Essay Writing and Editing

Get an essay written and formatted the way it should be. Editing requires careful analysis and critical thinking. As we edit your document, we keep in mind that certain grammatical errors occur more frequently than others – and even more frequently in particular kinds of writing.

We engage in four kinds of editing namely: substantive editing, detailed editing for sense, checking for consistency, clear presentation of the material for the typesetter.

1. Substantive editing aims to improve the overall coverage and presentation of a piece of writing, its content, scope, length, level, and organization. The editor may suggest improvements for the author to make, or may (by agreement with the author) rewrite and rearrange the material, suggest better illustrations, and so on. The editor at this stage will normally lookout for legal problems such as libel and plagiarism and for any quotations or illustrations that may need permission from the copyright owner.
2. Detailed editing for sense is concerned with whether each section expresses the author’s meaning clearly, without gaps and contradictions. It involves looking at each sentence, the author’s choice of words, the punctuation, the use of abbreviations, comparing the data in tables with the relevant text, checking text against the illustrations and their captions, and so on. We ensure that appropriate acknowledgment has been made for quotations or illustrations that need permission from the copyright owner, and will also look out for other legal problems.
3. Checking for consistency is a mechanical but important task. It may be done at the same time as in “Detailed editing for sense”. It involves checking such things as spelling and the use of single or double quotes either according to a house style or according to the author’s style; checking the numbering of illustrations, tables, and notes, and any cross references to them, and also the consistency of bibliographical references.
4. Clear presentation of the material for the typesetter involves making sure that it is complete and that all the parts are identified: for example, the grade of each subheading, which pieces of text (such as long quotations) should be distinguished typographically from the main text, and where tables and illustrations should be placed.

Furthermore, our editing requires focusing on the content of the text. Here, the key goals are to check that the text:

• flows logically
• is coherent and consistent
• forms a meaningful whole
• is clearly expressed
• is accurate in the information it provides
• has an appropriate tone
• is concise
• makes its purpose clear
• is targeted towards the reader

We achieve the above by answering some key questions in your manuscript:

• Does the opening paragraph provide a clear indication of the purpose of the text and a broad outline of the content?
• Does every part of the text contribute to the key idea to form a meaningful whole?
• Does the purpose remain clear throughout the text?
• Is every sentence relevant to the purpose of the text, with no digressions?
• Do the subjects and verbs agree in person and number?
• Is there a sentence (especially the first) in each paragraph that summarises the key point of that paragraph?
• Are the paragraphs unified, i.e. do they contain only one single idea each?
• Has every idea been given sufficient weighting?
• Does the text flow logically from one paragraph to the next?
• Have transitional words or phrases (such as, for example, however, thus, therefore, as a result, in this way, furthermore, above all) and been used, but not overused, to help the reader to make connections between the ideas?
• Are the sentence structure and vocabulary varied, without too much repetition?
• Has the text been worded concisely?
• Have irrelevant and unnecessary ‘filler’ words such as ‘actually’ or ‘basically’ been avoided?
• Is the text free from colloquialisms, slang, jargon, and clichés?
• Has evidence been given to back up statements?
• Has consistent terminology been used throughout, or if more than one term has been used to refer to something, is it clear that they are the same thing?
• Is a positive and professional tone maintained throughout?
• Is the tone appropriate for the reader?
• Does the text meet the readers’ needs?
• Does the last paragraph neatly and concisely summarise and conclude?

If the answer to all of these questions is ‘yes’, the text is likely to be a well-written piece that will not require too many changes. However, if it seems that a lot of changes are needed, our team of competent editors is here to bring out the best in your work.