General Principles of Editing:
The editor helps authors express their ideas as clearly as possible.
Commonly the overall editing task comprises three components: content and substantive editing,
copyediting and proofreading.
Content and Substantive Editing:
Reading of work to examine logical structure and expression of ideas, discussion of strengths and weaknesses
and recommendations for future work. Such editing is focused on making comments and suggestions about the
large-scale issues of the work, but may
include rewriting of some sentences.
Copy-editing:
Copy-editing looks at the sentences and paragraphs of a work with the intention of clearing up the use of
language, thus making the document more readable. Copy-editing is concerned with clearing up ambiguities in
sentences, improving word choice and other issues related to clearly expressing the author's ideas.
Proofreading:
Correction of basic grammar, spelling, punctuation and typing. Larger problems may be flagged.
Thanks so much, Dave!
It has been enormously helpful. Btw, I really value your feedback in the
summary feedback doc. Very astute and all around helpful stuff. I really
appreciate that you *read* as well as edited.
-- Ph.D., City and Regional Planning, College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley