{"id":179,"date":"2024-02-28T20:19:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T20:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/?page_id=179"},"modified":"2025-04-07T11:13:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T11:13:22","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Q: Proofreading vs copyediting… what’s the difference?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: In a nutshell: proofreading is a science, editing is an art<\/em><\/em>.

Proofreading – the last stage in the writing process – follows certain rules. I focus on correcting fundamental mistakes such as grammatical, typographical, spelling and punctuation errors, as well as other more minor anomalies. I will, however, let you know if I believe an area requires more work (i.e., editing).

Copyediting – the step just before your proofread – involves making sure the final text reads well prior to proofreading and making changes only where necessary. I look for everything I would in a proofread, plus instances of repetition, formatting errors, awkward word placement and poor sentence or paragraph structure, and rewrite clunky or unclear sentences. I consider the content as a whole, plus context, tense and tone, to ultimately ensure the text is written clearly, correctly, concisely, comprehensibly and consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Q: … so which do I need?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: In a nutshell: are you sending me your final draf<\/em>t, or not?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you are a seasoned writer with a few “second pairs of eyes” to hand, it will likely be an edit you need. This is especially likely if your document is a “first draft” and has not yet been checked or read by anyone. If, however, your document is not complex in nature (e.g. a menu), has already been edited, or you are confident enough in your writing, then a proofread may suffice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure, I can tell you which service you will need by reading your first few pages, which I encourage you to send to me for review without obligation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Q: What is paraphrasing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: Paraphrasing means “to state something written or spoken in different words, especially in a shorter and simpler form to make the meaning clearer<\/em>” (Cambridge Online Dictionary, 2022). Paraphrasing is an alternative to quoting, and puts someone else’s ideas into your own words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Q: Will you read my work in confidence?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: Yes. Absolutely. And, when we have completed your edits and signed off, all associated files are removed from my computer. I will also gladly sign confidentiality agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Q: I feel apprehensive about committing. How can you help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: This is totally understandable. There are a few ways I can help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) Let’s do a sample proofread or edit, free of charge. Send me over a chunk of text – say, half a page or so – and I will either proofread it or edit it free of charge. I will send it back to you to review, and you have a think if we are a good fit for each other and if you’d like to go ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) Let’s work in stages. If your document is large, we can cut it down into chunks and review at various stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) Let’s talk. Feel free to reach out on Zoom or Teams, and we can discuss what you’re looking to get out of the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Q: I’m from North America. Can we still work together?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: Of course. My default is British English, but I can also edit in American English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q: Proofreading vs copyediting… what’s the difference? A: In a nutshell: proofreading is a science, editing is an art. Proofreading – the last stage in the writing process – follows certain rules. I focus on correcting fundamental mistakes such as grammatical, typographical, spelling and punctuation errors, as well as other more minor anomalies. I will, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":490,"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/179\/revisions\/490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sophieproofreads.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}