| Many times, people use the terms proofreading | | | | cover letter, or other document to keep to |
| and editing interchangeably. For example, a | | | | yourself but to share with others, so it is |
| teacher might tell a student to always proofread | | | | important to get another person's viewpoint and |
| documents before turning them in, or a potential | | | | also to have that person find any mistakes that |
| employer might throw out an applicant's resume | | | | are obvious to others but not to you. |
| and cover letter for mistakes in the documents | | | | There are a variety of editing services available |
| due to not proofreading them. However, the two | | | | for writers, and the costs vary from one editor |
| terms are actually different. A proofreader is | | | | or company to another. One thing to find out |
| helpful in the final stages of writing, such as finding | | | | before submitting your document for editing is |
| minor typos and misspelled words, or seeing that | | | | how many words the editing provider considers |
| the document is not formatted consistently. An | | | | to be a page. For example, some consider 250 |
| editor, on the other hand, is extremely helpful for | | | | words to be 1 page, while others may use 275 or |
| the stage of writing preceding that final stage, | | | | 300 words per page. In a longer document, this |
| where the writer has all of the information down | | | | can dramatically add to the cost of editing. |
| on paper (or in an electronic document these | | | | Another factor is what types of payment the |
| days), but the document could still use the | | | | editor or company accepts, and whether the |
| benefits gained through editing, such as improving | | | | company has a reputable background. One way |
| the content and clarity of the paper as well as | | | | to check the reputation of a company is to check |
| fixing any errors. | | | | with the Better Business Bureau or to check the |
| This is where freelance editors come in. A fresh | | | | company website to find out if the company is a |
| pair of eyes and an objective mind are extremely | | | | Better Business Bureau Accredited Business. The |
| helpful. Your editor can make many suggestions | | | | use of a free sample edit is also a great way to |
| for improving your document and can also correct | | | | find out who can best edit your important |
| any mistakes you may have overlooked during | | | | document, and you want to know the exact |
| the writing process. After all, you're probably not | | | | deadline for having your document returned to |
| writing your paper, thesis, dissertation, resume, | | | | you. |