Copyediting vs Rewriting

The rise of AI-generated text has made the ability to refine and perfect text ever more valuable to making an impact on your audience. Indeed, understanding the differences between copyediting and rewriting can significantly impact the clarity, readability, and effectiveness of your written work. Whether you're polishing a manuscript, revising an academic essay, or optimizing web content, knowing when to copyedit and when to rewrite can be crucial to your success.

What is Copyediting?

Copyediting involves reviewing a text for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors. It also encompasses checking the consistency of terminology, formatting, and style according to specific guidelines or style manuals. Copyediting aims to make the text clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent without altering the author's voice or the text's original meaning. When you copyedit, you're refining the text to elevate its quality and readability.

What is Rewriting?

Rewriting involves taking existing content and significantly altering its structure, tone, or style to improve clarity, enhance flow, or adjust the messaging. It may include rephrasing sentences, restructuring paragraphs, or even reorganizing entire sections. Rewriting can transform a rough draft into polished content or adapt a piece to better suit a different audience or purpose. It's more about reimagining than correcting, focusing as it does on improvement at a more fundamental level than copyediting.

How to Rewrite Sentences?

Rewriting sentences involves more than just correcting errors. It's about enhancing clarity, impact, and readability. Start by identifying sentences that are unclear, awkward, or overly complex. Break long sentences into shorter, more digestible ones. Use active voice instead of passive voice to make sentences more dynamic. Consider the tone and adjust the language to suit your audience better. AI rewriting tools can offer suggestions, but an experienced human eye is essential for ensuring that rewritten sentences can maximize impact.

Example of Rewritten Sentences

Original

In South Korea, the government has recently underscored the significance of ‘digital education innovation’ as a top national priority. My role as a senior deputy director at the Ministry of Education (MOE) has fueled my aspiration for graduate studies in this field. The MOE recognizes the need to enhance educational productivity and promote ‘education for all’ through the application of cutting-edge digital technologies in the classroom.

Human Rewrite

Indeed, the South Korean government identifies “digital education innovation” as a top national priority. At the same time, the Ministry of Education (MOE) recognizes the need to enhance educational productivity and promote “education for all” through the application of cutting-edge digital technologies in the classroom. My service there as a senior deputy director has not only fueled my aspiration for graduate studies in this field, but also given me the means to do so.

How to Rewrite Paragraphs?

To effectively rewrite paragraphs, first assess their structure and coherence. Ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single idea, while clearly and logically using topic sentences and supporting sentences. Rearrange sentences if necessary to improve flow and to make connections between ideas more apparent. Enhancing transitions between sentences can also help maintain momentum and guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next. Rewriting paragraphs may involve integrating or dividing information to better serve the text's overall structure and purpose.

Example of a Rewritten Paragraph

Original

The United States has strong initiatives made by federal administration and assembly to enhance the utilization of AI in education. It could be realized since the USA is a global leader in AI technology, evident from various indicators that position it at the forefront. The federal House of Representatives in 2020 issued the ‘Expansion of AI Education’ resolution which emphasizes active participation in the evolving educational use of AI. Under this strategic government support, leading AI-based EdTech products are developed by American companies, further confirming the US as a leader in the educational utilization of AI. The Bay Area where is near with UCLA is the top EdTech cities in the US, known for its vibrant EdTech ecosystem. This environment makes it conductive for case studies which evaluate the effectiveness of supportive policies.

Human Rewrite

The United States has strong federal initiatives to enhance the utilization of AI in education, including the 2020 “Expansion of AI Education” resolution, which emphasizes active participation in the evolving educational use of AI. With such strategic government support, leading AI-based EdTech products are developed by American companies, further confirming the U.S. as the leader in the educational utilization of AI. Indeed, with its relative proximity to UCLA, the Bay Area is the top EdTech city in the United States—making it conductive for case studies that evaluate the effectiveness of supportive policies.

How to Rewrite Essays?

Rewriting essays involves evaluating the argument's coherence, the evidence's relevance, and the overall structure's effectiveness. Start with a clear thesis statement and ensure that each section builds logically towards your conclusion. You may need to add, remove, or rearrange paragraphs to improve the essay's flow and argumentative strength.

How to Rewrite AI Texts?

AI-generated texts often lack nuance, personal touch, or adherence to specific stylistic guidelines. Rewriting AI texts involves injecting personality, ensuring tone consistency, and making the content resonate with human readers. Critically evaluate the AI output for any awkward phrasings, logical leaps, or blandness, and then adjust accordingly. Rewriting AI content can also include verifying facts, adding examples, and ensuring the text aligns with the intended message and audience.

Example of a Rewritten AI Text

Original

AI technologies have made remarkable strides in recent years, culminating in the development of sophisticated tools capable of generating text across a diverse spectrum of subjects. From crafting detailed articles on cutting-edge scientific discoveries to producing insightful analyses on global economic trends, these AI-driven systems have demonstrated an impressive ability to deliver content that is not only coherent but also richly informative. The underlying algorithms, powered by advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, enable these tools to understand and replicate the nuances of human language, ensuring the generated texts are contextually relevant to the topics they cover. This has revolutionized content creation, allowing for the rapid production of high-quality, informative material that meets the demands of today’s fast-paced information cycle. By analyzing vast datasets and extracting key insights, AI text generators can efficiently produce content that informs, educates, and engages audiences, making them invaluable assets in fields ranging from journalism and marketing to academic research and beyond.

Human Rewrite

AI technologies have made remarkable strides, culminating in sophisticated tools for generating cohesive and informative texts across a diverse spectrum of subjects. Powered by advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, these algorithmic tools attempt to understand and replicate the nuances of human language, so that generated texts are contextually relevant. This revolution in content creation has allowed for the rapid production of high-quality material to satisfy today’s fast-paced information cycle. Indeed, by analyzing vast datasets and extracting key insights, AI text generators can efficiently produce engaging and educational content, making them invaluable in fields from journalism and marketing to academic research and business. 

What are the Benefits of Human Copyediting and Rewriting?

While automation and AI offer impressive capabilities for editing and rewriting, the human touch remains irreplaceable. For human editors and writers, like those at Editly, bring an understanding, creativity, and insight that machines simply cannot replicate. Indeed, only human editors can interpret nuances, understand context, and tailor content to specific audiences in a way that ensures your project’s success.

If you need to humanize your AI text, don’t wait to get started on Editly.