Need to make sure your audience easily understands your documents? Then you've come to the right place. Communications Nova Scotia provides a full range of editorial services, both in-house and through freelancers.

Our services include:

• Grammatical and content editing
• Rewriting
• Research and writing for brochures and manuals
• Plain language editing
• Proofreading
• Development of publication indexes

Substantive Editing

Substantive or “structural” editing includes clarifying and, if necessary, reorganizing a manuscript for content and structure, as well as clarifying meaning, eliminating jargon, and smoothing language. It may include checking or correcting reading level and creating or recasting tables and figures. Changes may be suggested to or drafted for the author.

Copy Editing

Copy editing is sometimes called “mechanical” editing because it is line-by-line checking for the mechanics of style, such as grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation; checking for consistency of mechanics and internal consistency of facts; marking head levels and approximate placement of art; and notifying the designer of any unusual production requirements. It may also include adapting material to a Canadian audience; converting Imperial measures to metric; providing or changing the system of citations and checking bibliographic references; writing or editing captions and credit lines; writing running heads; listing permissions needed; and providing or editing prelims, back matter, and cover copy.

Plain Language Services

Plain language writing and editing are a combination of rewriting and editing as described above, but with a focus on meeting the needs of the audience. Therefore, a plain language style often includes a shift in point of view. The client will know what they want to say, but this will not always achieve their end purpose. The role of the plain language editor is to advocate for the reader and figure out what they need to know so that communication can be achieved.

Ask An Editor

Do you have a question about grammar, punctuation, or usage? Are you stuck on a sentence that doesn’t sound right? Call or write to us, and we’ll find you an answer or help untangle your syntax.

Contact

Diane MacGregor
macgredl@gov.ns.ca
(902) 424-5455