Honorary president: Judith Butcher Honorary vice-president: David Crystal OBE

FAQs: Copy-editing

You may also find it helpful to have a look at FAQs: Using copy-editors and proofreaders.

• What is copy-editing?
• What does a copy-editor do?
• What does a copy-editor not do?
• Would I be suited to this work?

What is copy-editing?

A copy-editor makes sure that an author's raw text, or copy, is correct in terms of spelling and grammar and is easy to read so that readers can grasp his or her ideas. A copy-editor also tries to prevent embarrassing errors of fact, alerts the publisher to any possible legal problems and ensures that the typesetter can do a good job.

What does a copy-editor do?

Professional copy-editors correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, style and usage. However, copy-editing is not just about dotting Is and crossing Ts. Editors also tackle the following:

• Suitability of text for intended audience  Has the language been pitched at the right level? Do any terms or abbreviations need explanation?


• Extent  Is the work too long/short? If it hasn't already been done by the publisher, the copy-editor, knowing the approximate number of words that the publisher wants per page in the finished book or journal, will calculate how many pages the text will make. Illustrations, if any, shouldn't be forgotten. All preliminary pages (title page, table of contents, etc.) should be included, as well as such things as footnotes, glossary, appendices and index. If the work is too long or too short, a solution will be sought with the publisher.


• Content and structure  Is anything missing or redundant? Is the order logical? Headings break up text and make it more readable: are there enough of them? If there are more than four levels of sub-headings, the structure probably needs to be rethought. Are footnotes essential? Could 'supporting material' go into an appendix? Is a bibliography necessary? Should there be a glossary?


• Sentence and paragraph length  This is dependent on the readership, the type of copy and how the copy is going to be read (e.g. in a book or on a computer screen). In general, however, sentences should be kept short or at least uncomplicated, and new paragraphs should introduce new ideas and help break up a page. Typesetting may change line length, and the copy-editor will know what to do to compensate for this.


• Consistency  A list of decisions about alternative spellings and hyphenation has to be kept. Illustrations and tables should agree with the text and captions, as should chapter headings and running heads with the table of contents.


• Illustrations and tables  Illustrations should support the text and have appropriate captions. Text referring to tables should comment on the data, not simply repeat it. The location of each illustration and table should be roughly indicated in the manuscript (to guide the typesetter when laying out the pages). The copy-editor will also need to ensure that all artwork is suitable for printing or (if appropriate) for reproduction on the web.


• Style George Orwell's six rules for authors – contained in his Politics and the English Language (1946) – are a good starting point:


1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Common mistakes – which an experienced copy-editor will be able to deal with efficiently – include:

• – the overuse of exclamation marks and emphasis, in italic, bold or capitals
• – very long sentences with little punctuation
• – very long paragraphs
• – changing between the first and the third person for no good reason.


• Accuracy  All spellings of names of people and things should be checked. The extent to which facts, dates, quotations, etc. are to be checked will be agreed with the publisher/client.


• Legal issues  All identifiable instances of the following should be flagged up during copy-editing, even though responsibility for them remains with the author/publisher:
  • – breaches of copyright
  • – libel
  • – obscenity
  • – incitement to racial hatred.


• Technical matters  The copy-editor needs to know enough about the technical side of publishing (printing, web design, etc.) to be able to discuss various issues with designer, typesetter or printer, to minimize costs and maintain schedules.

What does a copy-editor not do?

• Rewriting and restructuring text in depth – often known as developmental or substantive editing
• Ghost writing
• Proofreading, which has a different purpose (see FAQs: proofreading)
• Text or cover design
• Indexing – the Society of Indexers can refer you to qualified indexers.
• Research, beyond basic fact-checking
• Seeking permission to use copyright material.

Many professional editors have the skills to perform these services, if requested, but they require separate negotiation and briefing.

Would I be suited to this work?

Most people think of copy-editing as largely consisting of checking spelling, punctuation and grammar. These are, of course, major elements of the work, and if you didn't get on well with grammar at school or if your spelling is poor, this is almost certainly not the job for you. However, copy-editing involves much, much more.

Even if your grammar and spelling skills are good, copy-editing still might not be your cup of tea. If you find it frustrating to have to accept an author's style you don't like or a publisher's house style that you find sadly inadequate, or if you find it impossible to do a less-than-perfect job (if that's what the client wants), then again this probably isn't the job for you.

To get a taste of a career in copy-editing, try the SfEP course Introduction to copy-editing.

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