Mechanical Editing Specifications

 

Grammar and sentence structure

• Verb tense consistency throughout the manuscript: Our editors examine tense usage across the manuscript, not merely within individual sentences. They identify and correct inappropriate shifts in tense, including problems involving changes in time, flashbacks, and narrative sequences. This can require careful attention to the chronology of a story or discussion—work that many editing services reserve for more extensive levels of editing, but which Accurance includes in its mechanical editing.
• Subject-verb agreement
• Singular and plural usage
• Sentence structure and syntax
• Run-on sentences and sentence fragments

Spelling and word usage

• Spelling errors and commonly confused words
• Singular and plural possessives
• Repeated or overused words
• Word choices that create grammatical errors or unclear meaning

Punctuation

• Commas, semicolons, and colons
• Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes
• Quotation marks and apostrophes
• Consistent punctuation throughout the manuscript

What mechanical editing does not include

Mechanical editing does not ordinarily include substantive changes to a manuscript, such as:

• Reorganizing or rewriting sections
• Adding or deleting substantial content
• Revising plot, characters, or concepts
• Evaluating factual accuracy or contradictions within the manuscript
• Changing the author’s writing style
• Checking the formatting of cited references

These services, when available, require a separately defined editorial scope.