Content editing vs. copyediting: what’s the difference? Content editing is examining the content’s general structure, flow, and organization to ensure the target audience finds the material logical, cohesive, and engaging. On the other hand, copyediting focuses mainly on minute details — like spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style — to guarantee that the content is accurate, consistent, and straightforward.
In my experience as an SEO content strategist, I’ve discovered that copyediting is necessary to polish the finished product and ensure it complies with industry standards. In contrast, content editing is critical to developing a robust and captivating story. Both kinds of editing are crucial to creating excellent material that persuades the intended audience of what is being said.
Let’s take a closer look!
What Is Content Editing?
Content editing, often called developmental or substantive editing, concerns a piece of writing’s general organization, coherence, and structure. It entails assessing the text for logical consistency, clarity, and flow, then revising as necessary to increase the message’s overall potency.
Writers and content editors collaborate closely to generate ideas, bolster claims, and ensure the information is appropriate for the target audience and intended purpose. They suggest restructuring paragraphs or sections, adding or removing details, or rewording sentences to improve the writing’s readability and effect.
How does content editing work?
The content editing process thoroughly analyzes the current material to pinpoint development areas. In this step, the editor assesses the message’s coherence and clarity, the writing’s general flow, and any logical holes or contradictions in the argument.
After that, the content editor works with the writer to explore possible edits and recommend adjustments to improve the article’s efficacy. This can include:
- Checking for any inconsistencies in the content
- Identifying contradictory statements or unclear ideas
- reorganizing paragraphs or sections to improve the logical progression of ideas
- deleting or adding information to strengthen the content
- rephrasing sentences to enhance readability and impact.
The ultimate product should be coherent, readable, and interesting to the target audience.
Example of Content Editing: How It Looks Like
I made the following document to walk you through the before and after of a content editing process and to give you an idea of what it looks like in practice.
You’ll see a piece of writing in the “before” version that could contain some grammatical errors, confusing concepts, or poor language. You can see how the content editor and writer collaborated to resolve these problems and produce a final article that is more polished and powerful in the “after” version.
Bonus Read: Real Estate Content Marketing
What Is Copyediting?
Copyediting is concerned with the technical elements of writing, such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency of style and formatting. It seeks to improve the language and make the content error-free while adhering to the applicable style guide or publication requirements.
Copyediting also assures uniformity in style and layout, making the writing more professional and unified. It seeks to produce a polished and error-free final product that fulfills the criteria established by the style guide or publication rules.
How does copyediting work?
In copyediting, each line of the text is examined, and recommendations or adjustments are made to increase readability, consistency, and simplicity. This process involves the following steps:
- The first step is to carefully examine the text and look for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation issues. This includes proofreading for errors, omissions, and improper use of verb tenses.
- After addressing these technical issues, the copyeditor maintains the text’s formatting and stylistic consistency. They ensure that bullet points, headers, and subheadings are utilized consistently and that the font, spacing, and indentation are all the same.
- The copyeditor also ensures that the same terminology is utilized throughout the work by maintaining consistent language usage. Additionally, they confirm that references and citations are prepared appropriately per the designated style guide.
Ultimately, copyediting aims to improve the written work’s coherence, professionalism, and clarity through a rigorous process.
Example of Copyediting: How It Looks Like
The following copyedited document sample shows the initial draft and the edited version side by side. The copyeditor made many modifications to improve the overall quality of the document. You’ll notice that the initial draft has errors in header layout and language usage. The copyeditor solved these flaws using headings, subheadings, and bullet points throughout the page.
They also ensured the language was consistent and adhered to the style guide. In addition, the copyeditor updated the formatting of the citations and references to ensure that they followed the needed style. These adjustments produced a more polished and professional final version of the paper.
Content Editing vs. Copyediting: 5 Key Differences
We’ve already established that the editing process has two stages: content editing and copyediting, each with unique objectives. Copyediting concentrates on the finer points, such as grammar, punctuation, and style consistency, whereas content editing mainly addresses the document’s general structure, clarity, and coherence.
But how do these two differ? Here are five differences between content editing and copyediting processes:
1. The Scope of Changes
A critical distinction between content editing and copyediting is the scope of changes made to the text. During content editing, the editor may make significant changes to the organization, flow, and logical evolution of ideas in the manuscript.
Copyediting, on the other hand, consists mainly of making minor errors and adjustments to language, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure without changing the general structure of the work.
2. Focus on Clarity vs. Accuracy
Another contrast between content editing and copyediting is their primary focus. Content editing improves the document’s clarity and effectiveness by ensuring that concepts are presented coherently and logically. It focuses on increasing the general readability and comprehension of the information.
On the other hand, copyediting is more concerned with correctness and consistency, ensuring that the document follows the style guide and is free of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling issues.
3. In-depth Revision vs. Surface-Level Corrections
Content editing entails a thorough evaluation of the document, during which the editor may recommend substantial adjustments and restructuring of information. You can restructure paragraphs, add or remove parts, and rephrase phrases to increase clarity and coherence.
Conversely, copyediting concentrates on surface-level adjustments, such as punctuation, grammatical problems, and stylistic and formatting discrepancies.
4. Collaboration with the Author
Content editing frequently necessitates tight collaboration between the editor and the author. The editor may give the author criticism and ideas for improving the document’s structure and flow. This collaborative method guarantees the author’s original intent and message are communicated.
On the other hand, copyediting is more independent, with the editor working solely on the material, making changes and adjustments without considerable interaction with the author.
5. Timing and Sequence
Content editing is typically done before copyediting, establishing the groundwork for the document’s structure and substance.
Once the document’s general structure and clarity have been polished through content editing, copyediting can be performed to improve grammar, punctuation, and style consistency. This sequential technique assures that the final version of the text is well-structured and devoid of errors.
Do You Need Content Editing or Copyediting Services?
If you’re unsure if your document needs copyediting or content editing, evaluating your unique requirements and objectives is crucial. I’d advise content editing services if you wish to improve your document’s general structure, flow, and clarity. This kind of editing concentrates on the consistency of the material, the logical flow of the arguments, and the arrangement of ideas.
However, copyediting is more suitable if your main concerns are spelling, grammar, punctuation, and consistency of style. It guarantees that your work is free of errors, readable, and complies with the relevant style guide or formatting requirements.
Do you still have questions? Contact our professional editors, who can guide you on which type of editing would best suit your needs. They can also offer personalized recommendations based on the specific requirements of your document.
