<strong>What are you trying to accomplish?</strong>

Recently, I saw a query on a listserv looking for a copy editor. The author said she needed a “basic proof” done for spelling, grammar and  for the “missed half sentence in the middle of a paragraph.” In fact, she didn’t need a copy editor. What she needed was a proofreader. Proofreading is a different skill than copy editing. While copy editors can be proofreaders, that is not their main function.

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<strong>How to get your writing from draft to finished product</strong>

When you are creating any type of written work, you should follow these steps:
<ol>
 	<li>Write a rough draft</li>
 	<li>Review and rewrite</li>
 	<li>Copy edit</li>
 	<li>Incorporate edits</li>
 	<li>Produce final document</li>
 	<li>Proofread</li>
 	<li>Publish</li>
</ol>
<strong> What is copy editing?</strong>

Copy editing reviews your work for clarity, consistency, style, and accuracy. This can include everything from fact checking to rearranging copy for flow to flagging duplicate content.  Copy editing allows your thoughts to be expressed in the clearest way possible. A thorough copy editing job will shore up your thesis, making sure your main points are clear and supported.

<strong>What is proofreading?</strong>

Proofreading checks your copy for errors, such as typos, misspellings, missing punctuation.

Proofreading does not rearrange your copy. It does not make it clearer. It makes sure your copy is error-free. The best proofreaders will fact check to make sure dates and numbers are accurate.

<strong>Why you shouldn’t skip copy editing OR proofreading</strong>

Too many folks skip the copy editing and think proofreading will solve their issues. It does not. It does prevent typos and other glaring (and embarrassing mistakes).

Keep in mind that your word processor’s spell check is not proofreading. Spell check checks the spelling of a word, not its usage. You might have written fair instead of fare and it is spelled correctly, but it is not used correctly.

<strong>So many (preventable) mistakes</strong>

Too many publishers skip proofreading, which is how we end up mistakes such as:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">The word isles instead of aisles in today’s Washington Post.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">A subject line that says “Stay on top of the governor’s rack” (instead of race)</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">or another email that tells me to: “Pre oreder your set today”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Or a survey (from a professional editing association no less) option that says “Professional Devlopment”

</p>
And so many more. It’s as if most organizations have given up on proofreading. Perhaps they don’t think it’s worth the time, effort or cost.

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Bottom line: If you take your work seriously and want to give it credibility spend the time and the money to get your work copy edited and proofread before you publish.