In document editing services, an editor’s task is to improve a wide range of issues in your writing.
The best way to put it is like this: If you ever use an editing service (not a proofreading service, which is different), what you’ll notice immediately is that, after the editor returns your work, it will contain 10% fewer words and – what’s more – everything will sound better.
It’s a slightly mysterious thing, but there are several basic ways professional editors improve your work. This article mentions four of these techniques.
In addition to the four editing techniques that experts use for high-quality editing and proofreading services, there are more complex things that document editors do, ranging from time management to the use of specialist, state-of-the-art software.
1. Remove redundant expressions and dead verbs
Redundant expressions make your text much wordier than it needs to be, which also makes it difficult for your reader to understand your meaning quickly.
Also, dead verbs – which are verbs that have no movement (e.g., “is”, “are”, and “was”) – depend on more words to make meaning, and so they lead to very wordy text.
As an editor, if you remove redundant expressions and dead verbs, the quality, concision, and readability of the text will improve dramatically – almost like magic.
2. Avoid overuse of adverbs
The purpose of an adverb is to modify a verb. For example, in the phrase “she walks loudly”, the word “loudly” is an adverb that modifies the verb “walks”.
Adverbs are useful in all forms of writing, but inexperienced writers and editors tend to use adverbs excessively to improve their descriptions.
When adverbs are overused, this makes the reader work extra hard to relate the adverbs back to the verbs that they modify, decreasing readability.
3. Avoid overuse of adjectives
Just as adverbs can be overused and reduce readability, this is also the case for adjectives. Many readers are annoyed by the excessive use of adjectives. For this reason, when they read the work of writers who pepper their writing with objectives, it can have a bad effect.
4. Pay attention to paragraph and sentence length
The final task that a document editor pays attention to when providing an editing service involves tailoring sentences and paragraphs to ensure they are both focused and the correct length.
The general rule of thumb to follow is that sentences should be kept to fewer than 15 words. In the case of paragraphs, the rules governing paragraph length are less clear.
Usually, the idea to follow is that the sentences within a paragraph should all focus on one point. When you write a paragraph, try to begin with a topic sentence, and then end each paragraph after providing some detail and evidence to support the topic sentence.
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