Puget Sound Editing seeks to clarify your writing whether it is in print or for the web. Please feel free to click around in the tabs above to find what you’re looking for.

There are three levels of copyediting: light, medium, and heavy. In all three levels mechanical editing should be consistent (spelling, capitalization, punctuation, hyphenation, abbreviations, format of lists, etc.). What differs between the levels is the language and content editing.

a light copyedit:

• corrects all errors in grammar, syntax, and usage
• points out paragraphs that seem wordy, but does not revise
• ignores minor patches of wordiness, imprecise wording, and jargon
• asks for clarification of terms that might be new to readers
• queries factual inconsistencies

a medium copyedit:

• corrects all errors in grammar, syntax, and usage
• points out any patches that seem wordy or convoluted, and supplies suggested revisions
• asks for or supply definitions of terms likely to be new to readers
• queries any facts that seem incorrect, uses desktop reference books to verify content
• queries faulty organization and gaps in logic

a heavy copyedit:

• corrects all errors and infelicities in grammar, syntax, and usage
• rewrites any wordy or convoluted patches
• asks for or supplies definitions of terms likely to be new to readers
• verifies and revises any facts that are incorrect
• queries or fixes faulty organization and gaps in logic