What does and editor do?
An editor will carefully read through your work and do the
following:
- Restructure contents
- Remove repetitive or irrelevant parts
- Improve readability
- Reorganize paragraphs
- Improve sentence structure
- Remove grammar, spelling, punctuation and typing mistakes
An editor can at the time suggest new content to increase the
relevance and appeal of your work
Good editing is not limited to errors. They inform you about
your weak areas for improvement and complement your strength.
There are countless editing companies. It is necessary to make a
wise choice by looking at the following factors:
Create a list of the top companies. You can easily find editing
companies through search engines, blog posts, publishing directories
or traditional word of mouth referral.
Narrow down to a few editing firms that seem to meet your
requirements. Contact or visit their website to determine the kind of
editing they perform, rates and turnaround time. Check the kind of
projects that they have worked on, educational background and
experience of the editors. It is also helpful to check testimonials
and reviews on their editing services if you can find them to know how
well they served their past clients.
Cheap is not always the best. Do not rush to work with a company
just because it charges the cheapest editing rates without determining
the quality.
Ask for editing sample
It is hard to know the kind of editing you expect based on price
and promises. Editors will use different terminologies for their work.
A sample is a good way to determine their ability and save you from
requesting additional edits when the first one falls short of
expectations. Most editors offer a free consultation and sample edits
on several pages. Get samples from different editing companies as you
shop around so that you compare and settle for the best. Take
advantage of this offer as you get a feel of what it is like to work
with particular editing companies without making a commitment. It is
easier to choose the right editors when you have several sample edits
to compare.
Narrow down your options
After researching on the editing companies and reading their
edit samples, eliminate those that that failed to adequate editing and
those are too expensive. As you make your choice, look at
compatibility with the company and your assigned editor for edit
sample. Although there is a need to improve your work, it is better to
work with someone who creates a good partnership. Good editors know
that you put much into writing. They will not change it drastically
without consultation so that you do not feel that they lost your voice
and intended meaning.
Agree on service terms
Before you get into an agreement with the editing company you
settle for, make sure that you are clear about the extent of work that
it will perform. Confirm whether the editing will cover various areas
such language, content, structure, copyediting and proofreading or
just one. You should also agree when the company is available to
discuss edits, the method to exchange feedback and suggestion for
subsequent steps.
Before you pick an editing service considers all factors that
will make your engagement worthwhile.
For more editing information, have a look at our Academic papers editing servicepage.