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Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the writing and revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Editing begins as soon as you finish your first draft. Editors will help authors in finding their voices and tone by working with them hand-in-hand, making suggestions and changes as the work evolves.  Structural and organizational problems often corrected during the editing process include: unnecessary or awkward sentences, paragraphs or pages; incorrect or poor word choice; ambiguity; faulty organization of thoughts or information. Editing usually takes a great deal more time and effort.

Proofreading is the final set of eyes at the end of the editing process. Proofreaders find and correct mistakes while focusing on surface errors such as misspellings, mistakes in grammar and punctuation, and the typical format and spacing issues. Unless a major issue arises, the proofreader does not communicate with the author.