Editing Checklist

An editing checklist can remind you of what to look for as you proofread your project. When you write, you may inadvertently miss some editing rules. Creative outside the box writing requires flow first and foremost, even if you have to repeat a word or two, and even if you slip in a cliché, or bend a rule.

See this quote from the Chicago Manual of Style’s fifteenth edition, “Users should break or bend rules that don’t fit their needs, as we often do ourselves. Some advice from the first edition (1906), quoted in the twelfth, and thirteenth editions and invoked in the fourteenth, bears repeating: ‘Rules and regulations such as these; in the nature of the case; cannot be endowed with the fixity of rock-ribbed law. They are meant for the average case, and must be applied with a certain degree of elasticity.’”

Keeping this in mind, you can use the following editing checklist as a guideline:

• Correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Check for agreement between subjects and verbs.
• Make sure pronouns have appropriate antecedents.
• Change passive to active verbs.
• Check for inconsistencies in use of italics, number style, and capitalization.
• Cut clutter or wordiness by using one word for many.
• Check for awkward or confusing sentences. Two short, clear sentences are better than a long and confusing one.
• Check for organizational inconsistencies to ensure there is a logical sequence between paragraphs.
• Add transitional phrases between paragraphs as required.
• Check formatting including footnotes, page numbering, tab indents, line spacing, font size, etc.
• Remove sexist or racist language.
• Ensure all acronyms and abbreviations are spelled out initially.
• Check headings and subheadings for relevancy.
• Make sure content in tables is accurate including any mathematical calculations.
• Bibliography should follow a consistent style.

If you need a thorough edit of your project, we offer editing services.