PDF editing and proofreading – can you help with my document?
We're sometimes asked by customers whether we can help them with PDF editing and proofreading, so that they don't have to convert their text into a Word document or other format. The simple answer is that it's not part of our standard service, but we can still help to edit your text. Find out more below.
When you use a professional editor or proofreader to review your document, they won't just spot errors that you might have missed. They'll also share their corrections and suggested changes with you by marking them up against your original text.
So to make sure that you can benefit from their input and see what has changed, we return all documents with these edits highlighted.
In a Word document, it's straightforward to do this using the program's 'Track Changes' function. When it comes to PDF documents, it's possible to make changes to the text itself or to add comments that appear as sticky notes. However, this doesn't provide such a clear overview of the changes as that offered by Word's 'Track Changes' function.
As a result, we don't currently offer PDF editing or proofreading as a standard part of our services. But all is not lost...
What happens if I need PDF editing or proofreading services?
If you have a PDF document whose text you would like edited or proofread, we can copy this text into a new Word document and edit it directly in Word.
The extra functionality within Word makes it much easier for you to see what has changed in your document, and allows our editors to add comments or suggestions to your text.
Word also makes for an easy review process once you receive your edited document, allowing you to accept or reject your editor's suggested changes.
Additionally, because Word documents continue to be widely used within businesses, it's also easy to share your edited document with colleagues to allow them to review any final changes and add their own comments.
Does this mean that I can't have a PDF document edited?
While we don't offer PDF editing as a standard part of our services, it's still possible for us to edit text directly in a PDF document if you're aware of the limitations of this approach. Changes made by your editor are likely to be harder to track, while comments may show up as balloons that cover up other sections of your text.
Although these tools can still be used to highlight the changes to your document, their functionality is limited and you may find it more difficult to see what has changed than you would in a typical Word document.
If you have a PDF document that you must have edited or proofread in the same format, please get in touch and we'll do our best to help.
How do I know if an editing company offers PDF editing services?
Even though we aren't yet able to provide PDF editing as a standard service for our customers, other editing companies may do.
If you need an editing service that offers this facility, then the best place to start your research is probably by looking through the FAQs section on an editing company's website, to see if it addresses questions such as 'Which document formats do you accept?' or 'Can you accept a PDF document for editing?'
But if you get stuck and can't find anyone to edit your work in its original PDF format, please let us know and we'll try and help out!
Do you have any other questions about using an editing or proofreading service? Have a look at our editing and proofreading 101 page, which addresses a number of common questions from our customers, or let us know your questions and we'll make sure we address them in a future post.
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