Core Service
We work on reports, briefs, papers, white papers, and long-form publications. Our editors combine editorial rigor with genuine subject knowledge.
Why It Matters
A policy brief with a muddled argument will not persuade. A research report with unclear findings will not be cited. A white paper that buries its recommendation on page twelve will not get read.
When editorial work is done well, it changes how a document functions — how it holds an argument, guides the reader, and earns the trust of a sophisticated audience. We offer five distinct services. Each has a specific purpose. Understanding which your document needs is the first step to making it better.
Service 01
Copyediting addresses the sentence level: grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, consistency, and adherence to a style guide (Chicago, APA, house style, or client-specified). It does not change your structure or your arguments. It makes your sentences correct, consistent, and readable.
Your document is structurally sound and the arguments are clear. You need a professional finish before publication, submission, or distribution. This is the final editorial stage before proofreading.
A tracked-changes document with corrections applied and queries marked. Where style choices are made, decisions are logged for consistency. An editor's note summarizing patterns found.
Service 02
Line editing works at the paragraph and sentence level to improve clarity, flow, precision, and voice. Unlike copyediting, it does not just correct errors — it improves how the writing works. Long, convoluted sentences get untangled. Unclear phrases get rewritten. Passive constructions get replaced where they are obscuring rather than appropriate.
Your structure is sound but the writing is dense, flat, or hard to follow. The ideas are there; the writing is not carrying them. This is the most common problem in research and policy writing, where content expertise does not always translate into readable prose.
A tracked-changes document with rewritten passages, flagged alternatives, and a detailed editor's note. You retain control; all changes are suggestions you can accept or reject.
Service 03
Structural editing addresses the architecture of a document: the order of sections, the logic of the argument, the flow from evidence to conclusion. It is the most substantive editorial service. A structural edit may result in recommendations to reorganize chapters, cut sections, expand underdeveloped arguments, or reframe the document's central claim.
Your document has been through multiple drafts but still does not hold together. Readers are getting lost. The argument is there but the document is not making it. Or you want an independent assessment before significant investment in production.
A detailed structural report with specific recommendations. For longer documents, we deliver a structural memo before any line-level work begins. The memo can be used as a revision brief for your own team, or followed by an editorial revision at additional scope.
Service 04
Rewriting goes further than editing. We take source material — drafts, notes, reports, transcripts — and produce a substantially new document that retains the substance and evidence while reconstructing the prose from the ground up. Rewriting is appropriate when a document cannot be rescued through editing alone, or when original material needs to be transformed into a new format (for example, a technical report adapted into a policy brief).
The source material is solid but the writing is not salvageable. Or you need the same content adapted for a different audience, length, or format. Or your team can produce content but not prose, and you need someone to bridge the gap.
A new document in clean copy, with a tracked-changes version against the source material on request. Where major changes affect the meaning or emphasis of the original, we flag these for your review.
Service 05
Proofreading is the final check before a document goes to print or publication. It catches errors that survived earlier editing: typographical errors, formatting inconsistencies, missing cross-references, incorrect exhibit labels, and final punctuation. It is not an editing stage. Documents submitted for proofreading should already be substantially complete.
Your document has been edited and is in its near-final or final layout. You need a clean pair of eyes before it goes out. This is standard practice for any publication intended for external audiences.
A marked proof with all errors flagged for correction, delivered against your style guide or house conventions.
Pricing
We price by scope, not word count alone. A 10,000-word report requiring structural editing is a different engagement from one requiring proofreading.
| Service | Starting From | Standard Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading | $100 per 10,000 words | 1–3 business days |
| Copyediting | $200 per 10,000 words | 3–5 business days |
| Line Editing | $350 per 10,000 words | 4–7 business days |
| Structural Editing | $600 per project (scoped on brief) | 5–10 business days |
| Rewriting | $750 per project (scoped on brief) | 10–14 business days |
Rush turnaround (48 hours) is available for copyediting and proofreading at a 50% surcharge. All projects begin with a free scoping call or written brief. We do not start work until scope and cost are confirmed in writing.
Try Before You Commit
Send us 500 words from your document and we will return a sample edit within two business days, at no charge. No sign-up. No follow-up unless you want it. This lets you assess our editorial approach before committing to a full project.
Submit for a Free Sample EditFAQ
Copyediting works at the sentence level — fixing grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, and style guide consistency. Line editing goes further: it improves how the writing functions, untangling dense sentences, improving clarity and flow, and rewriting where the prose is obscuring the argument. Copyediting corrects; line editing improves.
Structural editing addresses the architecture of a document — the order of sections, the logic of the argument, and the flow from evidence to conclusion. A research report needs structural editing when it has been through multiple drafts but still does not hold together, when readers are getting lost, or when the core argument is buried rather than explicit.
Send us 500 words from your document and we will return a sample edit with a recommendation within two business days, at no charge. If you prefer to self-diagnose: if the structure is sound but the prose is unclear, start with line editing. If readers keep getting lost, structural editing comes first.
Yes. A significant proportion of our clients work with teams where English is not the primary language. We understand what kind of editorial intervention is most useful in this context and apply it carefully — preserving the author's meaning and institutional voice while improving clarity and correctness.
For structural editing and early-stage advisory work, yes — and it is often more effective to identify structural issues before a draft is complete. For copyediting, proofreading, and line editing, we work on complete drafts, since a partial document does not show us whether the structural decisions are working.
Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition) is our standard. We also apply APA, AMA, and client-specified house styles. Send your style guide with your document and we follow it. We can also develop or review an organizational style guide as a separate service.
Rush turnaround (48 hours) is available for copyediting and proofreading at a 50% surcharge. For line editing and structural work, rush availability depends on current capacity. Contact us and we will confirm whether we can meet your deadline before you commit.
We respond to all inquiries within one business day.