WritersDomain Editing Tiers

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Review tiers

Does the article pass the tier 1 checklist?
Yes
Approve at 5 stars
Send back at one star
Send back at two stars
Approve at 3 stars
Approve at 4 stars
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No

Tier 1
To complete Tier 1, the editors will check to see if the controlling idea, title, and supporting headlines are worthy of being read. They will ask if the title makes sense, and whether or not it carries a basic interest value.
The editors will also pay close attention to the substance (ideas, supporting evidence, logic) found in the article. Issues concerning substance revolve around the use of inane material to fill word count and/or grammatical errors which interrupt the general readability of the article.
If any of the following issues are found, the editors will send the article back for revision.

Tier 1 checklist
1.1 Controlling Idea
1.1.1 Is the controlling idea present in the first paragraph?
1.1.2 Is the controlling idea engaging, useful, and industry-relevant?
1.1.3 Does the controlling idea communicate the purpose and value of the article?
1.2 Title
1.2.1 Does the title reflect the controlling idea?
1.2.2 Does the title illustrate how the article will impact or benefit the reader?
1.2.3 Is the title grammatically and structurally sound?
1.3 Headings/First Sentences
1.3.1 Are headings in logical order?
1.3.2 Do headings logically follow from the title?
1.4 Formatting
1.4.1 At first glance, are big blocks of text broken up with headers and paragraph breaks?
1.4.2 Is textual formatting (bolding, italics, etc.) used appropriately?

Tier 1 checklist
1.5 Filler/Fluff
1.5.1 Is the article generally free of redundant ideas and sentences?
1.5.2 Is the article largely free of unnecessary or irrelevant ideas?
1.5.3 Is the article mostly free of generalities and/or absolutes?
1.5.4 Does the article leave the reader feeling capable, informed, or excited through strong, detailed information, rather than filler expressions of encouragement and overhyping?
1.6 Citations
1.6.1 Are hyperlinks reader-friendly?
1.6.2 Are the hyperlinks relevant to the article? Do they support the claims they're linked to?
1.7 Sentence structure:
1.7.1 Are sentences basically comprehensible?
1.8 Proofreading
1.8.1 At first glance, are there trends of grammar or spelling mistakes that interrupt the flow of reading for an average web reader?

Tier 1 stock comments
1.1 Controlling idea:
1.1.1 Web readers look for articles that get right to the point. For this reason, it’s important to include your controlling idea within the first paragraph.
1.1.2 Our goal is to provide content that is engaging, helpful, and useful to the reader. In order to fulfill that goal, we recommend . . .
1.1.3 The purpose/value of this article is unclear. Focus on a specific need of your target demographic and ask yourself why someone would choose your article over another. Check out the WritersDomainblog for more information.

1.2 Title:
1.2.1 The article's title, “. . ." does not line up with the content, which primarily addresses . . .
1.2.2 Remember, the reader's first impression of your article (and whether or not they decide to read on) is based largely on your title. The title should be able to answer the reader's question, "What will I gain out of reading this?" Your title, “. . .” doesn't contain enough of a promise about what the article entails.
1.2.3 Your title, "," contains grammatical/structural errors, such as . . . Please proofread before resubmitting.

1.3 Headings/1stsentences:
1.3.1 Please pay attention to the organization of your article. Currently, the headings appear to be out of order. A better sequence might be “. . ."
1.3.2 Be sure to utilize headings that are descriptive enough to give the reader an idea of what the following section will cover and how it relates to the controlling idea.
1.4 Formatting:
1.4.1 Blocks of text are intimidating to many readers—visual breaks help the reader both move through the text and understand it. Please give your article more breaks by using paragraphs, headers, and other formatting elements.
1.4.2 Overusing italics and bolding in running text or misusing other textual formatting can be distracting to readers and decrease readability. Use sparingly. One example in this piece is “. . ."

1.5 Filler/fluff:
1.5.1 Redundant ideas weaken the credibility of an article. One example of redundancy in this article is “. . ."
1.5.2 Tangents and irrelevancies weaken an article because they stray away from the controlling idea and may waste a reader's time. One example of a tangential idea within the article is “. . .”
1.5.3 This article contains some generalities that are unusefulto readers, specifically: “. . .”
1.5.4 Articles should rely on the strength of their information to impact the reader—not on expressions of encouragement and overhyped language. Sentences like “. . ." can weaken a piece and frustrate readers.

1.6 Citations:
1.6.1 Hyperlinks should be used to give additional resources to your readers. That means that the linked sites should be reader-friendly and easy to navigate. Sources like _____, that are dense or hard to navigate, don't offer readers as much useable information as they could. For tips on making the most of hyperlinks, check out the WritersDomainblog.
1.6.2 Citations should support the information that they're linked to. The link _____ seems to offer information that isn't relevant to or contradicts the ideas in this piece, specifically, ". . ." Please revise to include relevant, supportive links for the given information.

