Copy Editing Checklist

Of course, not every rule on this checklist must be followed rigidly. Writing is both a craft and an art; your voice, style, and instincts matter. You have complete creative license to bend or break the “rules” when it serves your work's tone, character, rhythm, or impact. That said, this guide is here to help you with clarity and consistency, especially in final drafts. As always, use your best judgment.

I. BASIC MECHANICS & TECHNICAL CORRECTNESS

1. Spelling

General

• Run a spellcheck, but don’t rely on it blindly. It won’t catch homophones (e.g., “bare” vs. “bear”) or wrong proper nouns.

• Watch for typos introduced during fast writing or revisions (e.g., “adn” instead of “and”).

• Check for extra letters or missing ones in words (e.g., “definately” instead of “definitely”).

Commonly Misspelled Words

• Definitely, separate, accommodate, privilege, embarrassment, recommend, license, necessary, maintenance, occurrence

  • (Check each against a dictionary if in doubt.)

Homophones & Sound-Alikes

• their / there / they’re

• its / it’s

• affect / effect

• your / you’re

• then / than

• to / too / two

Consistency

• Choose either American or British English spelling and stick with it. Examples:

  • US: color, organize, traveled

  • UK: colour, organise, travelled

Proper Nouns

• Confirm spelling of:

  • Names (characters, authors, people)

  • Places (cities, landmarks, countries)

  • Brands (iPhone, YouTube, Adobe, FedEx)

  • Terminology (especially scientific or industry-specific)

2. Grammar

Subject–Verb Agreement

• Make sure singular subjects match with singular verbs, and plural with plural.

  • Correct: The list is long.

  • Incorrect: The list are long.

Verb Tense Consistency

• Stick to one primary tense unless the narrative intentionally shifts (e.g., past to present in flashbacks or summaries).

  • Correct: She walked into the room, then sat by the window.

  • Watch out for: Unintentional switches like: “He walks to the store and bought milk.”

Pronoun Agreement & Clarity

• Pronouns must match their antecedents in number and gender.

  • Correct: Each student must bring his or her laptop.

  • Avoid: “Each student must bring their laptop.” (unless using singular “they” intentionally)

• Watch ambiguous pronouns. It should always be clear what the pronoun refers to.

  • Unclear: “When Sarah met with Emily, she was upset.” (Who was upset?)

Modifiers & Placement

• Avoid dangling or misplaced modifiers.

  • Incorrect: “Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful.”

  • Correct: “As I walked down the street, the trees looked beautiful.”

• Place adjectives and adverbs as close as possible to the words they modify.

  • Unclear: “He almost drove his kids to school every day.”

  • Better: “He drove his kids to school almost every day.”

Articles & Determiners

• Use “a” before consonant sounds, “an” before vowel sounds.

  • Correct: “An hour ago” / “A university campus”

• Check for overuse or omission of articles (“a,” “an,” “the”), especially with abstract nouns or plural generalities.

  • Incorrect: “She has courage to do it.”

  • Better: “She has the courage to do it.”

Parallel Structure

• Items in lists or comparisons should be grammatically consistent.

  • Correct: “She likes reading, writing, and hiking.”

  • Incorrect: “She likes reading, to write, and hiking.”

3. Syntax & Sentence Construction

Sentence Completeness

• Eliminate sentence fragments unless used stylistically for effect.

  • Fragment: “Because he was tired.”

  • Fixed: “He left early because he was tired.”

• Avoid run-ons and comma splices.

  • Incorrect (run-on): “She finished the project it was late.”

  • Incorrect (comma splice): “She finished the project, it was late.”

  • Correct: “She finished the project, but it was late.” OR “She finished the project. It was late.”

Balanced Structure

• Complex or compound sentences should be readable and logically constructed.

• Watch for excessive subordination or clauses stacked on top of each other without breaks.

Redundancy & Wordiness

• Cut unnecessary repetitions:

  • “He returned back to the house.” → “He returned to the house.”

• Eliminate filler phrases where possible:

  • “Due to the fact that” → “Because”

  • “In order to” → “To”

II. PUNCTUATION PRECISION

3. Commas

• Use commas in a series of three or more items (Oxford comma usage should be consistent).

  • “I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.” (with Oxford comma)

• Check introductory elements:

  • “After the meeting, we went for coffee.”

• Use commas around nonessential clauses:

  • “My brother, who lives in Boston, is visiting.”

