Proofreading vs copy-editing: which service do you need?

Do you have a piece of writing in English you need to publish, but you’re not sure whether it's truly ready? You have that nagging feeling that something might be wrong: a typo, an inconsistency, a formatting glitch.

Hmm, maybe a freelance editor or proofreader could help improve it?

You look into professional editing services but you’re not sure if your manuscript needs a ‘full edit’ or a proofread. In my experience, once I’ve sent a client my enquiry form and asked some more questions about what they were hoping to get from a proofread, it turned out that they needed something more.

That’s not a problem; I can adjust my approach to suit the project's needs (I explain more about other services like proof-editing in a separate article). But it highlighted an important distinction worth explaining.

In this post, I will walk you through what proofreading actually involves, how it differs from copy-editing, and why understanding this distinction can save you the hassle and expense of costly revisions and missed deadlines.

What do you get when you book my proofreading service?

Proofreading is the final check before publication. Like copy-editing, it is a check at micro level (as opposed to substantive editing, which is a macro-level, or ‘big picture’, check).

Unlike copy-editing, proofreadinghappens after your document has been typeset. Proofreading is about catching the things that slipped through in earlier stages of the publishing process. Attention to detail is key, as it is with all editorial work.

When proofreading, this is not the time for restructuring, rewriting or making major style changes. This is usually because the document has already been typeset, so any big changes would cause layout issues, increase costs, and delay publication timelines.

What I'm checking for in a proofread:

Typos and spelling errors (also called literals)
Punctuation consistency
Formatting inconsistencies (fonts, spacing, heading styles)
Broken links or missing page numbers
Any new errors accidentally introduced during previous editing rounds
Repeated or missing words
Glaring factual errors.

What I'm not doing in a proofread:

Restructuring paragraphs or sections
Rewriting sentences for clarity or impact
Making major style changes
Suggesting new content or different approaches.

Think of it as the final polish after the heavy lifting is done. If your content is already solid; proofreading ensures the presentation is flawless.

If your document needs restructuring, clarity improvements or style work, your document is not ready for proofreading yet. You’ll need either substantive, line editing or copy-editing (or a combination of all of these) first. I've written an article about what copy-editing involves.

The practical stuff: what happens during a proofread?

Most reliable proofreaders will work with a structured approach, which in practice means a detailed checklist of things to check.

Are the prelims correct?
Are all cross references correct? For example, do unit titles in a student workbook match those in the teacher’s workbook and the answer book?
Is capitalisation correct and consistent?
Are page numbers correct and do they cross-reference items in the main text correctly?
Is the referencing style consistently applied in the bibliography?
Are page margins consistent?
Do running heads and footers match the manuscript’s contents?
Is the indentation of lists and call-outs correct and consistent?
Are in-text references to tables and figures correct?
Are there any widows and orphans in the text?
Are there any double spaces?

Which file format is used for proofreading?

Most proofreading is done in a typeset PDF using PDF markup tools. Most often, this is Adobe Acrobat. In editing, almost all work is done in Word, using track changes and comments. But sometimes things work differently in practice. I might do an initial proofread in Word if the client requests it, followed by a final check once the typeset PDF is ready.

There's a good reason why proofreading happens in a PDF. In a PDF, only minor changes and comments can be added. Any major edits and suggestions should already have happened before the document was typeset, otherwise things get messy.

I have been asked to do a copy-edit in a PDF before, but the constraints of a PDF make that level of edit pretty unwieldy for a client to work with. If more substantial changes are needed, the original file (usually made in InDesign) has to be reopened, reformatted and retyped and all over again. Nobody wants that duplication of work in the final stages of publication!