The document provides guidance on effective communication and levels of editing for writers and editors. It recommends that writers (1) participate early and clarify expectations, (2) communicate immediately and throughout the process, and (3) stick to agreements and be prompt. It also defines three levels of editing - substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading - and their purposes and processes.

1. Quick Reference Card
Keys To Communication
1. Participate Early—work with your writer and agree
upon goals from the start.
2. Clarify your expectations—send a confirmation
e-mail stating deadlines, arrangements/and
details of the document (style guide, situation,
audience, delivery, level of editing).
3. Communicate immediately and throughout
development—immediately open the document,
save 2 copies, and send a confirmation email
acknowledging receipt.
4. Stick to your agreements–follow your arranged
plan to the best of your ability and discuss any
changes or conflicts that may arise right away.
5. Be prompt—get your work done on time and be
upfront, honest, and compromising about delays
6. Be professional—keep your cool, and envision
yourself as a team member or coach.
T I P S F O R W O R K I N G W I T H A W R I T E RL E V E L S O F E D I T I N G
Substantive Editing is the first and most
intensive form of editing. It improves a document
by:
 Identifying and solving problems of overall
clarity or accuracy
 Reorganizing paragraphs, sections, or
chapters to improve the order in which the
text is presented
 Writing or rewriting segments of text to
improve the readability and flow of
information
 Revising any or all aspects of the text to
improve its presentation
 Consulting with others about issues of
concern
 Incorporating responses to queries and
suggesting creating a new draft of the
document
Copyediting is the second level of editing,
ensuring that major errors have been identified
and fixed before the document is submitted for
final review. This includes:
 Correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation,
syntax, and word usage while preserving the
meaning and voice of the original text
 Checking for or imposing a consistent style
and format
 Preparing a style sheet that documents style
and format
 Reading for overall clarity and sense on
behalf of the prospective audience
 Querying the appropriate party about
apparent errors or inconsistencies
 Noting permissions needed to publish
copyrighted material
 Preparing a document for the next stage of
the publication process
 Cross-checking references, art, figures,
tables, equations, and other features for
consistency with their mentions in the text
Proofreading is the final and lightest level of
editing. Minor edits include correcting:
 Errors of grammar and style
 Errors of capitalization and punctuation
 Errors of spelling and word usage
 Errors or inconsistencies
EDITOR’S EDITION
F O C U S O N T H E R E A D E R
Readers must first find the information, then
decipher it —each reader will do this in a different
way. Editors use situational attributes to help
determine a document’s impact on reader usability
and readability.
Some techniques include:
 Providing context and relevance;
 Providing support for selective reading (i.e.
using navigational aids);
 Answering reader questions;
 Providing links to further information;
 Organizing the text logically;
 Avoiding ―noise‖;
 Using plain and active language;
 Using lots of white space.
 Using arrangement to highlight or emphasize
content.
K E Y G R A M M A R & S T Y L E R U L E S
TIP: Write short, simple, active, and imperative sentences. Keeping sentence structure
simple keeps grammar simple, too. Use short sentences that are > 20 words in paragraph
format and > 12 steps for procedural sentences.
Common grammatical errors include:
 Subject-verb agreement
 Faulty prediction
 Dangling modifiers
 Misplaced modifiers
 Pronoun– antecedent agreement error
 Ambiguous pronoun referent
 Pronoun case error
 Tense error
 Tense sequence error
When Providing Feedback:
1. Open with a goodwill compliment
2. Remind the writer what the
attached document is
3. Remind the writer what level of
editing you performed
4. Prioritize the most important
improvements to be made
5. Suggest next steps, and if
appropriate, offer additional help
6. Provide a goodwill closing
TIP: People can be very protective
of their work, so be respectful and
give an honest review with
constructive criticism.
Spelling and Style Tips:
 Use a spell checker regardless of your
spelling capabilities
 Review and know the rules of
capitalization and abbreviation
 Review and know the principles of
spelling to increase your efficiency
 Check and use dictionaries and style
manuals as reference.
 Ask questions about unfamiliar or oddly
spelled words—the writer may have a
reasonable explanation

2. COMMON EDITING SYMBOLS
Word/Letter Symbols Meaning
Delete
Delete, close
Delete a word
Insert
Insert space
Transpose
Close up
Capital letters
Small caps
Lower case
Italics
(underline word)
Roman type
Boldface
Superscript
Subscript
Delete an underline
Spell out an
abbreviation or
number
Let it stand
Ignore the editing
Punctuation Symbols Meaning
Period
Comma
Colon
Semicolon
Parentheses
Brackets
Hyphen
Equal sign
Em dash
En dash
Formatting Symbols Meaning
Begin a new paragraph
Begin a new line
Run together
(do not break line)
Justify left
Justify right
Center
Ragged right
Align
Indent one em
Indent two ems
Transpose a group of
words
Close up vertical space
(extra space skipped
between paragraphs)
Insert vertical space
Set as a paragraph rather
than as a list