Knowra Copy editing Copy editing Copy editing is the revision of a text for accuracy, consistency, grammar, and style. It prepares material for publication while preserving its intended meaning and voice.
Style guide : A set of rules governing spelling, punctuation, capitalization, formatting, and usage within a publication. It supplies shared decisions that make a manuscript consistent.
Developmental editing : Substantive revision of a work’s structure, argument, organization, or overall content. It works at a broader level than copy editing’s sentence-level attention.
Book publishing : The industry and process through which books are edited, produced, distributed, and sold. Copy editing helps prepare book manuscripts for consistent publication.
Maxwell Perkins : An American book editor known for working with major twentieth-century novelists including Thomas Wolfe and Ernest Hemingway. His career illustrates the broader editorial role behind literary publication.
Plain language : Communication designed to be clear and understandable to its intended audience. It gives copy editors a clarity goal that can require simplifying specialized prose.
Fact-checking : The process of verifying factual claims against reliable evidence and sources. It addresses the accuracy of claims that copy editing may flag or verify.
Line editing : Revision focused on sentence-level clarity, rhythm, voice, and word choice. Its stylistic attention overlaps with copy editing, though boundaries vary by workflow.
Newspaper : A periodical publication that reports news and other information, traditionally in print and now also online. News desks use copy editors to refine stories under tight deadlines.
William Strunk Jr. : An American English professor and coauthor of the influential writing guide The Elements of Style. His concise prescriptions became familiar reference points for editors and writers.
Prescriptive grammar : Rules and recommendations describing how language is expected to be used in a particular standard or context. Editorial decisions often draw on conventions, while also adapting them to context.
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