Copy Editor Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a copy editor. Feel free to use our copy editor job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a copy editor.
Who is a Copy Editor?
None of us are without flaws. Indeed, the likelihood is that anything written for publication will contain at least one grammatical error or factually incorrect statement. Correcting these copy errors is the responsibility of a person known as a copyeditor. A copyeditor receives material from copywriters, reporters, or freelance writers and polishes it into a publishable form using his or her editing skills.
A copy editor is a skilled professional who can work in a variety of industries proofreading, fact-checking, and editing content to ensure proper use of grammar, syntax, and punctuation, as well as compliance with style guides. Additionally, they assist in reorganizing copy to improve its flow and clarity for audiences, as well as ensuring that the writing tone and voice align with the company’s branding requirements. Additionally, some copy editors manage projects and supervise the entire content creation process.
A significant portion of copy editors’ work is governed by the usage requirements of an in-house style guide or by the style guides of their clients, if they work for an agency that produces copy for a variety of businesses.
Copy editors are responsible for proofreading various types of text and ensuring that they adhere to fundamental standards of grammar, spelling, style, readability, and voice, among other things. Their role is to ensure that all writing produced by an organization meets a high standard of quality, ensuring that written content effectively communicates an idea.
They work collaboratively with writers, illustrators, and publishers to standardize written content and meet deadlines. Copy editors may work as members of an in-house editing team or as independent editors.
A good copyeditor must be extremely knowledgeable about proper grammar and spelling, but the job frequently entails more than that. If the copyeditor works for a newspaper, for example, he or she must also be familiar with the newspaper’s preferred journalistic style. Magazines and trade journals may also have their standards for jargon usage and the reading level of their subscribers. The copyeditor is responsible for making changes to the copy to maintain a consistent tone.
A successful copyeditor may also be required to create succinct titles or make clarification suggestions. Quite frequently, a newspaper copyeditor will also be responsible for paginating the completed article. If an article exceeds the allotted space, it may need to be creatively condensed or rewritten. Additionally, it is the copyeditor’s responsibility to be diplomatic with copywriters when rewrites or significant corrections are required.
There is no one-size-fits-all educational path to a career as a copyeditor. Many successful copyeditors hold degrees in journalism or English, although a strong natural command of the English language and grammar is also advantageous. After years of demonstrating their writing abilities, some copywriters for media outlets may be promoted to the position of a copyeditor. Others may be hired directly as copyeditors by publishing houses.
It is not uncommon for a copyeditor to be the only employee other than the original writer to read the entire text of a submission. Copyeditors are expected to catch critical grammatical and spelling errors, as well as any unverified facts or potentially defamatory statements. This is why many copyeditors spend hours reading and rereading manuscripts before certifying them for publication readiness. A copyeditor must be able to work under time constraints while also catching the tiniest slip of the pen before 10,000 copies are distributed to bookstores and newsstands worldwide.
Copy Editor Job Description
Below are the copy editor job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a copy editor job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a copy editor include the following:
- Examining and revising content for accuracy and quality, paying particular attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
- Communicating and collaborating with the production team to ensure content is published on time
- Ascertaining that the tone, voice, clarity, flow, and structure of the content are appropriate.
- Ascertaining that all content adheres to the company’s style guide.
- Creating blurbs, leads, headlines, and straplines for your publications.
- Collaborating with a team to generate new and innovative ideas while keeping the audience in mind.
- Correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in the text.
- Verifying the accuracy of data, such as dates and statistics.
- Examine text for style, readability, and compliance with editorial standards.
- Arranging photo, article, and advertisement page layouts
- Subediting text by multiple authors to ensure a consistent house style
- Working with information technology-based publishing systems and databases, as well as with paper manuscripts or via the internet
- Communicating with authors and publishers regularly via phone and email
Additional critical tasks include the following:
- Fact-checking
Because few organizations have designated fact-checkers, it is frequently the responsibility of the copy editor to ensure that all content is factually accurate. This includes paying close attention to minor details such as significant historical dates, state capitals, and the attribution of famous quotes, as well as ensuring that statistics are derived from reliable sources and accurately interpreted or represented in the text.
- Adherence to style guidelines and manuals
Copy editors strictly adhere to in-house style guides, which detail the preferred usage and spelling of specific words within an organization. For instance, those responsible for writing marketing copy for a tea company may be instructed to use the term “sip” rather than “drink.” If the writer does not comply, it is the copy editor’s responsibility to correct it. Along with the internal style guide, reference books such as the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style are frequently used.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, or a closely related field is required.
- Preference will be given to those with experience in publishing and/or editing.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Extremely organized and meticulous.
- Skills in leadership and time management.
- Proficient with desktop publishing and Microsoft Office software.
Essential Skills
- Superior writing abilities
To succeed as a copy editor, you must have an exceptional command of the language. Copy editors must be able to read a text and determine whether it communicates information to the intended audience logically and clearly while adhering to the style guide’s requirements.
