Good copy-editing preserves credibility and makes it easier for your readers to understand what you have to say. Copy-editing and proofreading are not the same. Both are necessary but separate stages of the publication process. Both are valuable.

Copy-editing is like making sure your new house makes sense—that the kitchen isn’t next to the bathroom, the stairs don’t lead into a wall, and the colours look good together. In writing terms, that means checking grammar, clarity, word choice, tone, and consistency—making sure everything flows smoothly and looks polished. It happens before the text is designed or typeset for publication.

Proofreading is like noticing a crooked picture frame or a smudge on the window during the final tour. In writing terms, that means catching typos, missing punctuation, extra spaces, and formatting errors—surface-level fixes only. It happens before the designed/typeset is published.

I take a personal interest in every text I work with. If it’s not a subject I feel comfortable with, I won’t do it.

It has been my pleasure to work with Mary for many years now as my trusted editor. I say pleasure because Mary is a nice person who is super easy to get a long with especially when she has the tough job is critiquing my writing and making me a better writer. And it isn’t just about the grammar and punctuation, which she does very well, it’s that she is so knowledgeable about so many topics that she can fact check so quickly to tell me a famous Wayne Getzky quote I put in one article was actually said by Gretzky’s father, or correct me on the date of a Confucius quote. Jumping from understanding and correcting hockey and sports analogies to a knowledge of ancient Chinese philosophy is not an easy task. As a practitioner in marketing, I need the complete editing that somebody with a wide range of knowledge combined with perfection on the intricacies of the English language. That’s Mary. Work with her confidently and enjoy the journey!*

I don’t believe in wasting my time or your money. I take the time to explain why some points you make are unclear.  I clarify inconsistencies and discuss your style. I ask the questions you don’t want your reader to ask. Most importantly, though, is that I edit in your style.

Mary’s edits add to the substance and tenor of my pieces and yet any changes suggested are in my voice…not in hers.*

[Mary] has the rare ability to listen and fully understand you. Not just what you have to say but the personality, even the potential, in you. And then she helps you to write in a way you wanted but couldn’t do by yourself. She corrects and polishes the text but doesn’t take away your voice, but rather helps it to get through. She lifts your writing to a level where you have a real hope of being successfully published. And she works with incredible speed. She is truly inspiring. If you want to write a good book, work with her.*

I copy-edit in MS Word using track changes, raising author queries as I proceed. I then send you the first draft for you to accept/reject changes and answer my queries. We may have three or even four back-and-forths until you’re happy with the final text. It’s important that you’re happy. My job is to highlight what I think you should change. Whether you do so is up to you.

When [MARY] has looked through my scientific papers I know that the international journal or the doctoral committee will be satisfied with the results related to the English language quality of the text. She also flags inconsistencies, or areas where I have lost her as a reader or perhaps where I’ve made assumptions without realizing it. This helps me tighten my text. I recommend her to anybody who wishes to have high-quality English proofreading and copy-editing services.*

The […] book you helped me with became a great success. Your advice is worth gold. You are incredibly quick and professional and have a special sense to feel the writer’s soul and thoughts.*

Mary is my best experience with the highest professional and personal touch. She is incisive, prompt and delivers excellent quality all the time. Next time I will choose her again because she invests in people.*

I can strongly recommend the work of Mary Murphy whose editing work was invaluable in getting my first book on Comparative Human Rights Diplomacy in shape. Her detailed comments often helped me not just to avoid common mistakes but also to find good solutions. Her fantastic work significantly increased the quality of my study which was therefore accepted and published by Palgrave Macmillan, one of the best Publishers in this field. Her knowledge was also remarkable regarding the human rights substance which made her work even more exceptional.*

*Excerpted from recommendations on LinkedIn.