If you want your written work to be perfect, it is essential that you submit it to a qualified editor. It helps if you are writing a manuscript for publication. Publishers receive thousands of manuscripts; therefore, will reject any that has even simple errors. It is hard to edit your work so you need a professional editor. An editing company is better as it will have many professionals in its stable. It will assign your job to seasoned editors who can work faster than it would take an individual. They work in a group so will have an opportunity to share ideas and return work of higher quality to you.

What does and editor do?

An editor will carefully read through your work and do the following:

• Restructure contents
• Remove repetitive or irrelevant parts
• Improve readability
• Reorganize paragraphs
• Improve sentence structure
• Remove grammar, spelling, punctuation and typing mistakes

An editor can at the time suggest new content to increase the relevance and appeal of your work

Good editing is not limited to errors. They inform you about your weak areas for improvement and complement your strength.

There are countless editing companies. It is necessary to make a wise choice by looking at the following factors:

Create a list of the top companies. You can easily find editing companies through search engines, blog posts, publishing directories or traditional word of mouth referral.

Narrow down to a few editing firms that seem to meet your requirements. Contact or visit their website to determine the kind of editing they perform, rates and turnaround time. Check the kind of projects that they have worked on, educational background and experience of the editors. It is also helpful to check testimonials and reviews on their editing services if you can find them to know how well they served their past clients.

Cheap is not always the best. Do not rush to work with a company just because it charges the cheapest editing rates without determining the quality.

Ask for editing sample

It is hard to know the kind of editing you expect based on price and promises. Editors will use different terminologies for their work. A sample is a good way to determine their ability and save you from requesting additional edits when the first one falls short of expectations. Most editors offer a free consultation and sample edits on several pages. Get samples from different editing companies as you shop around so that you compare and settle for the best. Take advantage of this offer as you get a feel of what it is like to work with particular editing companies without making a commitment. It is easier to choose the right editors when you have several sample edits to compare.

Narrow down your options

After researching on the editing companies and reading their edit samples, eliminate those that that failed to adequate editing and those are too expensive. As you make your choice, look at compatibility with the company and your assigned editor for edit sample. Although there is a need to improve your work, it is better to work with someone who creates a good partnership. Good editors know that you put much into writing. They will not change it drastically without consultation so that you do not feel that they lost your voice and intended meaning.

Agree on service terms

Before you get into an agreement with the editing company you settle for, make sure that you are clear about the extent of work that it will perform. Confirm whether the editing will cover various areas such language, content, structure, copyediting and proofreading or just one. You should also agree when the company is available to discuss edits, the method to exchange feedback and suggestion for subsequent steps.

Before you pick an editing service considers all factors that will make your engagement worthwhile.

For more editing information, have a look at our Academic papers editing service page.