Our proofreading course will equip you with the editorial skills you need to become a qualified proofreader and copy editor. This online proofreading course will show you how to correct printed documents and webpages, and make them readable and legally compliant.

As you have probably gathered, a copy editor has to perform a lot of different tasks, but we are only now having a look at two of the most important ones:

Checking accuracy: checking that words and sentences convey the correct meaning.

Checking facts: phone numbers, names, events, etc.

The copy editor has a vital role to play in maintaining accuracy. 

The proofreader is responsible for checking areas like spelling, grammar, punctuation and house style.

But, the copy editor is also responsible for checking the accuracy of meanings and facts, so the document is correct in every respect. There can be serious consequences for a client if something incorrect appears in print or online.

You need to be comfortable with the factual content of a job before you accept it. It would be unwise to agree to edit an article for a medical journal if you were not familiar with the terms used. You would not know what was right or wrong and would either spend a long time checking or let mistakes slip through.

So, never take on work that is too difficult for you. That does not mean you have to be an expert in every sphere you edit. But, it’s best to avoid highly specialised areas like medicine, law, science, etc, unless you are competent. 

Accurate Meanings

Read this famous quote:

“But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I’m going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

The speaker was Bill Clinton, president of the United States. He was speaking at a press conference in January 1998 when he denied allegations that he had had an affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky.

It was not long before lurid accounts of the president’s sexual adventures with Miss Lewinsky revealed that the president’s statement was completely untrue.

But, was it?

From the president’s point of view, it was absolutely true.

Why? Because to him, the term “sexual relations” meant coitus, or sexual intercourse. And, apparently, although Clinton and Lewinsky engaged in various forms of sexual activity, they did not have sexual intercourse.

Now, the millions of people listening to that broadcast were obviously unaware of Clinton’s definition of the term “sexual relations”. Understandably, they assumed he meant that no sexual activity of any kind had taken place.

But, President Clinton stuck to the “truth” (his truth) and survived!

One copy editor listened to that quote with a colleague and said: “Brilliant. He did not have sex, but he did just about everything else!” And he was right.

Good copy editors must know how to use words accurately and be able to pinpoint ambiguities. They must make sure the writer’s meaning is clearly understood by the reader. This often means dealing with words that are misused by society. Every language and culture has them.

There are many situations when we use inaccurate language to express ourselves, and get upset because people misunderstand us.

You may have talked to people who have learned English as their second language, and who find it difficult to understand you. But, often, the problem is that they are using English correctly, whereas you are not!

See our proofreading course