proofread and a copyedit will correct grammar, spelling and major style guide compliance issues.

In an edit, though, sentences will typically be cleaned up and tightened.

A copyedit make your copy flow better and ensure the reader doesn't trip up on mistakes and inconsistencies. If the text overall doesn't make sense, polishing its grammar and spelling won't save it. But for already well-shaped copy, this is a good solution.

Line edit (or medium edit)

In this style of edit, editor and client agree that the material needs something beyond the mere polish of a copyedit: it's more like bare wood in need of proper finishing. It needs an editor to analyse the document and add coherence, readability and flow:

  • Language needs to be more readable. We will eliminate jargon and complication to make the text more readable.
  • Paragraphs will sometimes need rewriting.
  • Graphics text may need to be edited.
  • References and some statements will be checked.

This sort of work makes documents easier to read and typically produces a sharp improvement in the document's automated readability scores.

What a line edit won't do is improve the structure of the document. For that, you need a still heavier edit. 

Structural edit (or heavy edit) 

Here the level of intervention rises again. A structural edit clarifies meaning. It looks at the framework of your document, and then changes it to make the narratives more obvious. It sometimes adds a significant number of new words. It untangles and recombines the main elements of the document. It connects different parts of the narrative together. Or to use our furniture analogy again: in a structural edit, you don't just add a layer of finishing. You get out the drills, clamps and saws. 

In a structural edit, the editor will start by assessing the following:

  • Contentions – Are the hypotheses and arguments relevant and clearly signalled, or are they tangled up with other points?
  • Exposition – Does the document explain its contentions in an understandable way? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with the contentions?
  • Balance – Does the document deal with the full range of topics that need addressing? Does it deal with them all at appropriate length, and not more?
  • Organisation – Are the contentions and the exposition organised logically? If the document is a written document, do the headings guide readers through the material?
  • Multimedia – Are tables, illustrations, video aand audio used appropriately?
  • Tone – Is the way that the document says thing the write way for its audiences? 
  • Pace – Are some passages that are bogged down in unnecessary detail? Do any areas need further exposition?

After that assessment – and usually in consultation with the author – the editor may:

  • restructure and move material to clarify themes and improve logical structure
  • rewrite many sentences and paragraphs to improve coherence and flow
  • change the order of sections
  • sharply condense or even delete material
  • suggest adding new material
  • advise on changing or introducing graphics.

To do such work, the editor will need specialist domain knowledge. They will also need skill and sensitivity to create a consensus with the original author about the need for change, and then to jointly make that change while preserving the author's insights. A structural edit is a team game and requires editors who can work withj specialist writers. (Again here, Shorewalker DMS can provide such specialist abilities.)

Early editing involvement

Structural editing is often said to come after the author or authors complete their first draft of the document.

But a skilled structural editor can also work with writers to ask those assessment questions as the first draft is being written. This earlier involvement can mean that the authoring team makes small course corrections through the authoring process, rather than a wrenching major restructure after completing the first draft.

Team guidance

Shorewalker DMS also has experience leading teams of content creators and domain experts. In such a role, we frequently act as a guide, helping the team to make good choices about subject matter, approach and focus. If you have a crucial report or other document being worked on by a team, we can help get the best out of your investment in good people.

Strategic document review

We're increasingly asked to review documents while they are still being authored. This is a different activity from editing (although editing involves, on a smaller scale, many of the same judgements). In a review, we typically act as a new pair of eyes for the client project manager. Together we ask the toughest question of all about the document: how well does it currently do what it is supposed to do? In the process, we take the first-draft report or other document through several stages:

  • You tell us about the persuasive goals you have for your document. With our help, you ensure you have a full list and ranking of these goals.
  • We analyse your document against a series of key document factors, working out where it could be changed to add persuasive power. For a typical report, these factors include:
    • how it states the problems it's addressing
    • how it expresses and summarises its key points
    • how it answers the questions that different audiences are likely to have
    • possible clarifications and expansions of elements in the report
    • suggested changes to language
    • what actionable recommendations it provides
    • how many elements it contains – in words or graphics – which can be easily and accurately passed on to audiences – for example, as tweets or image panels
    • the likely reactions of key audiences such as news media.
  • We produce a list of possible changes and additions to the report. We may suggest restructuring, expanding important points, or removing elements which may be weakening its likely impact.
  • Where necessary, we discuss these points with you and redraft based on your feedback.

