Phase V: Copy Editing

Summary

After the article content is finalized, it goes into copy editing and proofreading for clarity and to catch typos and grammatical errors. Articles are ready to go into copy editing once the editors, EAL, TE, and authors have signed off on the article. Each article is assigned a copy-editor and proofreader who work in tandem to assure that the style guide is followed and that there are no mistakes in the text or source formatting. Lead editors should email the assigned copy-editor and proofreader once fact-checking has begun so they know to expect a draft. At this point, the article can also be sent to the translation collective if it has been selected for translation.

Total time: 1-2 weeks

Suggested deadline: CEs should be given under one week for their first pass.

Editor action items: Make a clean copy of the document to send to the CE; relay edits to author if CE suggests substantial changes

Authors cannot make sentence-level changes after this stage. Make this clear to them.

What else you need to know:

Read more about the Copy Editing Process and see our Style Guide.

When lead and co-editor are happy with the article, the EAL has signed off, and the Technical editor has verified all statements, the article can go into copy editing. Lead editors should email the assigned copy editor and proofreader once fact-checking has begun so they know they will be called on soon. If you don't hear back from your copy editor and proofreader before work is to begin, contact the Copy Editing Lead and Managing Editor immediately.

Copy editors get a new copy of the document and make edits as suggestions. They then initial the master spreadsheet and forward that same document to the proofreader, who checks their work and resolves comments.

Occasionally suggested edits for clarity may raise questions for the author. Copy editors should contact the lead editor to relay questions to the author. Once the copy editor has finshed their work, editors review the suggested changes and accept/reject as necessary. If the changes are substantial, the author should be alerted; however, copy-editing is a service that we provide to make sure our language is uniform and our style guide is followed. As such, authors generally do not have a say in accepting or rejecting changes. Once the CE has finished their work, the article can be sent to the proofreader.