When you need a clean manuscript that’s free of mechanical and language errors.
Copyediting is the stage of editing that ensures your manuscript is polished, consistent, and ready for publication. While developmental editing addresses structure and line editing focuses on style, copyediting works at the sentence level to refine clarity, accuracy, and consistency. It’s often confused with proofreading, but the two are not the same: copyediting is a deeper review of grammar, usage, and style, while proofreading is the final check before publishing (learn more in this blog post).
Our copyediting services are designed for academics, nonfiction authors, and professionals who need their work to be both accurate and engaging. A copyeditor reviews your manuscript line by line, correcting grammar, punctuation, and word usage while also checking for clarity and readability. Beyond catching errors, we look for inconsistencies in tone, style, and formatting so your writing feels smooth and coherent from start to finish.
Academic copyediting is especially valuable when preparing dissertations, journal articles, or scholarly books. Editors familiar with major style guides (APA, MLA, Chicago, and others) will ensure that citations, references, and terminology are correct and consistent. This attention to detail allows your research and arguments to shine without distraction.
For authors of trade and general nonfiction, nonfiction copyediting ensures your prose communicates clearly with your intended audience. Whether you’re drafting a thought leadership book, policy report, or long-form essay, copyediting helps your voice remain strong while eliminating distractions caused by errors or uneven phrasing.
Copyediting also supports professionals in the business and nonprofit world. Reports, proposals, and digital content all benefit from a careful review to ensure accuracy, consistency, and a polished presentation.
By investing in copyediting, you ensure that your manuscript is not only error-free but also credible and reader-friendly. It’s the step that gives your work professional finish—so you can submit, publish, or present it with confidence.
Copyeditors can help you with:
Fixing mechanical issues
Fixing mechanical issues like grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Addressing language
Addressing language and usage errors, eliminating repetition
Consistency
Ensuring consistency at the word and manuscript level by applying a style guide
Improving flow
Improving the flow of sentences in US or UK English
Citation formatting
Formatting citations, including foot- or endnotes and/or a bibliography or reference list
Document formatting
Document formatting at the section, chapter, and book levels
Fact-checking
Checking basic facts, such as the spellings of names and places, URL functionality
Copyediting Services
What are the typical projects for copyediting?
Copyediting is useful for a wide range of nonfiction manuscripts. Academics rely on academic copyediting to prepare dissertations, scholarly books, and journal articles for peer review or submission. Policy writers and researchers benefit from copyediting when producing reports that require accuracy and clarity. Authors of trade nonfiction use nonfiction copyediting to ensure arguments are well supported and prose flows naturally. Professionals in the business and nonprofit world often request copyediting for reports, proposals, and digital content that must be both precise and persuasive. In each case, copyediting ensures that the writing is clear, consistent, and ready for the next stage in the submission or publication process.
What are the different levels of copyediting?
There are three different levels of copyediting, and we will help you determine what level your manuscript needs when we see the manuscript. For reference, the more work the manuscript requires, the higher the level.
Light: Correct grammar and punctuation, apply style guide to text and citations
Medium: Correct grammar and punctuation; improve word choice or voice; apply style guide to text and correct citations
Heavy: Correct language, grammar, and punctuation; reformat text; apply style guide to text; overhaul citations
How much does copyediting cost?
Copyediting rates vary depending on the type of author, the length of the project, and the complexity of the text. Our rates range from $0.04 to 0.06 per word. Academic copyediting often requires close attention to style guides and references, while nonfiction copyediting may focus on consistency and accessibility. For the most accurate information, please see our Manuscript Editing page for up-to-date pricing. We’re also happy to provide an individualized estimate after reviewing your text. To ensure the right level of support, the exact rate is confirmed with a sample edit, which allows us to match your manuscript with the appropriate editor and scope of work.
What does copyediting include?
Copyediting services refine your manuscript at the sentence level so it’s correct, consistent, and polished. Your editor will correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage while improving clarity and readability. We also check for consistency in tone, formatting, and style, making sure your writing follows the relevant guide (Chicago, APA, MLA, or house style). As part of this review, we provide basic fact-checking for the spellings of names, places, and job titles; however, we do not verify claims, sources, or citations as part of standard copyediting. Unlike proofreading, which is the final pass to catch errors before publication, copyediting offers a deeper review to ensure your work is accurate, clear, and professional.
Our professional services include one full editorial “pass” to the manuscript using MS Word’s Track Changes and commenting functions and one shorter second pass once the author has responded to queries (must be completed within one month of first pass). Any subsequent passes must be performed within a reasonable timeframe and will be based on the editor’s availability. For graduate student edits, we offer only one editorial pass.
When should I get a copyedit?
Copyediting should take place after developmental or line editing but before proofreading. If your manuscript’s structure and style are already in place, copyediting helps ensure that the text is accurate, consistent, and polished. Writers often seek copyediting before submitting to publishers, journals, or organizations that expect professional standards. It’s also the right step if you’ve revised your manuscript and want a detailed review of grammar, usage, and style. If proofreading is the final check before publication, copyediting is the essential step that prepares your work for that last stage—catching errors and inconsistencies so they don’t slip through.
What’s the expected turnaround for a copyedit?
Turnaround time for copyediting depends on the length of the manuscript and the depth of editing required. A general rule of thumb is 25–35k words per week. Articles and reports may be completed within seven days, while book-length projects typically take several weeks. We recommend allowing additional time for revisions after you receive your edits so you can address changes thoughtfully. If you have a specific deadline, we’ll work with you to set a realistic schedule. With careful planning, our copyediting services provide the thorough sentence-level review your work needs—so it’s accurate, consistent, and professional when you’re ready to submit or publish.
Sample
Sample Copyedits
Copyedits typically involve tracked changes and comments on a Word document.
The sample edit of an academic essay will give you an idea of the depth and type of feedback you’ll receive for a medium-level copyedit.
The blog post was copyedited according to the organization’s house style guide to ensure consistency across all posts.
The sample bibliography will show you the kinds of changes we make to citations.
Bloomberg Philanthropies collaborated with Flatpage’s team to help manage the complex editorial process for their arts and culture app, Bloomberg Connects, which hosts guides to over 500 cultural organizations in 24 countries and in 40 languages. Flatpage provides copyediting, proofreading, and multilingual editing services for hundreds of cultural institutions worldwide, including art museums, historic sites, gardens, and festivals.
An art historian was preparing her book manuscript for peer review at an academic press and needed assistance cleaning up the language and applying a style guide. Flatpage provided copyediting on her text so that her reviewers could focus on the content.
The team at Flatpage provided copyediting services on the exhibition catalogue and guide for the 2024 Venice Biennale, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.
Exhibition Catalogue and Press Materials Copyediting
A dynamic regional contemporary art center needed ongoing support for their exhibitions and marketing efforts. Flatpage stepped in to provide copyediting services so that they can always put their best foot forward.
New York University’s School of Law engaged Flatpage to provide ongoing content and copy editing for the articles posted on their Open Global Rights platform, which posts articles written by multilingual authors on a range of topics related to human rights.
A multilingual PhD candidate in art history needed copyediting assistance to correct the grammar and punctuation in, as well as apply the Chicago Manual of Style to, the body text and citations of her dissertation before submitting it to her advisor.
