Services

I’m experienced in a wide range of editorial services, so I can help you whether your document needs basic proofreading or significant restructuring or rewriting. To learn more about different types of editing, visit the Editors’ Association of Canada’s editorial skills page.

Contact me so we can discuss what your project might need. 

“Donna was brilliant – without her help the book would never have existed. She took our old draft and basic information and turned it into an amazingly easy-to-read masterpiece.”

— Jennifer Black, co-author, Managing Alone: Your Trusted Advisors’ Guide to Surviving the Death of Your Spouse

Proofreading

Proofreading usually happens after a document has been edited and gone through the design process. In addition to spotting errors of spelling, punctuation and consistency in the text, proofreading also checks the appearance of the final document, including headings, graphics and images (and their captions), pagination, cross-references and more.

Copy Editing

Copy editing includes correcting spelling, grammar and punctuation problems; ensuring the document adheres to the chosen style; checking basic facts (including math); ensuring consistency; compiling preliminary pages such as the copyright page; and alerting the author about things that require permission. If stylistic editing is included, this level of editing makes the text more engaging by smoothing awkward wording, eliminating jargon and wordiness, and making the text appropriate for the intended audience.

Structural/Substantive Editing

Sometimes a document needs an overhaul – this is structural and substantive editing. This type of editing includes reorganizing material for more effective presentation, identifying and dealing with significant length concerns (shortening the text where necessary, and alerting the author if additional content is needed) and possibly rewriting some parts of the text. This is “big picture” editing.

Rewriting

Your document may need rewriting if you are repurposing an existing text for a different medium (for example, turning an academic article into a web page) or for a different audience (for example, adapting material written for experts for use by the general public). Or, you may have only a pile of notes or a rough draft. I can turn them into the document you need.