Hurix DigitalHurix DigitalHurix DigitalHurix Digital
  • Home
  • What we do
    • Digital Content Solutions
      • eLearning & Training Solutions
      • Higher Education Solutions
      • K-12 Content Solutions
      • Design, Animation & Video Services
    • Digital Content Transformation
      • Production Services
      • Pre Press & Editorial Services
      • Quality As A Service
      • Robotic Process Automation
    • Digital Engineering & Technology
      • Learning Technology Services
      • Managed Cloud Services
      • Custom Software Development
      • E-Commerce Solutions
      • Business Analysis as a service
    • Digital Platforms
      • Kitaboo
      • Kitaboo Insight
      • Kitaboo College
      • Learning Management System
  • Who we are
    • About Us
    • Life at Hurix
    • Careers
  • Who We Serve
    • Higher Education Institutions
    • K-12 Institutions
    • Enterprises
    • Publishers
    • Societies & Nonprofit Associations
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • How To Guides
    • Whitepapers
    • Point Of View
    • Awards
    • Press Releases
    • Podcast
  • Contact Us
copyediting

The 3Cs of Copy Editing – Correctness, Consistency, Completeness

By Hurix | Editorial Services | Comments are Closed | 22 April, 2021 | 0

“A copy editor’s work is largely invisible, until she misses something, in which case she takes the blame. But most important is that a copy editor stands in for the reader, gingerly reshaping, clarifying and correcting things before the reader can see them and post an excoriating comment.”

—Merrill Perlman, Former NYT Editor

Content is an important part of any business. It is the content that helps businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors. Therefore, it is crucial that the key differentiating factors, benefits and features of your business are put across to the readers in the best possible way.

A copyeditor will review your content from a reader’s perspective and make the necessary improvements.

Purpose of copy editing

Copy editing is a skill that cannot be taught but developed and improved with change of time. The main purpose of copy editing is to make sure the written copy is free of errors before being published or printed. Copy editing is the process of ensuring a content is correct in terms of syntax and fact, consistent with the flow of the content and style, and complete with respect to the context.

The 3Cs of copy editing

To stress the importance of copy editing, every copy editor must keep in mind the Golden Mantra — The 3Cs of Copy Editing. A good copy editor has an expansive skill set that includes strong attention to detail, an ability to communicate their edits clearly and knowledge about a variety of subject matters. 

The 3Cs are as follows:

  1. Correctness
  2. Consistency
  3. Completeness

Let us see each factor individually.

1. Correctness

The term Correctness indicates analysis editing, that is, in simpler terms, checking all the mandatory elements such as front matter [title, author by-line, affiliation, correspondence information with correct contact details, summary/abstract, key terms, history dates, etc.], body matter [setting head levels properly, citations, placements, etc.], and back matter [acknowledgments, funding, conflict of interest, supplementary information, references, notes, etc.] by cross-checking with the submitted raw material. 

2. Consistency

The second important factor in copy editing is maintaining Consistency throughout the work. Consistency means rule-based editing, following in-house styles to avoid ambiguity. A publication looks unprofessional if there is inconsistency in the work. By rule-based editing, we mean checking for all in-house style-related points. 

In this step, the submitted work is categorized as a consistent or an inconsistent submission by giving a rough reading, and accordingly an editor edits the content. Some elements of consistency include checking for spelling, hyphenation, quotes, punctuation, italicization, casing, hierarchical order of content, format of variables and symbols, to name a few.

3. Completeness

The third vital factor in copy editing is checking for Completeness of a sentence with clarity in the content. Copy editors should focus on correcting the sentence for grammatical errors such as checking for subject–verb agreement and rephrasing improper or incorrect sentences for better clarity. Any long, confusing sentence should be parsed constructively or split into fragmented sentences for better understanding and reading, without affecting the author’s intent. This factor of completeness is related to flair for language.

Importance of the 3Cs

Copy editing is a collective combination of analysis, styles/rules, and language. Analysis is linked with correctness, styles and rules with consistency, and language with completeness. All these three factors are interrelated and with the lack of even one factor, copy editing is incomplete.

