How long does editing and proofreading take?

How long editing and proofreading takes: a proofreader makes amendments to a PDF on a desk.

How long editing and proofreading takes depends on many things. According to the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, the factors include complexity, efficiency and an individual proofreader’s speed.

Clients often ask me to quote on how long editing takes in Word or how long it takes to proofread a PDF. Incredibly, some have even expected an answer before I’ve seen the work!

First, estimating how long editing takes without seeing the material is impossible. Proofs, too. Consider editing and proofreading as necessary steps (in that order) that take time to complete correctly. As a result, rushing things will cause your editor or proofreader to miss mistakes.

Discover the differences between editing and proofreading.

How long editing takes depends on the job

Second, it’s impossible to be exact on timing because each editing and proofreading job differs. So, everything from the writing style to the number of references and footnotes can affect the time it takes.

One of my subcontractors estimates per job based on 3 pages an hour at her hourly rate. However, she knows it can be 4 hours if the edits are heavy or the work is inconsistent.

For me, a simple 300-word news story in Word about a non-technical subject could take an hour to sub-edit. But that time could double if it’s poorly written. In addition, anything requiring research and revisions or an unfamiliar technical or scientific topic can slow editing and proofreading.

Ways to estimate the speed of editing and proofreading

My answer to the ‘how long edits take’ debate is to estimate. I will edit several pages to see how long the document will take. I then compare it to a spreadsheet of work I’ve done for clients with word counts and page numbers alongside them. I charge by the hour and use a stopwatch to time how long I’m taking to edit or proofread. Then, I add it to a timesheet, updating the client regularly.

The following organisations can help with a rough estimate:

  • CIEP says: “An experienced professional may proofread around 2,000 to 3,000 words per hour on a typically straightforward text.”
  • You could also try the editorial rate estimator on the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) website. Just remember that EFA’s members are in the United States, so that rates may differ from those of us working in the UK.

Don’t forget that your editor or proofreader must take regular screen breaks to ensure they remain focused.