copyeditors
Manuscript grammar fixers
Copyeditors are professionals who review written material for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style before publication.
They ensure consistency and clarity while preserving the author's voice, working on everything from books and articles to websites and marketing copy.
The role sits between writing and proofreading—copyeditors improve text that's been drafted but catch more than the typos a proofreader would fix.
The copyeditors flagged several inconsistencies in how dates were formatted throughout the manuscript.
Checking text for mistakes
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- galleysOar-powered ancient warships
- typesettingArranging text for print
- style guidePublication formatting rules
house style · track changes · redlining · stet · query · markup · pagination · proofs
Ease of understanding text
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
- concisenessQuality of being brief
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- structureArrangement of interconnected parts
organization · simplification · lucidity · polishing · tightening · streamlining · wordsmithing · untangling
Rules for arranging words
- punctuationWritten clarity symbols
- usageAct of employing something
- styleDistinctive way of expression
- dictionChoice of words
spelling · capitalization · hyphenation · subject-verb agreement · tense · parallelism · dangling modifiers · comma splice
Showing extreme attention to detail
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- detail-orientedFocused on small elements
- correctnessState of being accurate
- thoroughnessAttention to every detail
scrupulousness · rigor · diligence · carefulness · consistency · exactness · punctiliousness · fastidious
Confirming accuracy of claims
- sourcesPoints of origin
- cross-referenceNotation pointing elsewhere
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- corroborationEvidence confirming another account
documentation · citations · references · bibliography · footnotes · substantiation · vetting · research
proofreading
Checking text for mistakes
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- galleysOar-powered ancient warships
- typesettingArranging text for print
style guide · house style · track changes · redlining · stet · query · markup · pagination · proofs · revisions
readability
Ease of understanding text
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
- concisenessQuality of being brief
- flowUnbroken forward movement
structure · organization · simplification · lucidity · polishing · tightening · streamlining · wordsmithing · untangling · rephrasing
syntax
Rules for arranging words
- punctuationWritten clarity symbols
- usageAct of employing something
- styleDistinctive way of expression
diction · spelling · capitalization · hyphenation · subject-verb agreement · tense · parallelism · dangling modifiers · comma splice · semicolons
meticulous
Showing extreme attention to detail
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- detail-orientedFocused on small elements
- correctnessState of being accurate
thoroughness · scrupulousness · rigor · diligence · carefulness · consistency · exactness · punctiliousness · fastidious · eagle-eyed
fact-checking
Confirming accuracy of claims
- sourcesPoints of origin
- cross-referenceNotation pointing elsewhere
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
corroboration · documentation · citations · references · bibliography · footnotes · substantiation · vetting · research
- Wikipedianscontributors, administrators, admins, registered users, bureaucrats
- word loverslogophile, logophiles, word nerd, word nerds, wordsmith
copyeditorsauthors
Creators of written works
writers · creators · novelists · journalists · content creators
copyeditorstranscribers
Those who write down speech
archivists · scribes · transcriptionists · court reporters · stenographers