Rewriting

This is the most directly interventionist work that can be done on a document. It may happen after a Shorewalker DMS structural review. It can also happen when a client independently becomes dissatisfied with work done on the document, or when the project's drivers shift, or when the client decides that a document needs a substantial change in emphasis and/or content. It requires a close understanding of the entire editorial project; this is often established through a structural review. It often aims at reviving a project that is not moving satisfactorily towards its goals.

However the need for a rewrite develops, Shorewalker DMS (in consultation with the client project manager) not only restructures and reworks the report text, but will generally add and/or delete a substantial amount of content.

After the document assessment or review, the editor/writer may:

  • assess other work done on the topic
  • revise most of the text
  • delete entire sections
  • change the word count very substantially
  • conduct desktop research to fill gaps in the document's logic
  • work with a new domain expert to check and revise the original author's work and any new material.

A rewrite can be a powerful way to rescue a project that has produced unsatisfactory drafts. It can capitalise on what has already been produced, while reframing it with additional material. The original author may or may not be heavily involved. The document's readability scores will usually improve substantially.

On one recent occasion – and with the client's enthusiastic agreement – we cut a document's original material by three-quarters. At the same time we added extensive new material. The result was a document half its original length, easily understandable and targeted at the people who would make a final decision on the issue which the document addressed.

Rewriting is a substantial part of Shorewalker DMS's practice. Some of our happiest clients are those who, with our involvement, were able to revive a project which they had thought might need to be written off.

Key message content

Documents typically need to be presented to the outside world. Some will get a full media launch, complete with press kit, prepared media schedules and their own web site. But even a confidential document prepared for a small group of executives will require speaking notes and perhaps a presentation pack. Almost every document worth editing for impact will also need high-impact ways to retell its key messages.

The starting point for these pieces of content is usually a key messages document. This lists the main points in the document, for use in all sorts of ways:

  • an executive summary for the document itself
  • live presentations, including speeches, online events and board briefings
  • social media material for channels such as Twitter
  • video for online and presentational use
  • media releases
  • publicity emails for various audience groups
  • updating of web sites
  • and more.

The editor is often the best person to prepare the key messages, and may be an ideal collaborator in producing the spin-off material. A good editor will focus on identifying and raising the impact of these key messages as they do their editing work. In many cases, these key messages can initially be drafted very early in the authoring process, and then developed in tandem with the text of the report itself, the two feeding back on each other. See more on this in our guide to key messages.

Shorewalker DMS's principal, David Walker, has written many such key message documents for private and government clients. David has also attended board meetings, written speeches and prepared media material for a wide variety of organisations.

Extras

Your document may also need services such as:

  • detailed fact-checking
  • checking of references and citations
  • creation of a style guide

Needed for editing

Editing assignments must start with an understanding of the client's overall needs and aspirations for the document. At Shorewalker DMS, we'll ask you to answer the questions in our Project Start Worksheet. This will give us a head start in understanding issues such as:

  • the size of the project
  • the key reader groups – that is, its audiences
  • the document's purpose for the organisation and the audiences
  • who we will work with in the organisation
  • any previous documents you've already produced.

Your editor will also need everything a proofreader needs – your text, your style guide, and a deadline.

Finally, your editor will need a client project manager, a schedule and an agreement about how the project manager and the editor will work together to keep the project on schedule. (The client project manager can be anyone from a junior employee to a chief operating officer, though the best project managers have identifiable tendencies.)

Making your choice

The best way to understand your needs is to talk with Shorewalker DMS.

If that discussion is satisfactory for us both, we will probably ask you to send a sample of the copy you expect to submit – if possible, no less than 800 words of representative material. Material sent to us for this purpose is covered by our formal privacy policy and will not be disclosed to any outside parties.