Aarre Laakso

I do various kinds of editing. What they have in common is an effort to ensure that the authors’ messages come across clearly in the final product.

In developmental editing, I help a team write a document that clearly conveys key messages, has a compelling storyline, flows smoothly from point to point, is consistent, and backs its claims with cogent arguments and evidence. The process is usually iterative and often begins with brainstorming about key messages and a storyline, then proceeds through an annotated outline, and results in a first draft that is often quickly written and quite good. Developmental editing also often involves writing a clear executive summary that captures the essential messages of the document in an abbreviated form.

Structural editing is usually not necessary if the process begins with developmental editing. It has the same purpose: to arrive at a document that clearly conveys key messages, has a compelling storyline, flows, is consistent, and backs its claims with cogent arguments and evidence. However, structural editing begins after the document has been drafted and involves restructuring the existing draft rather than structuring a new one. It also often involves rewriting an existing executive summary.

Line editing involves paying special attention to the tone and structure of sentences and paragraphs. At this stage, I am looking not so much for “errors” of the sort that will be caught in copyediting but for opportunities to sharpen the language in sentences and shape paragraphs so that they convey key messages, tell a story, make valid arguments, maintain consistency, and present compelling evidence in support of findings. This includes ensuring clear, straightforward language and reducing wordiness without losing essential content. It also involves maintaining a professional and objective tone appropriate for the audience.

Copyediting involves correcting grammar, punctuation, and style. In this context, style means following a set of conventions about language and formatting as provided in the Chicago Manual of Style or a corporate style guide. These would include rules for formatting citations and references, for captioning figures and tables, and for handling abbreviations, among other things.

The purpose of proofreading is to ensure that the final document is as error-free as possible. I compare the final draft of the document (typically in Microsoft Word) with the final proofs from a design or typesetting firm (typically in a PDF created by InDesign). You would be surprised how many errors can get introduced (or revealed) in the design and typesetting process: I typically find hundreds of errors in a 100-page document.