1.7 Sentence structure:
1.7.1 Sentences like “. . ." are difficult to follow. Make sure that each sentence clearly and completely expresses the idea you are trying to convey. Reading the piece aloud might be helpful for catching similar issues.
1.8 Proofread:
1.8.1 This article contains several noticeable grammatical errors, misspellings, and/or typos. For example, ". . ." Be sure to thoroughly proofread for similar errors before resubmitting.

Tier 1 examples: Controlling ideas/titles
Title: Why You Shouldn’t Flush Too Much Toilet Paper Down the Toilet
This answer to this query is, for the most part, pretty common knowledge. If the writer uses the article to address more than just toilet paper, then the title should accommodate it (i.e. “What You Can and Can’t Flush Down the Toilet” or “Toilet Clogs: Where they Happen, How to Fix Them”). Based on the current title, the writer has restricted himself and will have a hard time meeting the word count because he has narrowed his scope too much.

Title: What the Benefits of Curtains Are
Subheadings:
You can save on your heating bill
You can decorate your room with them
You can have some privacy
Besides being oddly phrased (which dings the authority), the use value in this article is almost non-existent—what questions will this article answer with any depth, what real value does it have? The facts and logic are so elementary that they are unhelpful—and the reader gets the feeling that this writer just sat down and thought of all the reasons that drapes could be beneficial. This writer has not really thought about the readers on the other end. If the writer had completed more research to get deeper into just one facet of this article, she would most likely have created a more engaging title, had more substance to work with, and approached it from a more useful angle.

Title: How to Find a Mining Lawyer in Kamloops
Subheadings:
Use the Internet
Ask Around
Make Sure They’re Certified
Articles that address how a certain service can be found and tested are normally unhelpful to the reader because they degenerate very quickly into a common sense mad lib--with information that could apply to multiple services and categories. If you take this angle (or another one like it), the information needs to be extremely specific and use authority and actual insight to really answer the questions that the reader would have.

Title: Dogs and Cats
This article title is too broad and doesn’t explain the relationship between the two parts of the article. Will the article explain how to successfully keep both as pets? Is the article going to explain the differences between training both of the animals? Or will it expound on the genetic and developmental differences between the two? We don’t know the purpose of the article from looking at the title.
See our blog posts on ideationfor more information about controlling ideas and titles.

Tier 1 examples: Filler/fluff
The terms “filler” and “fluff” refer to any tactics used which try to overtly “pad” the article without enhancing the article’s purpose, substance, or clarity. This includes sentences, commentary, and phrasing that don’t really enhance the user’s experience.
While some assumptions and generalizations can made by the writer for the purposes of establishing common ground with the reader, these tactics, when overused, will actually injure the writer’s authority and the article’s value.
If you begin writing without doing any research on the issues surrounding it, chances are you will end up writing filler/fluff. Examples are on the following slides:

Redundant:
“Definitely have your ducts checked out if you think that they’re clogged. If they’re clogged, then they’ll impede your ability to breathe. Breathe better by having them checked out”
Irrelevant and unnecessary:
“The internet has become an incredible place for people to go who are looking for things they want to find. And if you’re in a situation where you need your ducts cleaned, it’s a place you can go to find someone who can check them out for you. Be extra careful with your ducts.”

General and absolute:
“The duct cleaner you call will have plenty of experience and knowledge on what his deals are and how you can get you the most bang for your buck. The best thing about going to a cleaner is that they are a professional and will know exactly what they are doing when they look into their ducts. You won’t even have to get your screwdriver out.”
Overkill of emotion and sentimentality:
“Your family is the most important thing to you in your life. Can you imagine what you would do if you found out that one of them had contracted mold poisoning because you never had your ducts checked? Besides trips to the hospital, you would be beside yourself with grief, knowing that your lack of attention to a simple problem had caused such tragedy. Take responsibility for those you love and get your ducts checked today.”

Tier 1 examples: Readability and proofreading
Basic Readability
Watch for dense sentences that hinder readability:
“The expectation that chairs made from high-quality frames and that are wood-constructed will perform better is wise.”
Proofreading
We are serious about proofreading and hope that by now, you are too. It’s very easy to quickly review what you have written and catch missing words, inaccurate punctuation, and homophones. If we see that your piece has more than a few obvious errors, we will send it back.

Tier 2 checklist
This tier ensures that the article is basically useful, easy-to-read, and easy-to-understand.
2.1 Basic Use Value
2.1.1 Is the sum of the information helpful and interesting?
2.2 Mid-level Organization
2.2.1 Is information in each section relevant to and supportive of its heading?
2.2.2 If the article presents a series of items, does information in each section follow in the proper order?
2.3 Sentence Flow
2.3.1 Are sentences easy-to-read and easy-to-understand, and can a reader easily transition between sentences?
2.4 Diction
2.4.1 Does the article use conventional, grammatically correct, and easy-to-understand language?

2.1 Basic use value:
2.1.1 An abundance of surface-level information—information that can be easily found with a quick Google search or through everyday life experience—is not useful or interesting for readers. Your article includes some surface-level ideas, such as “. . .“
2.2 Mid-level organization:
2.2.1 Just as the article's title should reflect the body content, each subheading should reflect its corresponding information. For example, it isn't clear how the subheading “. . ." relates to its corresponding content, which primarily addresses . . .
2.2.2 The information under the subheading ______ is not in an easy-to-follow order. Please revise and reorganize.

