Right Words provides a quote or estimate for each job it does. This assessment of cost is calculated on the basis of the following categories of work. We would be happy to give you a detailed specification and quote or estimate for your document.

Proofreading
This requires reading the copy to ensure that there are no errors, and correcting any that are found. Each page will be read twice, usually by two different people, to ensure that nothing is missed. A clean piece of copy - that is, one with no or few errors - takes around 20 minutes per 1000 words for both readers. If there are more errors, or we are required to check against a style guide, it takes between 25 and 35 minutes per 1000 words.

Simple copy editing
This requires reading the copy, checking all spelling and punctuation, and correcting errors. Small grammatical errors may also be corrected as part of this process. Copy editing is used on the work of professional writers whose work is easy to understand and does not require grammatical correction, restructuring or rewriting. This is not quite as straight forward as simply reading the text, but it doesn't take much longer. Again, the copy should be checked twice, which takes between 35 and 50 minutes per 1000 words, depending on the number and complexity of the errors.

Complex copy editing
Newspaper and magazine editors do this for columnists whose profession is not writing, but who are competent in saying what they mean in terms that others can easily understand. In addition to simple copy editing, the editors correct sentence structure and so on to make their correspondents look good. We usually expect to go through the copy three times - two editing checks and one proofread. We allow between 50 minutes and an hour and a half per 1000 words.

Simple editing
A document that requires simple editing is one that is correct, complete, and appropriately ordered. We rewrite sentences that are ambiguous, restructure sentences and sections that are presented in a fashion not consistent with the reader's needs and expectations, and also do a complete copy edit. This is followed by a full consistency check and edit, and then a final proofread. The full process takes between one and a half and two and a half hours per 1000 words.

Complex editing
A document that requires complex editing is one that has most of the information presented in a reasonably understandable fashion, but not in an appropriate order. We decide a logical structure that will meet the reader's needs, and rewrite and restructure as required. We check for accuracy against external references, and put in information that is necessary but has been left out. This requires between two and a half and four hours per 1000 words.

Writing
Many documents require us to use the material sent simply as source material, and write from scratch. We select the material that should be included (in consultation with the client), ask for material that is needed but hasn't been included, structure, write and edit. This can take up to six hours and forty minutes per 1000 words. If we are required to work largely or entirely from interviews or our own research, up to 12 hours per 1000 words may be required.

Indexing
We create a context-sensitive, hierarchical, synonym-rich index, purpose designed for the client. Indexing is a specialist skill, with its own professional associations. It cannot be done by a computer! We take around 35 minutes per 1000 words through all drafts on a complex document.