These Are the Key Skills All Editors and Proofreaders Require
When making use of an editing service or proofreading service, authors will receive much more than a simple review of the text. They will also benefit from the support of editors who have gained solid professional experience in a variety of word-heavy industries, such as journalism, research and publishing. Therefore, these same editors instinctively know how to put together a piece of writing and tell a coherent story.
It is also vital to remember that an editing service or proofreading service requires numerous key skills; anyone can read a text, but not everyone knows how to fix any issues that may become apparent during the review process. Quite the opposite. Editing and proofreading are highly specialised jobs that are far more difficult than they may initially appear.
A lot of work goes into preparing a document, both from the perspective of the writer and the editor; in the same way a piece of writing never appears fully formed, it is never fully free of errors. In other words, content requires multiple edits, reviews, drafts and rewrites before it is deemed complete.
As such, an editing service or proofreading service will demonstrate the importance of strategic thinking.
Firstly, editors should know how to plan. All work has a deadline, and people are busy. An editor might have to juggle numerous projects within a similar time frame. Successful editors will know what they need to work on and when. Editing can be labour-intensive, especially with looming deadlines, so planning your work is crucial.
Editors also need strong concentration skills. There are always errors to uncover in writing, so much so that the work will need multiple reviews to find them all. An editing service or proofreading service will highlight the methodical approach: read one word at a time; don’t skim over the content; be aware of what errors you may encounter. Bear in mind that errors often hide in plain sight; for example, in a table involving hundreds of figures, there may be one that is formatted incorrectly.
Equally, editors will need strong communication skills. When reviewing a piece of writing, they may encounter a section with an ambiguous meaning or content that needs clarification. This, in turn, means that the editor will leave a comment for the writer explaining the issue and offering ways to fix it.
However, the editor will also have to show a degree of tact. Writers can be protective of their work, understandably, so feedback provided in a respectful tone that offers sensible solutions goes a long way to strengthening the editor-writer relationship.
An editing service or proofreading service may also require research skills. Perhaps the author has used an unfamiliar term or formatted a brand’s name incorrectly, or some facts need checking. The editor will check such issues and make the necessary changes. Either way, without this kind of input, a piece of writing is liable to be inaccurate, which may result in the writer losing credibility.
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