An overview of the history of technical editing.

1. New Perspectives on
Technical Editing
Edited by Avon J. Murphy
Chapter Summary of
History and Trends in Technical Editing
by Thomas L. Warren

2. Historic periods in editing
• Beginning, to 1975
• Circa 3200 BCE; Gutenberg, 1440 CE.
• First mention of the word edit in late 17th early 18th
century—derived from Latin and French
• Middle, 1975-1990
• Modern, 1990-time of article publication

3. Genres of literature
Literature for business and industry
(medicine/science, manufacturing, government, military,
banking/finance)
Literature for leisure
• Memos, letters, communiqués • Fiction (books, magazines),
print and digital
• Manuals (instructions, procedures), reports,
proposals, legal documents, research,
presentations, Websites
• Nonfiction (books, periodicals),
print and digital

4. Era after printing press
• Proofreaders edited the author’s content (based on perceived
errors).
o Editors’ decisions influenced by biases and personal views
• Until 1755 (Johnson) & 1763 (Lowth), there were no guides for
standard conventions of spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage.
• We have little knowledge about how editors/proofreaders
marked up text because such documents haven’t survived.
• Authors didn’t see edited content before publication.

5. Beginning period
• By the 18th and 19th centuries, editing would have been a skilled
trade.
• In 1950s, after WWII, qualifications for an editor:
• Language skills, technical skills, knowledge of discipline
(science, technology, military)
• Editing centered the expertise of the editor, not the needs of the
reader or how best to convey and present information.
• Editing also centered on the production and publication process,
influenced by journalism.

6. Beginning period:
Editing as a profession
• There was little research or investigation related to the
practice of editing.
• Those in the profession learned by sharing personal
experiences and best practices (conference presentations).
• Not until 1968 was research conducted, comprised of a
survey about the types of editing and job titles:
• Policy • Textual
• Writing and editing • Illustration (graphics)

7. Approaches to editing
• Technical documentation and the department’s reputation
• Editors as specialists (document type, such as brochure, report,
manual)—influenced by advances in technology, business,
science, and industry
• Knowledge of linguistic conventions, but also knowledge of
content
• Editor as generalist, adept in all aspects of publication
• Management/productivity theories evolving in the first half of
20th century

8. Middle period:
Evolving approach
• Communication theory (how information is transmitted, received, and
understood) informed by cognitive and behavioral psychology.
• Levels of Edit was published to serve as a guide for editing
departments to charge/bill for services based on the type of editing
selected (consumer and budget model).
• More books were published about editing (research begins to inform
the profession).
• Editors emerge as advocates for the reader
• Editors stress collaboration with authors (managing relationships).

9. Modern period
• Emphasis on producing/presenting information that’s useful and
accessible to the reader
• Editing choices informed by research about information design,
typefaces, layout, appearance, context of use
• Move from print-based publication to digital (Internet)—
writing/editing for new media
• Adapts in response to advances in desktop publishing
• Development of editing pedagogy—how to teach editing
• Project management in technical documentation

10. Modern period
• Body of knowledge for editors and technical
communicators stresses how to communicate effectively
rather than how to communicate within a specific field or
discipline, such as science, medicine, military, or
technology.
• Technical editor exhibits mastery and expertise of all
aspects of communication and language.

11. Future
• More understanding about culture and communication
(writing and editing for international audiences)
• Technology’s influence on editing (tools, resources)
• Increased knowledge about physiological process (brain
functioning) for writing, editing, reading, deriving meaning
• Continued emphasis on editors as advocates for readers

12. References
Murphy, A.J. (Ed.). (2009). New
perspectives on technical editing.
Amityville, NY: Baywood Publishing
Company.