Copyediting Services

What's the difference between proofreading, copyediting and rewriting? Click here for details and here for an example.

Why Edit?

Lacuna is the Latin for ‘missing words’, and this name was chosen to reflect our fervent belief in the power and importance of editing. Writing should express the maximum of meaning in the minimum of words. Short, sharp shocks. Whether startling, witty, controversial or heart-warming, writing works best when it's concise.

Our copyediting clients include fiction, non-fiction and poetry publishing houses, creative writers, non-fiction writers and students of a diverse range of subjects.

Our copyediting team is based in Sheffield and we are native English speakers, but we work with clients around the world and are able to use US English spelling.

Copyediting for Students

We offer a specialist copyediting service for students in a wide range of disciplines.

On occasion, an essay or thesis will have been written and the content deemed satisfactory by the tutor, but the writing itself will be failing to express the content clearly and concisely - and consequently lowering the potential mark.

Although university assignments are theoretically marked on their content, where poor quality writing means the reader is not able to properly decipher the content this will not always be possible!

After consultation with the student, we edit the essay or thesis to ensure that the work meets its full potential, and we do this without altering the work's content or infringing the standard university guidelines on plagiarism. (As many of our student copyediting clients are international students, we understand that this last point is of the gravest importance because expulsion can lead to the loss of the student's visa.)

We initially edit the document to remove unnecessary repetition, reword awkward syntax, rephrase sentences to foreground important points, with a focus on clarity and conciseness. The editing process also involves ensuring consistency of appropriately formal academic tone. Upon completion, we then proofread the edited document to weed out errors in spelling, grammar and syntax, punctuation and capitalisation.

As many international students tend to be more familiar with US English than UK English, we also pay particularly close attention to seeking out vocabulary and spelling errors in this area.

Commercial Copyediting

Our copyediting service is as subtle or extensive as the client requests. We reword, rewrite, weed out awkward syntax and frail wording, and return copy that delivers more powerful and more immediate punches.

We edit existing web content to make it more interesting and readable, ensuring it has the style, image and message that best suits the communication's purpose and looks good on-screen. We also edit pamphlets, essays, theses, leaflets, books and e-books to ensure clarity of meaning, consistency of style and an interesting read.

Rates

Our copyediting service costs £0.02 per word. For more information, email us or use this form. Read our terms and conditions here.