As a freelance business editor, I find that most people don't have a clear understanding of "editing" and often consider editing as interchangeable with proofreading. But there are actually three general levels of editing:

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Level 1: Proofreading. Grammar, spelling, typographical,  punctuation, verb-tense consistency, and formatting check performed on a document that is nearly ready for finalization.  When proofreading, I don't suggest any major text changes, as at this point the text has been edited and finalized to the clients' satisfaction.

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Level 2: Copy editing. Covers everything included in proofreading but also involves a deeper involvement in the text. Here I focus on the "five Cs": clear, correct, concise, complete, and consistent. I fix style inconsistencies, tighten up text that is too wordy, reword jargon into plain English, move sentences and paragraphs for better flow, replace passive text with stronger, active wording, and remove/replace redundant words.

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Level 3: Substantive editing. Also called developmental editing, this is heavy editing that involves rewriting portions of the text as well as copy editing. It may involve some research, as I may need to write additional text if a concept is not supported enough in the original text. This is an analytical process on the document as a whole, as well as on individual paragraphs and sentences. Is the concept clearly articulated? Is it logical and easy for the reader to follow? Is it functional and does it meet its goals? Substantive editing is labor-intensive, and as a result, time-consuming.

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