Choose a copyediting package that works for you.
As a copyeditor, I work at the word, sentence, and paragraph level to make sure your writing adheres to the "5 Cs" of good scholarly writing:
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Clarity
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Coherence​
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Conciseness​
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Consistency
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Correctness
You can choose either a mechanical or a line copyediting package based on your budget and the level of attention you feel your manuscript needs for publication.
PACKAGE 1: Mechanical Copyedit
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Ensure manuscript copy accords with a preferred dictionary and standardized style manual (CMOS, MLA, APA) or a specific publisher's "house style"
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Submit with the edited manuscript a style sheet setting forth the author's preferred revisions that do not follow a style manual or house style for the sake of consistency across the manuscript
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Correct errors of standard spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, and numbering
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Correct errors of standard grammar and syntax (e.g., dangling participles, misplaced modifiers, ambiguous pronoun reference, unparallel constructions, subject/verb disagreement)
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Query issues of usage, including imprecise word choice, needless variants, mixed metaphors, improper use of idiomatic expressions, and potential problems related to jargon, neologisms, clichés, and slang
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Ensure footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies are complete, consistently formatted, sequentially numbered, and properly cross-referenced according to the author's preferred style guide
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Check lists, tables, and figures for parallel construction, consistent formatting, sequential numbering, and accurate cross-referencing to the relevant text
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Cross-check captions against tables, charts, illustrations, and photos
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Check page references and cross-textual references
PACKAGE 2: Line Copyedit
Everything included in a mechanical copyedit plus...
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Query author about issues related to conciseness and clarity, including wordiness, obscurity, use of the passive voice, awkward phrasing
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Query author about issues related to coherence, including weak transitions, absent topic sentences, gaps in logic, redundancies, ambiguities, inconsistencies, contradictions, and digressions
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Query author about issues related to voice, tone, and register (i.e., level of formality)
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Query author about issues related to language bias (e.g., gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation)
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Query author about the accuracy of data for which evidence is unsupported by references in a footnote or endnote
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Ensure content of footnotes and endnotes is consistent with the text
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Suggest when to paraphrase rather than quote
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Check for broken hyperlinks
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Confirm simple calculations in tables
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Confirm accuracy and spelling of proper nouns (e.g., names, places, institutions, works of art, periodicals, geography, characters)
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Create a Table of Contents based on chapter titles and section headings
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Call to the author's attention any material that might need legal permission (photographs, screenshots, illustrations, artwork, tables, figures, epigraphs, lyrics, poems, long excerpts from other works)
Think of me as your partner.
​Many writers find it difficult to have their work edited, and understandably so. You know better than anyone else what you have to say and how you want to say it. Your confidence in your work is what makes it compelling.
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That's why you can be sure I will treat your words, your voice, and your expertise with utmost courtesy and respect. My comments and queries are constructive, sensitive and encouraging, and I explain my edits so you know exactly why I made them.
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I review your manuscript from the perspective of your intended audience. If I'm unsure a reader will understand a word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph due to potential ambiguity or difficult terminology, I will query the text for your consideration. As the author, you can accept, modify, or reject any edit or recommendation. Think of me as your partner at this stage in your journey, here to help you deliver your best writing and thinking in a polished and persuasive package.
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