Line Editor vs. Copy Editor: What’s the Difference?

Line editor vs. a copy editor – is there a difference? 

Yes! While both line editors and copy editors refine written content – everything including literary novels, academic essays, business materials, and blog posts – they each play a unique role in the editing process. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the difference between line and copy editing (with lots of examples along the way).

What Is a Line Edit?

First, let’s look at line editing.

Line editing, also known as stylistic editing, is the first stage in the editing process. A line editor will scrutinize a manuscript line by line, looking at how the writer uses language at sentence and paragraph levels.

Rather than looking at mechanics (e.g., correcting grammar errors), a line editor focuses on the more creative aspects of writing – the text’s flow, style, and readability. This might include:

• Assessing the clarity and impact of sentences
• Ensuring the narrative voice remains consistent
• Checking that the text effectively conveys the intended message

This process can be transformative, elevating the quality of a piece of writing so that it engages readers more effectively.

What Does a Line Editor Do?

A line editor’s goal is to enhance the clarity, flow, and readability of a text. Here are the key responsibilities of a line editor:

Improving Clarity and Flow

Line editors ensure that sentences are clear and concise. They make sure that every sentence contributes to the overall narrative, and that there are no extraneous words or unnecessary digressions.

If a sentence is unclear, or hard to follow, they may suggest rephrasing to improve coherence. Let’s consider an example of an unclear, hard-to-follow sentence:

I’ve always been interested in Ancient Egypt, ever since I was a child reading about pharaohs and the mysteries of the pyramids in books, and the terracotta army discovered in China.

A line editor would edit for clarity, removing any redundancies or off-topic points:

I’ve always been interested in Ancient Egypt. From a young age, I was captivated by tales I read of the pharaohs and the mysteries of the pyramids.

Enhancing Style and Tone

Line editors also check that tone and style are consistent throughout a document. This includes making sure that the language used is appropriate for the intended audience and purpose of the document.

Let’s consider a letter of resignation. This is a formal document, so the tone should be friendly and professional. In this example, though, the language is very informal:

Hi boss, I’m leaving this job as account manager right now. I got a gig with another company that’s more challenging. Thanks for everything and see you later!

A line editor would make adjustments to achieve a more professional tone. For instance:

Dear Mr. Rikart, I am announcing my resignation as account manager, effective immediately. I have accepted a more challenging role with another company, which I hope will allow me to further develop my professional skill set. I would like to thank you for the opportunities you provided me and wish you all the very best!

Eliminating Redundancies

Another key responsibility of the line editor is to identify and remove repetitive or unnecessary content. Let’s consider an example of a sentence containing redundancies:

Tim dashed quickly to the bank to get money and withdrew money from an ATM machine before going onward and over to the theater.

As you can see, the sentence is a bit long and wordy! First, it is redundant to write both dashed and quickly, so the adverb can be cut. Also, ATM stands for automated teller machine, so the word machine is redundant. A line editor would remove unnecessary words to make the sentence more concise and direct:

Tim dashed to the bank and withdrew money from an ATM before going to the theater.

Note that if a copy editor spotted minor redundancies left in the text, they would also remove them.

Strengthening Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is another area that a line editor will pay close attention to. This might involve:

• Breaking down long and complicated sentences into smaller, more easily digestible parts
• Fixing run-on sentences that make text hard to follow
• Varying sentence length to make the text more engaging and control the rhythm and pacing
• Ensuring that each sentence flows logically from the one before it.
• Adding transition words and phrases to aid with flow and readability

Here’s an example:

Harry missed his interview because he was seriously injured when he was hit by a car on the way and then had to stay in the hospital for nearly three weeks.

This sentence is long and difficult to read. A line editor would split the sentence into two parts, improving readability:

Harry missed his interview because he was hit by a car. He was seriously injured and had to stay in hospital for nearly three weeks.

Ensuring Logical Flow

Line editors ensure that ideas are presented logically, with smooth transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.

Take this passage as an example:

A bomb exploded at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on June 23, 1985, killing two baggage handlers. Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland en route to London Heathrow from Toronto.

A line editor would add a transitional phrase to connect the second sentence in logical flow:

A bomb exploded at Tokyo’s Narita Airport on June 23, 1985, killing two baggage handlers. Shortly after the explosion, Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland en route to London Heathrow from Toronto.

What Is a Copy Edit?

Copy editing takes place after line editing. A copy editor looks out for technical (or mechanical) errors, addressing any issues with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. They also make sure a piece of text follows the relevant style guidelines and is formatted consistently throughout.

What Does a Copy Editor Do?

A copy editor’s goal is to correct mechanical errors and ensure text adheres to style guidelines. Here are the key responsibilities of a copy editor:

Correcting Grammar and Punctuation

Copy editors meticulously check for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. They also ensure the spelling conventions in a document match the specified regional dialect (e.g., using color for US English versus colour for UK English). 

