copyediting services : A professional edit offers so much more than eliminating verbiage, interpreting ambiguous phrases and weeding out superfluous commas. Place a virgin paragraph alongside one that’s been on the receiving end of a professional editor’s touch and you’ll not only taste the difference, but you’ll see it, too.

Lola Bailey trained as a proofreader and editor with the College of Media and Publishing and graduated with a distinction. She abides by the code of practice of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading to ensure that all clients receive a highly professional service.

She’ll edit your text creatively, but sensitively. If you don’t have a style sheet, she’ll adopt one or create one that’s internally consistent and in line with current best practice, in consultation with you. And, she’ll edit in a way that suits you. Whether you provide her with a Word document, a pdf or a web-bound file, she’ll edit your text in a way that allows you to see the changes made so that you can decide whether to keep those changes or stick to your original text.

RATES

Please send us the document you would like us to edit (or proofread) in the first instance. Once we evaluate the work involved, we will get back to you with the fee.

SPECIALISMS

Clients are, typically, from the following areas of work:

• Business and finance
• Human resources management
• Pharmaceuticals
• Medical communications
• Academia

 WORK

• Annual reports
• Booklets, brochures and marketing material
• Videos and animations
• Dissertations
• Training manuals
• Websites

COPYEDITING

Copyediting will improve the accuracy, clarity and consistency of your text. It does not involve significant rewriting. For that, scroll down to substantive editing.

Language use:

• Clarity of expression
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Syntax

Language consistency:

• Abbreviations and acronyms
• Capitalisation
• Language and structural parallelism
• Quantitative data
• References
• Spelling
• Terminology

Visual consistency

• Figures
• Hierarchy of headings
• Page layout
• Tables and their captions
• Typography

Accuracy

• Dates
• Links
• Model numbers
• Quotations

References

• Accuracy of cross-references, eg between text and figures
• Accuracy in textual and bibliographical references
• Conformity with copyright laws
• Acknowledgments of sources used

SUBSTANTIVE EDITING

Substantive editing will help you get your message across with greater clarity and punch. The focus here is on the structure, language, style and content of your text, ensuring that it is appropriate for its intended readership.
Substantive editing comprises a review of structure, language and style and presentation. Here’s what each component focuses on.

Structural review:

• Completeness of information supplied
• Need for rearranging, expanding or condensing sections to improve the structure of the text
• Effectiveness of navigation aids, for example, headers and links

Language and style:

• Appropriateness of lexis and diction
• Clarity of language
• Effectiveness of sentence structure, syntax and paragraph structure
• Appropriateness of weightings given to elements of discussion
• Absence of verbiage, triteness, unnecessary repetition and jargon
• Consistency of tone and style

Presentation

• Effectiveness of text presentation and formatting
• Suitability of titles and headings in respect of their contents
• Placement and clarity of illustrative material
• Correctness and consistency of referencing
• Accuracy of cross-references, for example, between a table of contents and the body of the document