Substantive editing – info@contentconnects.in
People these days judge a company based on how well its website and/or mobile app is designed. Therefore, it is very important to plan and design the content of your website in an appropriate and appealing manner, and that is where substantive editing plays a vital role. Substantive Editing is different from Copy Editing in quite a few ways, which will be discussed at length in this article. So, kindly read on.
For a researcher who is on the verge of completing his/her thesis needs to relook at their work with substantive editing, which is, in large part, structural editing. Through substantive editing, the content flow, correctness of content, style, and tone of the language used can be corrected; however, substantive editing can also bring in bigger changes in your paper, such as restructuring or reorganizing your entire work for a better presentation.
Substantive Editing involves the following elaborate yet effective processes. Together, they ensure that one’s article is correct, appropriate, and appealing.
Substantive editing ensures appropriate content
When one writes an article or creates a website, one does not create it for the whole world. One usually has a target audience who might be in need of the services or products one is providing.
Hence, it is of paramount importance that one’s website is tailor-made to meet the needs and interests of one’s target audience. Only then one’s website will witness a lot of readerships, user engagement, and high conversions (if applicable).
Structural Editing ensures proper content structure and flow of ideas
Just posting relevant and informative content on one’s website is not enough to make one’s website popular and rank on Google. Every section and sub-section in every article on one’s website should be arranged/organized properly so that the information one is trying to convey via one’s website is understood clearly and quickly by one’s target audience. Unorganized and haphazard information on one’s website will only lead to confusion and ambiguity in the minds of one’s readers.
Thorough sections checking
In this step, every section and sub-section of the article is checked thoroughly for grammatical errors, content errors, and inappropriate language or tone. If this step is done properly, every section and sub-section of one’s article will be very clear, engaging, and informative to one’s target audience.
Pinpointing errors in a detailed and polished manner
Once you have proofread the entire document/article, you need to comment on the sections that have any type of errors in them like grammatical errors, inappropriate structuring or listing of information or points, inappropriate tone, inappropriate or excessive usage of jargon, etcetera so that the writer can make the required corrections to his article to make it more suitable and appealing to his target audience.
The errors in the writer’s article have to be pointed out in a detailed and polished manner so that the writer does not feel offended, takes the editor’s suggestions in the right spirit, and makes all of the suggested corrections to his article properly. There should be no ambiguity regarding what corrections need to be made to the writer’s article.
Check the usage of jargon
The writer’s article should preferably be free of jargon and easy to understand. Usage of jargons is not necessary unless one is writing a highly technical article for a tech-savvy audience.
Even if one is writing a technical article, the writer’s talent lies in explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. The usage of jargon, even in a highly technical article, should be minimal to achieve maximum readability.
Ensure that the article is concise and engaging.
People live fast-paced and hectic lives these days. Nobody has the time to read elaborate and boring articles or any other form of written content. Therefore the substantive editor has to ensure that the writer’s article is concise and engaging to ensure maximum readership and user engagement.
Readership and user engagement are some of the major factors that determine the Google rank and popularity of a website. High readership and user engagement also help in expanding one’s reader base, conversions, and revenue in the long run.
Check if the article is properly formatted.
The design or layout of an article also determines the amount of readership and user engagement an article receives. An article has to be formatted properly with appropriate font styles and sizes to enhance its readability.
There has to be a marked difference between the headings, sub-headings, and regular text/content used in an article to make it look presentable. People are generally put off by looking at shoddily presented articles and will most likely not take the time to read them.
Conclusion
While copy editing ensures that an article is free of spelling, grammar, and sentence construction errors, it is only Substantive Editing, including line editing, that ensures an article is perfect in every possible way.
Substantive Editing ensures that an article serves the purpose for which it was written. It is only substantive editing that drives in more website traffic, readership, user engagement, conversions, and revenue (by means of ads or online sales) in the long run.
No company can keep its website “alive” without employing substantive editing these days. Low activity on a company’s website usually indicates a decline in the company’s business volume and usually leads to the closure of the business.
Are you looking for substantive editing services/structural editing services/line editing services, or copy editing services? Then feel free to write to info@contentconnects.in