The copy edit and the proofread are two of the most confused terms in editing. They are often used interchangeably, but they are two different steps in the production of a book. For those who self-publish, proofreading is often skipped because many authors incorrectly assume that it covers the same ground as the copy edit and therefore the work has been done. While there is some crossover between the two, each round of editing provides something that the other can't.
What's the Same
Both the copy edit and proofread will correct grammar, spelling and other mechanical errors in the text.
Copy Edit
A copy edit happens once the structural editing is complete. This is the correction stage, where the editor makes sure the writing mechanics are sound. A copy edit focuses on ensuring correctness, consistency, accuracy and completeness. There are various levels of copy editing, which are not universally defined, ranging from light to heavy.
Copy editing covers the following:
Corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage.
Identifies words or usage that may be considered harmful, offensive or inappropriate as well as those that might be difficult to understand.
Ensures that the styling of the text is consistent and follows the style guide for the work.
This includes consistency in spellings (leaped vs. leapt, theatre vs. theater), punctuation (serial comma or not), capitalization, hyphenation, numbers (spelled out or digits), use of italics and boldface.
Ensures consistent terminology.
Checks for incomplete or missing information.
Identifies any potential legal issues with the text, including where copyright acknowledgement or permission is needed.
Depending on the editor and the agreed scope for the edit, a copy edit can also include the following:
Rearranging of sentences within paragraphs and, in rare cases, moving paragraphs.
Deleting repetitive or unnecessary paragraphs, sentences or words.
Fact checking (this is sometimes undertaken by a dedicated fact checker).
The copy edit is the last chance in the production process for any major changes to be made to the manuscript that could cause the text to shift around. At the end of the copy editing stage, the text should be set, meaning the author is happy with the structure from the big picture to the sentence level and with the content and quality of the writing.
Proofread
The proofread is the final editing stage before the manuscript goes to print. It is done on the proofs of the text, which means a proofread can only happen once the text has been formatted in its final form with all layout decisions and other design choices made.
The main function of the proofread is to make sure there were no errors introduced during formatting and to check the designer's and copy editor's work.
The proofreader checks the following:
Headers and footers including pagination.
Added, deleted or repeated text.
White spaces
Are there rivers, ladders or other distracting spaces in the text?
Are there any extra spaces?
Is the page depth consistent?
Bad breaks
Orphans and widows
Styles of headings, text, footnotes, endnotes
Are they consistently applied?
Images and Captions
Are the captions on the correct image?
Are the images correctly placed?
Are the images the correct resolution?
Figures and charts
Have they been rendered correctly?
When it comes to the text, proofreading is only concerned with errors. This includes spelling errors, major grammatical errors like the incorrect conjugation of verbs, misused words (imply vs. infer) and deviations from the style guide such as incorrect capitalization. There should be no rewriting at this stage of the process.
So Copy Edit or Proofread?
This one is a pretty easy decision. If the manuscript hasn't been formatted, then a proofread isn't possible and you need a copy edit. A copy edit should always be done before the layout since the copy edit will usually make major changes to the text meaning the interior designer will have to redo their work. Once the manuscript is formatted, then a proofreader will help flag any last minute errors and help make sure the formatting looks good.
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