Difference Between Proofreading and Copy Editing

The main difference between proofreading and copy editing is that proofreading refers to the process of checking out the final draft of an already edited document or a text to make sure that the document is totally error-free, whereas copy editing a document means to proofread a document having the additional expectation of securing the style consistency with other content from the publication or company.

Most people confuse proofreading with copy editing since both services involve attentive and close reading of a document. Nonetheless, proofreading and copy editing are not the same. Proofreading and copy editing pay attention to different aspects of writing.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Proofreading
– Definition, Features
2. What is Copy Editing
– Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Proofreading and Copy Editing
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Proofreading and Copy Editing
– Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Proofreading, Copy Editing

What is Proofreading

Hiring a proofreader is particularly helpful when you have to compose a text or a document in a second language. The process of proofreading involves identifying language errors, formatting errors, typos, punctuation errors, missing words, spelling, and formatting all the minute inconsistencies missed through previous stages of editing.

Proofreading mainly focuses on making sure that nothing has been missed by the copyeditor or typesetter. However, it is not the job of a proofreader to be responsible for the overall accuracy and consistency of the content. Further, the process of proofreading does not include re-writing the content or altering the structure of the document. It’s also important to note that proofreading is basically done after the copyediting.

What is Copy Editing

The process of copy editing involves the responsibility of making sure that the document or the text accords with the conventions of proper grammar, correct vocabulary, and appropriate punctuation. It also involves revising a draft to ensure it is free of grammatical and factual errors and improving readability.

Generally, copy editing service ensures the validity and reliability of the text or document in relation to the spelling and grammatical structures. Further, it examines the readability of the document in order to ensure that the readers can clearly grasp the writer’s ideas. Therefore, this work is known as revision which is done before the document is ready to be proofread.

Similarities Between Proofreading and Copy Editing

Copy editing and proofreading share the same goal of converting a particular piece of writing into a readable and error-free final output.
Therefore, both processes include close and attentive reading.

Difference Between Proofreading and Copy editing

Definition

Proofreading refers to the process of checking out the final draft of an already edited document or a text, while copy editing refers to the process of revising a draft to ensure it is free of grammatical and factual errors and improving readability.

Function

The function of a copyeditor is to ensure that every element of the document or the text is cohesive, consistent and complete, while a proofreader has to examine and ensure the quality of the piece of writing before it goes into publication.

Type of Editing

While copy editing would cover the light editing part of a document, such as correcting inconsistent spelling errors or hyphenations, a professional proofreader would not pay attention to them. If a particular document has too many errors, the proof will be returned for further copyediting.

Responsibilities Covered

The process of copy editing focuses on correcting grammar, punctuation and spelling errors, providing basic fact-checking, checking for readability and consistency, ensuring the appropriate application of capitalization, abbreviations, and numbers. Proofreaders would focus on areas such as error-correcting in grammar, punctuation and spellings slipped away during the process of copyediting, formatting the issues with font style, size, and layout and further recorrecting broken links and cross-reference errors.

Conclusion

In brief, the main difference between proofreading and copy editing is that copy editing has a more detailed look at the structure and the coherence of the document, whereas proofreading focuses on identifying and correcting the last remaining typos before publication. If you are hoping to publish a book or a document, you might need both proofreading and copy editing services. However, if you believe the document carries a significant amount of errors, then you might need a copy editor rather than a proofreader.