Professional Proofreading and Copyediting • About Literatim

Literatim was founded with a single goal in mind: to provide the highest standards of accuracy in proofreading and copyediting equally to individuals and organisations. Additionally, we aim to achieve this with service that is both friendly and professional: each case is handled individually and on a personally tailored basis, to ensure complete satisfaction.

Literatim was born of a love for written communication, and a desire to help people communicate as effectively as possible. If you require any further information, feel free to contact us--no question is too minor, and we will get back to you promptly.

While proofreading and copyediting are often believed to be the same thing, they are in fact separate activities. The differences between the two processes are detailed below.

Proofreading involves ensuring consistency of layout and checks for errors in terminology and typesetting. According to the SfEP:

The proofreader reads the copy for consistency in usage and layout, for accuracy in the text and references and for typesetting errors. The proofreader, however, is only acting as a quality check, making sure that the copy-editor or typesetter has not missed something. He or she is not responsible for overall consistency and accuracy.

Copyediting involves ensuring spelling and grammar are correct, checking for glaring factual omissions, and improving general readability. According to the SfEP:

A copy-editor makes sure that an author’s raw text, or copy, is correct in terms of spelling and grammar and is easy to read so that readers can grasp his or her ideas. A copy-editor also tries to prevent embarrassing errors of fact, alert the publisher to any possible legal problems and ensure that the typesetter can do a good job.

No matter what level of writing skills you possess, it is always useful to have a fresh pair of eyes go over your work; mistakes and inaccuracies may crop up and go unnoticed through sheer overexposure to the project. Additionally, the services of a copyeditor can help improve your message and ensure you connect properly with your intended readers, as well as alerting you to any potential issues concerning content.

If your question has not been answered here, or you are still unsure how we can help you, drop us an email and we will satisfy your curiosity.