Substantive Editing, Developmental Editing –
Our Substantive Editors do Revisions for You, Too

What Does Substantive Editing Mean?

Substantive editing, often simply called developmental editing or revision, is a type of extended copyediting. For this reason, the terms copyediting and substantive editing are occasionally confused.

We define the terms as follows. According to our understanding, the copyeditor leaves the substance or content of the text untouched. At the most, in addition to linguistic improvement suggestions, he or she gives tips about structure and composition. He or she comments if your argument seems illogical or contradictory or if he finds repetitions.

On the other hand, from a substantive editor, you can expect sizable linguistic and content-related improvements. If necessary, he or she moves, adds, or deletes entire paragraphs, adds important content aspects, and thus in a certain sense become a co-author. The border between substantive editing and text coaching or text production is similarly fluid.

Substantive editing is not to be confused with final editing. This type of editing, also called final proofing or galley proof-reading pertains to the very last spelling and layout corrections before the printing of a text and, as opposed to more extensive substantive editing, touches the text as little as possible.

Have Your Text Revised

Perhaps you are an expert in your field, but writing technical texts is not your strong suit or you just simply don‘t have the time for it. Or you’ve written an advertising text for your business. Naturally, you know your products and services better than anyone else, why should you delegate that? You just need someone who can give your advertising brochure a little oomph.

Then have professionals revise your text. We’ll edit it so that it wins over not just you, but also your recipients, one hundred percent. Of course, all changes will only actually be made after consulting you and in accordance with your wishes.

Adaptation by Experienced Substantive Editors

The adjustment of a text to a different audience can also, by extension, be regarded as substantive editing. This form of rewriting a text is called adaptation. One example of this could be a simplification of the text: for children, foreigners, non-experts etc.

Thus, a substantive editor can for instance popularise a technical text so that it is understandable to laypeople and thereby can reach a broader audience. Or he or she can optimise a text written for a brochure for search engines, so that it can be published on a blog or a website.

Translations often need to be revised as well so that they can sound natural in the foreign language and develop a similar impact to the original text.

Only Native Speaker Substantive Editors

We can offer you substantive editing in many languages: