Copy Editors

The job of a copy editor can be summarized very simply. WordsRU’s copy editors will make sure that your copy is:

 

  • Correct

  • Concise

  • Consistent

  • Clear, and

  • Comprehensible

WordsRU - Online Copy Editors

 

 


“I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork”
- Peter De Vries

 

 

WordsRU’s copy editors and proofreaders offer a quality service for writers of business, academic, personal and ESL documents. Our professional, academically qualified and experienced team will assist in reviewing the copy of your business literature, academic theses and dissertations, personal correspondence / letters and other papers and copyedit to ensure correct English usage and overall clarity, conciseness and consistency.  

 

Typically, copy editing involves the correction of grammatical, spelling, punctuation and English usage errors. The work is also checked for typographical errors. In addition, your documents are checked for compliance with an appropriate (or specified) citation and reference style including layout and formatting. WordsRU’s professional copy editors will ensure that your text is not only readable but makes sense, and that it has has a good, logical flow without gaps or inconsistencies.

 

Often WordsRU’s copy editors are the first impartial audience for a written work and the insights gained by authors from the edit process can be of enormous help. Writers not only learn from the changes made by our professional editors in working with their individual documents, they also receive helpful comments, suggestions and tips that they can take up in their subsequent writing.

 

Here are some of the things that a WordsRU copy editor does for your document:

  • Checks for grammatical, spelling, punctuation, tense and typographical errors.

  • Reviews word choice and sentence structure.

  • Reads every line, word by individual word, removing those that may be unnecessary or simply confusing your intended meaning. They look at sentences, their rhythm and flow and check for repetitiousness, lapses in clarity, continuity and consistency.

  • If a substantive edit is required, our copy editors will consider the work in overview, its balance and structure and overall presentation, making sure there are no dangling issues or sub-plots or issues, loose ends or sagging mid-sections. They consider the overall style, rhythm and pace of the work and whether it is appropriate to the story and the way the narrative or information being presented with unfold for your readers.

 

For fiction writers, here are a few tips from WordsRU’s experienced copy editors that may be of help:

 

  • Write from your own unique perspective whether it be on life, a subject or a theme.

  • Take the time to prepare a story outline; one that includes all the characters, plot developments and events. Use it as a ‘map’ but not a map locked in concrete. This map can be altered to reflect developments that occur once you are under way, but it will keep your writing on track.

  • Develop your plot so that every action/scene builds and reinforces the tension/conflict and impact (and be flexible in moving sections around to achieve this). Experiment using your story outline/map.

  • Establish your characters with details that make them appear real — make them compelling and interesting, and have them show rather than tell.

  • Remember that a reader’s own imagination plays a large part in their understanding and enjoyment of what they are reading.

  • Be flexible – if you are on the wrong path, start again. What you have done is not wasted - it will be part of the learning that you will carry forward to the next manuscript.

  • Make sure you keep control of your chosen voice (or voices) throughout the work and check for consistency and any unintentional slips or lapses.

  • Dialogue should serve to advance the story otherwise at best it will become tedious and at worst, a waste of time.

  • Strong writing evokes each of the senses. An active voice has greater strength than passive voice. Similarly, strong verbs work better than the combination of verbs supported by adverbs.

  • Once again, make sure that there are no loose ends - the story outline (the ‘map’) is a big help in making sure these are all covered.

  • Get your manuscript edited by professionals – not by your best friend who might do it to help out, but who may not be prepared to be impartial. Be prepared to invest in yourself — you will be surprised at what a fresh pair of eyes comes up with and how helpful the feedback and comments are in taking your work to the next stage!

 

WordsRU Proofreading and Editing Services:

 

Our copy editors will ensure that your work is edited and proofread to attract the highest possible quality outcomes.

 

 


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