Here’s an example:

Mark worked as a teacher since 2012 He is known for his enthusiasm in the classroom and corrective feedback. ✘

There is a missing period between 2012 and He. A copy editor would revise as follows:

Mark has worked as a teacher since 2012. He is known for his enthusiasm in the classroom and corrective feedback. ✔

Ensuring Consistency

The copy editor’s role also ensures that spelling, capitalization, and hyphenation are consistent throughout the document. This often involves following a specific style guide (such as AP or Chicago). Let’s consider this passage:

From 1999 until 2002, I worked for a small law firm called Toto in Detroit. I had a 45-minute commute, and I always had to work late. My work-life balance was terrible.

I eventually left toto to join another law firm in the same city. The office was much closer to home, so my commute was reduced by thirty minutes. My work–life balance improved immeasurably! ✘

As we see, there is inconsistency with the capitalization of “Toto” and with how numbers are written. There is also a problem with “work-life balance,” as one instance uses a hyphen and the other uses an en dash. A copy editor would make changes to ensure consistency across all these areas:

From 1999 until 2002, I worked for a small law firm called Toto in Detroit. I had a 45-minute commute, and I always had to work late. My work-life balance was terrible.

I eventually left Toto to join another law firm in the same city. The office was much closer to home, so my commute was reduced by 30 minutes. My work-life balance improved immeasurably! ✔

Checking the Formatting

Copy editors ensure that a manuscript follows the required formatting guidelines, including citations and references. For example, they ensure reference titles are aligned according to style requirements and that all sources are listed in alphabetical order. Additionally, they ensure correct capitalization of book and source titles.

An example of a reference list in APA style:

References ✘

Edwards, J. E., & Waters, L. K. (1981). Halo and leniency control in ratings. Manuka Psychology, 5(1), 1–16.

Fulcher, G. (2002). Testing second language speaking. Pearson Education

A copy editor knows that the reference list title is centered in APA. Therefore, they would center the title:

References ✔

Edwards, J. E., & Waters, L. K. (1981). Halo and leniency control in ratings. Manuka Psychology, 5(1), 1–16.

Fulcher, G. (2002). Testing second language speaking. Pearson Education

Polishing Language

Copy editors enhance the precision of language, ensuring that the text uses words that are clear and concise. Additionally, they make sure that the word choice is appropriate for the document type (e.g., academic language for essays or research papers).

Let’s take an example of the following sentence, which could benefit from word choice enhancement:

Paula got the better of her struggle with homesickness by actively looking around her new city.

A copy editor might improve the sentence like so:

Paula overcame her struggle with homesickness by actively exploring her new city.

What About Fact-Checking?

Fact-checking is the process of verifying factual information – including dates, names, and statistics – to ensure accuracy. An editor may be responsible for this task, but it would typically be outlined in the brief. After all, the editor needs to know what to check and how deep to go! Furthermore, it’s not appropriate to correct factual information in academic writing, so an editor wouldn’t check and correct facts in every text.

A line editor may be asked to research and verify factual content in writing and make corrections accordingly. A copy editor’s role is more straightforward, and a client would expect them to check (and correct if necessary) the spelling of proper nouns, such as the names of people and places. This is more of a general correction than real fact-checking.

As an example, consider this sentence and if you can see anything amiss:

Socrate was a famous Roman philosopher. ✘

Did you spot anything? If you caught the missing letter at the end of Socrates, award yourself 10 proofreading points! But something else here isn’t quite right – Socrates was Greek, not Roman. So this is how this line should read:

Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher. ✔

In most cases, a copy editor would review the spelling of a name with a quick internet search and make any corrections. However, checking the bigger fact about where someone lived would require fact-checking to be an official part of the brief – and this could apply to a copy edit or a line edit.

Summary: Line Editing vs. Copy Editing

Here is our comparison table of line vs. copy editing, highlighting key differences:

Aspect	Line Editing	Copy Editing
Focus	Content, style, and flow	Grammar, punctuation, and consistency
Objective	Enhances readability and impact	Ensures technical correctness and adherence to style
Clarity and Flow	Improves sentence clarity and narrative coherence	Not applicable
Style and Tone	Ensures consistent tone and style	Not applicable
Redundancies	Identifies and removes repetitive and unnecessary content	Not applicable
Sentence Structure	Refines for readability and effectiveness	Not applicable
Logical Flow	Ensures smooth transitions and logical progression	Not applicable
Grammar and Punctuation	Not applicable	Ensures there are no errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Consistency	Ensures uniformity in narrative voice in a manuscript	Verifies uniformity in spelling, capitalization, etc.
Formatting	Not applicable	Ensures adherence to style guides
Language Precision	Not applicable	Enhances precision and appropriateness of language

Line and copy editors play vital roles in editing, but their functions are distinct. Line editors enhance the content, style, and flow of writing, making it engaging and coherent. Copy editors, meanwhile, focus on technical correctness, ensuring that the text is grammatically sound and consistent with style guidelines.

So, which type of editing is right for you? If you prefer focusing on the mechanics of writing, you will likely enjoy copy editing. On the other hand, if you prefer enhancing the overall quality and flow of content, line editing would be more your thing.

However, it’s important to bear in mind that a client may not be aware of these differences, and a project may not be large enough to require separate rounds of review from different editors! This means that when asked to line edit a text, you will often be responsible for everything below this level (i.e., copy editing and proofreading) as well.

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