In conclusion

Copy editing as a whole can be compared to our human eye, the most sensitive part of the human body. If any of the 3Cs fail, then copy editing becomes sensitive. A good copy editor who gives light to a writer’s creation / research always inherits the 3Cs. Hurix Editorial Services team constantly empowers its copy editors with this Golden Mantra which makes them successful editors across the industry.

copy editing, copy editing services

Categories

  • Digital Content Solutions
  • Digital Engineering & Technology
  • Digital Products & Platforms
  • Digital Transformation Services
  • Higher Ed & K-12 Solutions

  • Whitepapers
  • How To Guides
  • Case Studies
  • The Role of RPA in Content Transformation
  • The Rise of VR and AR in Enterprise Learning
  • AI-Powered Learning – Transforming Employee Training Across Industries
  • Fast-tracking Flash to HTML5 Conversion – Modernization with a Purpose
  • Leveraging RPA for Flash to HTML Conversion
  • WCAG – The Road to Making Businesses Accessible
  • How to Design Learning Paths for Employee Training & Development
  • How to Choose the Right LMS for Your Business
  • How to Convert to Flash-based Content to HTML5
  • How to Create Custom eLearning Content for Every Budget
  • HurixDigital Converts XML Files to HTML and Publishes 250,000 Backlist Titles
  • HurixDigital Enables Content Ingestion with 100% Accuracy and Timely Delivery
  • HurixDigital Delivers Textbook and Online Solutions with 100% Content Accuracy
  • HurixDigital Optimizes a Student Assessment Platform, Improving its Performance and Saving Costs
  • HurixDigital Converts Classroom Courses to Interactive Online Content for Higher-Ed Students
  • Hurix Delivers Content that Meets WCAG & Accessibility Standards
  • HurixDigital Improves Performance & Scalability of its Cloud Platform to Meet a 40X Surge in Demand
  • HurixDigital Enhances the New Hire Experience with Interactive Games and WBTs
  • Hurix Creates Online Programs for Nursing & Allied Health Services on a Cloud Platform
  • HurixDigital Develops Interactive Digital Learning Objects for K12 Students to Improve the Learning Experience
  • HurixDigital Uses Selenium to Automate Flash and AngularJS Based UI
  • HurixDigital Develops a Fitness Assessment Application for Students & Professionals
  • Training Solutions for Pre-Sales Consultants
  • Hurix Delivers High Impact Video Training for a Global Furniture Giant

Services & Solutions

  • Managed Cloud Services
  • Flash To HTML5 Conversion
  • Custom Software Development
  • eLearning & Training Solutions
  • Pre Press & Editorial Services
  • Higher Education Solutions

Products and Platforms

  • Kitaboo
  • Kitaboo Insight
  • Kitaboo College
  • Learning Management System
  • ePUB3 Conversion

Resources

  • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Press Releases
  • How To Guides
  • Whitepapers
  • Point Of View

About Us

  • Our Clients
  • Contact Us
  • Awards
  • CSR Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2022 Hurix | All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • What we do
    • Digital Content Solutions
      • eLearning & Training Solutions
      • Higher Education Solutions
      • K-12 Content Solutions
      • Design, Animation & Video Services
    • Digital Content Transformation
      • Production Services
      • Pre Press & Editorial Services
      • Quality As A Service
      • Robotic Process Automation
    • Digital Engineering & Technology
      • Learning Technology Services
      • Managed Cloud Services
      • Custom Software Development
      • E-Commerce Solutions
      • Business Analysis as a service
    • Digital Platforms
      • Kitaboo
      • Kitaboo Insight
      • Kitaboo College
      • Learning Management System
  • Who we are
    • About Us
    • Life at Hurix
    • Careers
  • Who We Serve
    • Higher Education Institutions
    • K-12 Institutions
    • Enterprises
    • Publishers
    • Societies & Nonprofit Associations
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • How To Guides
    • Whitepapers
    • Point Of View
    • Awards
    • Press Releases
    • Podcast
  • Contact Us
Hurix Digital
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT