Editing and proofreading documents is an art and a science. For this reason, proofreading services and editing services, despite being readily available online, are incredibly complex to provide, meaning it is vitally important to find a reliable and experienced person to work with.
The success of professional proofreading services and editing services depends on highly qualified editors and proofreaders, but the skills needed in each case are different. For example, editors should hold some level of experience and, ideally, expertise in the subject of the document they are editing (e.g., mathematics knowledge for computer science papers), whereas many of the world’s best proofreaders are not subject matter experts.
Image: Different skill sets are needed for proofreading and editing
Differences in the types of proofreading and editing services that are offered by many of the well-known service providers online are also important to consider. For example, some proofreaders may offer document formatting as a separate service, whereas others will format the document you submit while proofreading it. Other service types are also relevant to bear in mind when you are hiring a proofreader or editor, includingthe increasingly popular “double proofreading” service (this involves two proofreaders working independently on a document, whose corrections are then combined to complete the overall proofreading services task). Although the effectiveness double proofreading may not be higher than traditional proofreading (it actually has some significant downsides!), it is important to know that there are multiple options available.
Image: Diverse types of proofreading and editing exist
One of the main tips to know about that relates to proofreading services and editing services is that, in order to find the strongest person to work with, price is not always the most important factor to consider. For example, many companies offer lower rates than the well-known names, and their service quality is just as high. A good way to separate the high-quality companies and freelancers from the low-quality ones is to get in touch with them, to explain what you need, and to evaluate their response. If possible, ask for a free sample (most service providers will offer this), and that will also be able to tell you whether to go with a particular company. Another key issue to look for relates to the guarantees that come with, for example, editing services, where an unlimited number of revisions may be offered by the service provider to ensure customer satisfaction.
Image: Quality doesn’t always align with price – learn something about your editor before buying
Altogether, it is important to remember that editing and proofreading are different things. You are likely to need both at some point, even in the course of completing the same document (e.g., editing for more comprehensive re-work, and proofreading for pieces of text you are more confident about). Paying attention to the tips highlighted throughout this article will help you remain alert for the main things that can lead to a positive proofreading or editing experience. In particular, focus on price, quality, and communicating with your proofreader or editor to learn about how they can address your needs directly.
Professional Proofreading Services 