In traditional publishing, copy editing and proofreading are two distinct steps in the publishing process. Copy editing comes first and proofreading follows a few steps later.

Copy editing Defined

After the author has written and revised their work into a final draft, then it’s ready for copy editing. The author may or may not have worked with a developmental or substantive editor to help them get to that point.

There are different levels of copy-editing—light, medium and heavy—based on the amount of work desired. Sometimes, the level is determined by the budget of the author or publisher.

A copy editor corrects errors in grammar, spelling, usage, and syntax—what most people think of when they think of proofreading. However, they also ensure consistency in capitalization, punctuation, elements, and style. They may re-write passages to improve clarity and readability and suggest revisions to larger portions of the text for similar reasons.

In addition, copy editors identify language and terms that may be unfamiliar, offensive, or non-inclusive.

In non-fiction works, a copy editor may also perform fact-checking. They will call out issues with logic or organization and ensure footnotes and citations are complete and correct according to a specific style manual.

The author receives the manuscript back with changes and suggestions noted for them to review, accept or reject and make any desired revisions based on the copy editor’s suggestions.

After the author’s review and revisions, the copy editor makes one final pass to make sure no new errors have been introduced and removes all editing marks and comments from the file.

Proofreading Defined

Proofreading literally means reading a proof. A proof is a single first copy, or sample, of the finished product. In the publishing industry, proofreading is the final step before printing begins. It’s a comparison against the original to verify that it has been set up correctly for production printing.

Although errors not previously noticed may be corrected at this stage, that is not the goal of proofreading. The goal is to verify that the printing set up and layout has been done correctly.

What’s the Difference?

These two steps remain distinct in the publishing industry but almost nowhere else. In most industries and for most people, proofreading is the term for having someone review a written work to fix errors and make suggestions for improvement.

Now that computers and printers are ubiquitous in homes and businesses, proofreading is the correct term for that. Someone writes something on their computer, whether it’s a complaint letter, policy manual, business proposal or resume. Then, they print it out and ask someone to proofread it for them. The “proof” is the printed copy.

It’s perfectly fine to use the terms interchangeably and most people do. But if you’re planning on publishing, either through a traditional publisher or self-publishing, you should know the difference and understand that you’ll want both steps completed before your work goes to press.

Do you have questions about copy-editing, proofreading or the publishing process? Post them in the comments.