Editorial Review and Quality Assurance
Copyedit Pass
Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, names, numbers, references, headings, links, captions, internal consistency, and query resolution before proof.
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The downloaded file contains the same fields in editable Markdown.
Copyedit setup
- Project and file version
- [Identifier]
- Copyedit level
- [Light / Medium / Heavy, defined]
- Audience and dialect
- [English variant and reader]
- Style guide and dictionary
- [Versions]
- Termbase or naming register
- [Link]
- Citation style
- [Rule]
- Immutable text
- [Items and query owner]
- Copyeditor
- [Name]
Mechanics and consistency
- Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and agreement are checked.
- Capitalization, hyphenation, numbers, dates, times, and units are consistent.
- Names, titles, products, features, and abbreviations match approved forms.
- Headings, lists, tables, captions, and callouts follow a consistent pattern.
- Quotations preserve source wording and alterations are marked appropriately.
- Cross-references identify a real and current destination.
- Links and visible labels match their purpose.
Query log
- Query ID
- [Identifier]
- Location
- [Heading, paragraph, table, or line]
- Issue
- [What is unclear or inconsistent?]
- Why it matters
- [Meaning, source, style, or navigation]
- Proposed action
- [Revision or decision options]
- Owner
- [Who can answer?]
- Status
- [Open / Answered / Applied / Declined]
- Follow-up check
- [What must be rerun?]
Handoff
- Style-sheet decisions
- [Project-specific choices]
- Material facts flagged
- [Claim and owner]
- Open blockers
- [Query IDs]
- Outside scope
- [Fact, legal, technical, accessibility, or another]
- Rendered review
- [Format and result]
- Proofreader note
- [Known risks and focus]
- Copyedit signoff
- [Name, date, and conditions]
How to use this template
- Confirm file version, scope, style authorities, immutable content, citation method, and edit permissions.
- Build a project style sheet and perform separate mechanics, consistency, reference, and link passes.
- Verify names, numbers, dates, units, labels, and repeated facts against the supplied sources.
- Send precise queries, incorporate authorized answers, and rerun checks affected by the changes.
- Inspect tracked changes and rendered output, then hand off the style sheet, open issues, and proof scope.
Establish the editorial contract
Confirm audience, dialect, style guide, dictionary, citation system, product termbase, and whether the editor may make light, medium, or heavy changes. Identify immutable text such as approved legal wording, code, quotations, or interface strings and the process for querying it. Obtain a current file and freeze simultaneous edits where possible. A copyeditor should know whether to enforce consistency across one page, a collection, or an entire product. Create a style sheet for project-specific decisions rather than relying on memory.
Review in controlled passes
Separate passes reduce attention switching. Check names, numbers, dates, units, capitalization, abbreviations, headings, lists, punctuation, and grammar. Then review citations, footnotes, table and figure references, links, navigation labels, and repeated product details. Compare contents lists and headings with the body. Search mechanically for known variants, but inspect every match in context. Do not silently “correct” a quotation, proper name, code sample, or intentional dialect. Flag a statement that appears inconsistent with its source or another section.
Resolve queries and inspect the result
Write concise queries that identify the issue, why it matters, and what decision is needed. Group recurring questions and distinguish blocking queries from optional suggestions. After responses, confirm that accepted changes did not create agreement, reference, punctuation, or layout errors. Review the final diff and a rendered version where format matters. Update the style sheet with settled decisions and hand it to proofreaders. Record what remained outside scope so the publish owner does not assume every quality dimension was checked.
See the fields in context
Fictional example: inconsistent plan name
North Harbor Plan and its documentation are invented.
- Issue: The draft alternated among “NorthHarbor,” “North Harbor plan,” and “Harbor North.”
- Authority: The fictional naming register specifies “North Harbor Plan” on first reference and “the plan” later.
- Action: Standardize body and captions but leave a quoted historic title unchanged.
- Related query: Confirm whether a URL label also needs an update before changing it.
- Style sheet: Record the accepted short form for the proofreader.
Frequently asked questions
Does copyediting include fact-checking?
Not automatically. A copyeditor should flag suspicious or inconsistent claims and verify items assigned by the brief. A separate fact-check process may be required for material assertions and sources.
Can automated grammar tools replace the pass?
No. They can flag patterns but often miss context, names, controlled terminology, citation relationships, and deliberate style. Review suggestions rather than accepting them in bulk.
Should a copyeditor change an author’s dialect?
Follow the agreed audience and publication standard without erasing meaningful voice or treating one legitimate dialect as inherently incorrect. Query changes that affect identity, quotation, or intentional register.
What should the proofreader receive?
Provide the approved file, project style sheet, outstanding decisions, known layout risks, and scope. Proof should happen after copyedit queries and material revisions are resolved.