When I’m first approached by potential new clients, one of the first things I’m asked about is the difference between proofreading and copyediting. With medical writing, where precision and clarity are vital, intervention from a specialist medical editor can take a confusing and ambiguous piece of writing, and turn it into text that is clear, accessible and accurate, and optimised for the intended audience.
However, while often used interchangeably, copyediting and proofreading are traditionally two very distinct editorial processes that serve different purposes, and it can be confusing trying to work out which one a piece of writing needs.
Proofreading
Proofreading is usually the final quality check in the writing and editing process, usually on the final version in its final formatted layout and usually after a copyeditor or writer has worked on the text. It focuses primarily on surface-level errors such as typos, grammatical mistakes, punctuation errors and formatting inconsistencies. It ensures that the document is polished and as free as it can be from errors that might distract or mislead the reader.
Why is this so important? Imagine a piece of medical writing – a public-health campaign, a CPD training piece or a medico-legal report, for example – that contains spelling mistakes and/or typos (I once read an article in which a tumour measured 11 mm in the introduction, but it was 11 cm in the main article). Here are some reasons such errors can damage your message:
It creates a bad impression. You might be the best in your field, but publish a medical text with spelling mistakes and typos, and your readers' confidence in your authority can be diminished.
It shows poor attention to detail, meaning your readers might question the veracity of your opinion or knowledge.
It leaves the reader confused. In my example above, I got to the end of the article and was left wondering, well was the tumour 11 mm or 11 cm?
Inconsistencies (like the 11 mm/11 cm tumour, or even spelling it tumour in one place but tumor in another) and spelling mistakes are just plain distracting. The danger is that a reader is so distracted by errors that they miss the important point you're trying to make.
So a medical proofreader's job is to meticulously examine the text for accuracy and consistency, but does not typically delve into deeper structural or stylistic revisions.
Examples:
Correcting inconsistencies in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalisation and hyphenation
Making minor changes for sense
Checking page numbers and headings and subheadings
Cross-checking contents against titles, page numbers, and so on
Checking for omissions and inconsistencies in layout and content
Ensuring that any images and labels/captions are consistent and correspond with the text
Checking that references and citations are correctly formatted
Copyediting
Copyediting involves a more comprehensive review of the text, encompassing not only the surface-level errors but also improvements in style, coherence and overall readability. It is usually undertaken on draft text. Copyeditors deal with the finer details of language usage, sentence structure, clarity of expression, logical flow and – especially important for medical text – suitability for the intended audience.
There can be different levels of copyediting, depending on what stage the writing is at and the level of support the medical writer needs.
Light copyediting is for text that has usually been written by a professional writer and just needs that second pair air of of eyes to take a final look before it is published, usually to check everything adheres to the house style guide (the set of rules for the spellings, punctuation, formatting and style of writing of the documents produced within an organisation).
Standard copyediting is the level of copyediting that is most commonly undertaken, and it involves going through the text to make sure it reads well, is suitable for the intended audience and is logically structured. It includes querying obvious factual inaccuracies and flagging potential legal issues (but does not include research for fact checking or solving defamatory or other legal issues, both of which lie with the writer).
Substantive copyediting is for text that is in its first draft and needs a medical copyeditor to review the structure, format and content of the document. It can often involve substantial rewriting.
Examples:
Spelling and grammar: Checking for and correcting spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.
Applying house style: Ensuring consistency in writing style, formatting and language usage throughout the document. This can involve following a specified style guide (e.g. American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, NICE Style Guide, Oxford Style Manual, Chicago Manual of Style).
Clarity and readability: Rephrasing sentences and paragraphs to enhance clarity and readability for the intended audience, which can include patients, other healthcare professionals, solicitors, judges, and medical expert witnesses.
Word choice: Ensuring appropriate word usage and avoiding ambiguous or incorrect terms.
Consistency in terminology: Ensuring that terms are consistently spelt and styled throughout the document.
Formatting and layout: Checking the overall formatting of the document, including headings, subheadings, lists and other elements to ensure visual consistency.
Citations and references: Reviewing and formatting citations and references consistently.
Cross-references: Checking and validating cross-references to other parts of the report.
Consistency in language and tone: Maintaining a consistent tone and voice throughout the report, depending on the intended audience and purpose.
Proof-editing (combined copyedit and proofread)
Outside of the book publishing industry – where the defined levels and stages of editorial intervention are strictly adhered to – editor services for businesses are less definite and the roles tend to be more blurred. For example, a medical expert witness client might commission a ‘proofread’, but actually require a greater level of intervention than would be strictly expected of a proofread. This has seen new, more flexible, editorial terminology emerging, such as ‘proof-editing’, a hybrid term derived from proofreading and copyediting. With this in mind, I refer to myself as simply a ‘medical editor’ because many of my clients don’t want to – or indeed don’t need to – engage a separate medical copyeditor and medical proofreader. This service is often used by individual clients rather than organisations.
Whatever stage your writing is at, a professional medical editor can be your second pair of eyes.
I understand the importance of meeting deadlines, so my editing services offer flexibility and quick turnaround times. By entrusting your writing to me, you can feel more confident submitting high-quality and accurate work.
To learn more about my services, please take a closer look here.