Questions:
Copy editing vs. proofreading
A recent enquiry by a student, who really needed to bring up the presentation quality and language standard of their university essay, highlighted the fundamental issue of how writers can sometimes confuse the differences between copy editing and proofreading. The student ideally wanted to perform a simple proofread of the paper, but was also aware of the fact that the presentation of the narrative in the essay itself was seriously lacking and required substantial changes.
An explanation was required that would highlight the important and crucial differences between copy editing and proofreading and how they are not interchangeable aspects of the editing process.
The following solution offers a more comprehensive discussion on the key differences between copy editing and proofreading and why it is always important to observe and identify those differences in order to achieve the ideal results for one's final draft. Whether one is dealing with a university essay or a business plan presentation; it is always vital to know when one needs to produce a refined and improved copy of an initial draft, and how proofreading is a more appropriate form of last-stage spot checks for the final draft of any document.