An academic editor is a highly skilled editor who specialises in academic writing and copyediting of all forms and is equipped to meet the specific needs of academics. They will often hold a postgraduate degree in English, communications, editing, publication or journalism.

Academic editors polish and improve documents such as university essays, honours theses, doctoral theses, academic books, journal articles and grant and promotion applications. They may also be responsible for editing a collection of academic writing for a journal or a book. Typically, they will correct spelling, typographical, grammatical and syntax errors and correct any oversights or inconsistencies in style, voice, content, formatting and referencing to improve the document’s accuracy and flow.

An academic editor is familiar with the writing conventions of various texts and fields and is equipped to ensure that an academic document has the highest possible chance of examination, publication or funding success.

Copyediting (or ‘copy editing’, as it is sometimes spelled in US English) is a thorough editing service performed on a document that ensures correct grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation and language; correct use of formal academic English; complete internal consistency; correct and consistent use of abbreviations; complete and consistent formatting; and complete, consistent and accurate referencing.

Copyediting also involves improving the logic, clarity and flow of a journal article, dissertation, thesis or book, including transitional phrasing; making suggestions regarding structure, organisation, evidence and supporting statements; querying any errors and inconsistencies in the content; and word count reduction through eliminating redundancy and unnecessary repetition.

In addition to the services included under standard copyediting, academic editing may also involve the analysis of academic documents according to standard academic conventions, identifying and addressing critical weaknesses in terms of content, structure and organisation to ensure the clearest possible communication of the research or proposal in question.

Proofreading (sometimes known as ‘verification editing’) is the final round of checks prior to publication—it ensures that a document is ready for publication. It does not include language editing for grammar and should not be considered a substitute for professional copyediting. It is suitable for documents that only require a final check for matters of consistency, formatting, headings and shortened forms.

Proofreading does not address matters of style, clarity or grammar. Rather, the focus is on checking:

• spelling and typographical errors
• punctuation (e.g., single quotation marks in a British/Australian English document)
• internal consistency (e.g., in capitalisation, hyphenation and number use)
• use of shortened forms (and creating a list of abbreviations if necessary)
• presence and correct ordering of all elements of the document
• placement of and cross-referencing to peripherals (i.e., figures, tables and appendices)
• accuracy and consistency of headings
• formatting (checking the consistency of the applied formatting, but no extensive reformatting)

Every document, regardless of its quality, will benefit from professional editing to assist in presenting the ideas in the clearest possible way.

Editing ensures that academic documents, theses, articles, books or promotion and grant applications are free from spelling, typographical, grammatical and consistency errors. For academics, this guarantees that all language, style, formatting and referencing guidelines are followed meticulously so that the work meets international publication standards in both language and presentation and has the best chance of examination, publication or funding success.

A strong publishing record is essential for academic careers at any level because it is tied to funding, performance review and promotion success. Correct language and presentation are also critical for any thesis undergoing examination to ensure that the research has the greatest likelihood of being passed by examiners with minimal or no corrections.

The goal of academic proofreading is to ensure that an academic document is ready for publication. It comprises the final round of checks prior to publication and should reserved for documents that have already been professionally copyedited. It may be suitable for academic documents such as university essays and assignments, honours and doctoral theses, journal articles, research project materials, conference materials, academic books and grant and promotion applications.

Academic proofreading ensures that an academic document contains no typographical, spelling or punctuation errors and checks for internal consistency and accuracy in capitalisation, hyphenation, number use, abbreviations and headings. It also ensures that all elements of a document are present and in the correct order, in addition to correct placement of and cross-referencing to peripheral materials, such as figures, tables and appendices.

Academic proofreading does not include reformatting but will check that the applied formatting is consistent. Unlike copyediting, it does not include matters of style, clarity and grammar. Thus, errors in grammar and syntax will not be corrected as part of a proofreading service.

You do not need to be formally certified to become a proofreader and editor. However, ideally, a proofreader and editor will complete significant training and gain extensive experience writing and correcting others’ writing. Many national editor organisations do offer certification or accreditation courses or exams that can be beneficial for your training and career.

Becoming a successful editor may involve undergraduate or postgraduate tertiary qualifications, training provided by an independent organisation like Capstone Editing or an institution such as the Australian Institution of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd), the US Proofreader Certification Association or the Editors Association of Canada. Any of these training opportunities will assist you in becoming a successful proofreader and editor.

The comprehensive Your Editing Career Launched 2.0 course offered by Capstone Editing will teach you everything you need to become a professional proofreader and copyeditor.

Education in English, communications or journalism is often required to become a proofreader and editor. However, degrees in other fields may also assist you in launching a proofreading and editing career.

To become a proofreader and editor, you will need extensive experience in writing and correcting writing according to grammatical, spelling, referencing and language conventions. Additionally, you may wish to pursue relevant undergraduate or postgraduate tertiary qualifications.

Training providers include independent organisations like Capstone Editing or professional institutions such as the Australian Institution of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd), the US Proofreader Certification Association or the Editors Association of Canada.

For example, Capstone Editing’s comprehensive Your Editing Career Launched 2.0 course will provide the education you need to be able to perform professional proofreading and editing.

ESL (English as a Second Language) is commonly used, but Capstone Editing prefers EAL (English as an Additional Language). We believe (and many agree with us) that ‘additional language’ is more respectful than ‘second language’ because it avoids implying a hierarchy of different languages or that a person might be less fluent in any particular language. Also, ‘second language’ might be factually incorrect if you speak three or more languages!