Any number of different fixes can be made to a piece of writing, but each of these fixes belongs to a different stage. Revising, copy editing, and proofreading are frequently conflated, especially by people who are new to the editing process. Often the first result is a somewhat haphazard editing pass, a typo is changed here, a sentence rewritten there, a paragraph is shifted from point B to point C, and then a second spelling error is caught as you move to proofread again. It’s possible that some work has been done, but you may be unclear on how to prioritize any remaining work.
Revising is the biggest editing stage. Revising focuses on the whole piece of communication. As you’re revising, consider whether the main idea is clear, whether the hook leads the reader into the topic well, whether the order of the paragraphs seems right, whether any of the ideas are repeated or omitted. You might be considering shifting some paragraphs, consolidating two, adding a sentence, or asking an author to condense one of their explanations to a simpler level. You are considering how the text might flow to a new reader.
Copy editing is much more close to the actual sentences. With a stable paragraph order, a copy editor is now focused on sentence flow, word choice, tone, grammar, redundant language, consistency, etc. You might be changing a sentence to remove unnecessary words, changing a vague noun to a specific one, and changing a phrase that was too formal to fit the general tone. Perhaps you’re checking whether the subheadings have proper capitalization, checking for repeated terms, and making sure the style is consistent. You are not trying to change the author’s voice, but are instead working to make the language and flow of the text cleaner and more accessible.
Proofreading is a final step after the previous two stages have been completed. At this stage, the focus is on typos, punctuation errors, spacing issues, missing or repeated words, broken or misaligned headings, or any other minor formatting issues. You don’t want to proofread too early, as you may not have finished revising yet. Perhaps you proofread one sentence, only to delete it during the copy-editing stage. For this reason, proofreading is often best done after the paragraph order and sentence choices are decided on.
One way to practice the different types of editing is to take a draft (perhaps a shorter one at first), and edit it without mixing the different stages. You might first pass the text for revision and make only notes about the structure, such as, “It’s unclear what the main point is,” or “This paragraph repeats what the first paragraph said.” You might second pass for copy editing, making only notes about wording and tone (or rhythm), such as, “This paragraph feels too academic,” or “These two sentences can be combined for better flow.” And perhaps your third pass for proofreading is for just the final edits, making only notes on small details like spelling, capitalization, punctuation, spacing, names, numbers, and subheadings. You want to keep these passes distinct to help yourself recognize the different types of editing changes you need to make.
One thing new editors find difficult is patience. It’s easy to fix a typo. It’s much harder to change a sentence, and it takes a long time to reorganize paragraphs. It’s tempting to avoid those kinds of changes, but if the structure is weak, the reader will likely get lost. If the tone of the writing is too formal, or the writing is cluttered with too many ideas, the reader probably doesn’t want to read it, no matter how few typos and grammar mistakes you find. These editing passes all have their proper place, and your editing time is much more productive if you stay mindful of this.
One easy way to tell when you are editing using these stages correctly is by looking at the different notes you make. Revision notes are generally about the structure of the piece, such as the main topic or flow of ideas between paragraphs. Copy editing notes are about word choice, sentence flow, or tone issues. Proofreading notes focus on just a few final details. As long as you can tell them apart, and the notes in those areas stay fairly distinct, you’ve found the right process for your work. If this is new to you, you’ll find it a lot easier to look at a piece and decide which editing process is needed, or even just to proofread the whole thing before it’s finally ready to publish.