2.3 Sentence flow:
2.3.1 Sentences that are not easy to read or easy to understand make the reader's job harder and reduce the readability of the article as a whole. Here is one example of an unclear sentence from your article: “. . .”
2.4 Diction:
2.4.1 Readers have an easier time understanding writing that is clear and conversational. Sentences with atypical syntax or diction, such as “. . ." can interrupt the overall flow and make it more difficult for your readers to follow. Please revise with this in mind.

Tier 2 examples
Editors may not specifically name the problems affecting the readability of each sentence (i.e. “watch your dangling modifiers”), but will give examples of troubled sentences within your piece. They will send the article back for revision for dense and hard-to- read sentences.
“Paint that is created from lead which smells are usually the more permanent paints.”
This sentence needs to be revised for clarity and flow.
“Lighthouse Park serves West Vancouver residents and visitors looking for native wildlife and scenic views as well as kayaking and whale-watching tours. Visitors to West Vancouver can stay in a number of hotels along the coast during their stay. Airports can easily be reached from anywhere in the city.”
The issues in this example are more subtle--lack of parallelism in verbs, lack of flow and structure between sentences--but still illustrate problems editors will check for when assessing an article in the second tier.

Tier 2 examples
“The quality found in customized coats will look better longer, and that it will be resistant to the influences that might normally pose a threat, such as holes and wear caused by fabric-eating moths.”
This sentence is trying to express a worthy idea but the lack of structure makes it too hard for a web reader to extract.
“The first thing you’ll notice when you check your lawn mower after an accident is the smells. You are going to see parts that are bent and buzzing, and you want to see a list of how much repairs are going to cost.”
Besides not meeting some other checks in tier 2, this sentence also demonstrates some problems with diction—the choice and use of words and phrases in writing. Because it doesn’t use conventional language patterns, it sounds foreign and throws the reader off.

Tier 3
This level isn’t required, but is icing on the cake for writers who have gone the extra mile in their writing from the beginning of their article.
The main feature this tier addresses is engagement—upon reading, the reader is compelled to keep reading, is fully involved with the content, enjoys themselves while reading, and feels satisfied by the experience afterwards.
While these qualities can be hard to qualify, the checks on the next slide represent some features from of this level of writing.

Tier 3 checklist
3.1 Engagement
3.1.1 Does the controlling idea have an above average interest factor?
3.1.2 Does the article use concrete, specific, and interesting examples and points in supporting the controlling idea and subheadings?
3.1.3 Are sentences varied in length and structured enough to keep the piece interesting?
3.2 Overarching Organization
3.2.1 Do ideas and thoughts flow well together within and between paragraphs?
3.3 Audience
3.3.1 Does the piece clearly address its target audience?
3.3.2 Does the tone and terminology used align with the person being targeted?

3.1 Engagement:
3.1.1 When considering the compelling nature of an idea, ask yourself questions like, "Is it trending?" "Is it interesting?" "Does the piece take a new or unique angle?" or "Does it help solve a relevant and specific problem?" Controlling ideas that fulfill one or more of these criteria tend to be inherently more engaging. Visit the WritersDomainIdeation Training for more information.
3.1.2 To raise the engagement factor of future pieces, work to incorporate more specific information and details. For example, instead of saying “. . ." explain to the readers that _____. The more specific a piece is, the more actionable and engaging it will be.
3.1.3 When sentences and paragraphs are varied in length/structure, the piece is more interesting and has better flow. In this article . . .

3.2 Overarching Organization:
3.2.1 Disjointed sentences, paragraphs, or ideas, such as “. . .”, can trip a reader up. For higher ratings in the future, make sure that each piece has a smooth and logical flow.
3.3 Audience:
3.3.1 Articles that thoroughly and succinctly address the needs of their target audience generally elicit a higher degree of reader engagement. In future pieces, try to really hone in on a specific audience and preemptively address any questions or concerns they might have.
3.3.2 Audiences respond best when the tone of the article is tailored to them. For higher scores on future pieces, make sure that word choice matches the audience's level of understanding. For example . . .

Tier 4 checklist
This tier is reserved for articles that meet a very high standard of excellence and receive an audible, all-around “wow!”
Checklist
4.1 Excellence
4.1.1 Does the piece take a new or unique angle?
4.1.2 Is the article grammatically perfect?
4.1.3 Does the writer qualify their expertise?

4.1 Excellence:
4.1.1 Articles that take a new angle or offer unique information are inherently more useful and interesting. Sources like ubersuggest.org and the WritersDomainblog can help guide you in more unique directions.
4.1.2 For an article to receive a 5-star rating, it must be grammatically perfect. While small, the following grammatical errors were found: _______. Be sure to thoroughly proofread before submitting your work.
4.1.3 To qualify for a 5-star rating, we're looking for a writer to qualify their expertise in a specific subject. In the future, try. . .

WritersDomain Editing Tiers

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