• No comma between subject and verb or between verb and object.

4. Apostrophes

• Contractions: it’s = it is, you’re = you are

• Possessives:

  • Singular: the dog’s collar

  • Plural: the dogs’ collars

• Common mix-ups: its (possessive) vs. it’s (contraction)

5. Colons & Semicolons

• Colon: Use to introduce a list or explanation after a complete sentence.

  • “He had three goals: finish early, meet quality standards, and impress his boss.”

• Semicolon: Use to link two related independent clauses.

  • “She was late to the interview; traffic was unusually heavy.”

6. Quotation Marks & Dialogue

• Ensure punctuation is inside the quotation marks (American English).

  • “I love this book,” she said.

• New paragraph for each new speaker.

• Dialogue tags punctuated and capitalized properly:

• “Let’s go,” he said. (not: “Let’s go.” He said.)

7. Dashes, Hyphens, Ellipses

• Hyphens for compound adjectives before nouns: “high-quality product”

  • En dashes (–) for ranges: “pages 45–50”

  • Em dashes (—) for breaks in thought: “He wasn’t just late—he forgot the meeting entirely.”

• Ellipses (…) for intentional pauses or omissions. Use sparingly.

III. STYLE, VOICE & TONE

8. Sentence Structure & Flow

• Are sentence lengths varied for rhythm?

• Are complex or long sentences broken into digestible chunks?

• Avoid run-on sentences or overly convoluted syntax.

9. Clarity & Precision

• Replace vague words (thing, stuff, nice, some) with specific alternatives.

• Remove redundant modifiers:

  • “Absolutely essential” → just “essential”

• Watch for double negatives: “He didn’t do nothing” → “He didn’t do anything.”

10. Word Choice & Diction

• Are words appropriate to the audience and tone?

• Check for clichés and overused phrases (e.g., “at the end of the day”).

• Replace weak verbs with strong, specific ones:

  • “He walked slowly” → “He trudged” or “He shuffled”

• Watch for repetition or echo words in close proximity.

11. Consistency of Tone

• Is the voice conversational, formal, academic, etc. Is it consistent?

• Are contractions used (or not) based on tone?

• Is slang or informality intentional and appropriate?

IV. FORMATTING & PRESENTATION

12. Headings & Structure

• Are heading levels consistent (H1, H2, H3)?

• Are sections clearly divided and logically ordered?

• Is formatting (bold, italics, underlines) used consistently?

13. Lists & Bullets

• Parallel structure in list items:

  • All starting with verbs (e.g., “Write,” “Edit,” “Review”)

• Punctuation consistency (periods at the end or not, but not mixed)

• Are numbered lists used only when sequence matters?

14. Typography & Spacing

• Consistent font, size, and line spacing throughout

• One space after periods (modern convention)

• No extra returns between paragraphs unless stylistically intentional

• No widows or orphans (stray words on lines by themselves in print layouts)

V. FACTUAL ACCURACY & LOGIC

15. Fact-Checking

• Are all names, dates, titles, and references correct?

• Are stats and figures verified with reliable sources?

• Are quotes accurate and attributed correctly?

16. Internal Logic

• Do character actions, plot points, or arguments make sense?

• Are there contradictions between earlier and later sections?

• Does the timeline of events hold up?

VI. REFERENCES, SOURCES & ATTRIBUTIONS

17. Citation Style

• Are all in-text citations formatted correctly (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)?

• Is the bibliography/reference list complete and formatted?

• Are footnotes/endnotes consistent in formatting and placement?

18. Source Attribution

• Is all borrowed material (quotes, stats, ideas) properly credited?

• Are paraphrases sufficiently original in language?

VII. AUDIENCE & PURPOSE

19. Suitability

• Is the tone right for the intended audience (e.g., casual blog vs. academic article)?

• Are jargon or technical terms defined or explained where needed?

• Is there a clear takeaway, call to action, or conclusion?

20. Engagement & Readability

• Does the opening grab your attention?

• Is the writing free from long blocks of dense text?

• Are visual elements (headings, bullets, spacing) used to aid scanning?

VIII. FINAL READ-THROUGH

21. Final Polish

• Read aloud for awkward phrasing or rhythm issues.

• Take a break before the final proof (fresh eyes help).

• Remove all track changes, comments, and revision marks.

• Save the final version under a clearly labeled file name.