They must ensure that the tone, voice, and structure are all appropriate, and they must be able to rewrite content to make it flow more naturally. Additionally, these skills require a firm grasp of sentence structure, grammar rules, and proper punctuation, as well as an understanding of how rules vary depending on the writing style required. The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, and the Modern Language Association are all popular style guides (MLA).
- Connectivity
While a copy editor’s primary focus is on content, they must also be able to communicate with others and possess interpersonal skills. Because copy editors frequently interact directly with writers and other clients, compassion and the ability to develop positive relationships with others are highly advantageous in this field.
Copy editors must offer encouragement and understanding to writers. Additionally, they must maintain professional relationships with corporate clients and internal management.
- Curiosity and creativity
Copy editors must be curious about the subjects they proofread and are frequently tasked with creating creative headlines and introductory paragraphs to capture readers’ attention. Additionally, they may need to take a common topic that many others have already covered and find a way to approach it from a new angle.
Copy editors in advertising and marketing rely heavily on their creativity and curiosity to create compelling copy for website landing pages, company branding, social media, and other types of content used to influence a target audience.
- Exceptional attention to detail
The cornerstone of copy editing is ensuring that work is error-free. This requires meticulous attention to detail, which may include catching minor punctuation errors and ensuring that an entire text’s flow of ideas is properly structured.
Copy editors must be able to recall and apply all of the elements of a style guide to each piece of content they revise. Additionally, they may be required to be familiar with multiple style guides and switch between them throughout their workday, which requires exceptional focus and dedication to the details of their work.
- Multitasking and organization
Copy editors frequently manage multiple projects concurrently and may collaborate with a variety of different writers, so they must possess exceptional organizational skills to structure their workday and stay on top of tasks.
Additionally, this career is highly deadline-driven—at times, copy editors are required to meet last-minute deadlines to meet ambitious company goals or ensure copy makes it to print—so the ability to remain organized and calm under duress is critical.
How to Become a Copy Editor
Although the training required to become a copy editor varies according to the type of media being edited, demonstrated language, writing, and grammar skills are always required. The majority of manuscript copy editors have a background in literature. To pursue a career as a book copy editor, it is typically best to first study literary trends and patterns and then seek employment with a publishing house. However, if you want to work as a copy editor for a newspaper or a television news show, you will almost certainly need a background in communications or journalism. Copy editors must be knowledgeable about the subject matter of the materials they edit.
All copy editors should share a passion for language, an eye for grammar, and the ability to work collaboratively with writers to improve an original piece of work. Copy editors are involved in the creation of virtually all written products. Copy editing services are required for books, newspapers, scripts, and even websites. To begin your career as a copy editor, you must first determine the type of editing you wish to do.
Obtaining a degree in copy editing is not always possible. While some schools offer editing skills workshops or lectures, there is rarely enough material to cover in an entire course. The fundamental skills of a copy editor are typically developed over time and are born from in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.
The majority of copy editors who work with book manuscripts have earned a university degree in a language other than English. Studying literature and reading books in an academic setting will develop your ability to write persuasively. This background equips you to assist authors in shaping and crafting their manuscripts.
Copy editing positions are plentiful at the majority of publishing houses. Many of these positions are designed for new editors, which means you can apply as soon as you earn your degree. While entry-level copy editing positions in publishing houses are rarely glamorous, they almost always offer significant advancement opportunities.
In the news media sector, things are a little different. Newspaper copy editors typically hold degrees in journalism or communications and have several years of experience as reporters or writers. Copy editors for news organizations typically work on much tighter deadlines than copy editors for manuscripts. As such, they must be quick, precise, and intimately familiar with media jargon and style. They must be able to quickly identify gaps in news stories and frequently conduct their research to fill in gaps.
Numerous news organizations offer internship opportunities to journalism and communications students interested in careers as news writers or copy editors. Consult your school’s career center to determine whether any of your local newspapers offer internship opportunities. Newspapers frequently advertise internships and entry-level positions on their websites as well.
Copy editors at newspapers are increasingly editing web content in addition to print content. Web content editors must typically demonstrate some proficiency in web coding and page layout in addition to their subject matter expertise. Any experience you gain working with web content will strengthen your application for a position as a copy editor in the new media sector.
Almost all printing and publishing companies employ full-time writers and copy editors, but freelance copy editing positions are frequently available as well. This is especially true in the case of web-based editing. It is frequently more cost-effective for businesses to hire copy editors on a freelance basis for temporary projects and small batches of work. This frequently provides the editor with the benefit of a flexible schedule and even a work-from-home arrangement, but frequently lacks the benefits and other perks associated with full-time employment. Nonetheless, beginning as a freelance copy editor can provide you with the necessary experience and demonstrated abilities to advance to a more permanent position.
Where to Work as a Copy Editor
Copy editors are typically employed by newspapers, magazines, and book publishers, but are required in virtually every industry. They may supervise work for print or online media, or a combination of the two; some work as independent contractors, accepting assignments as needed.
Copy Editor Salary Scale
Working full-time, copy editors earn an average of $35,865 per year.