Stc halfday tech-edit_23apr_final

TECHNICAL EDITING:
Linda Oestreich
6 May 2019
STC Summit
Technical Editing Workshop

1. SCHEDULE &
INTRODUCTION
2
2

Schedule
0800 – 0845
1. Introductions and schedule
0845 – 0915
2. Definition and tools
0915 – 1030
3.Value and quality
1030 – 1045 (Break)
1045 – 1115
4.Types of edit
1115 – 1145
5. Copy and comprehensive editing
1145 – 1200
6. Editors today and in the future
3
33

Who am I?
4
44
STC Fellow
Former STC President
Former board member at chapter and Society level
Part-time instructor, trainer, instructional designer
Retired now—but have been
• Strategic and business analyst
• HR/EEO analyst
• Technical communicator: manager, editor, writer
RETIRED!

Although retired from full-time work, Linda still teaches
editing classes for UCSD Extension and does occasional
writing and editing through individual contracts.She is an
STC Fellow and a past President of the Society.A graduate
of UCSD, she spent most of her career as a project
manager, people manager, or senior writer /editor for the
Department of Defense and various software, oil and gas,
and consulting firms. She also worked in Human
Resources andTraining and Development. She currently
volunteers for the San Diego Library READ program,
tutoring adults to read.
lloriter@cox.net
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lin
daoestreich/
Linda Oestreich
5

Who are
you?
6
66
Writers?
Editors?
Managers?
Liberal arts? Science/tech/IT?
Companies?
Why here?

77
Warm-up exercise!
77
Editing quiz!

10
Editorial wisdom
“The work of a good editor, like the work of a
good teacher, does not reveal itself directly; it is
reflected in the accomplishments of others.”
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 4, July/August 1998
1010

Technical editing
defined by the
Technical Editing
SIG
• TE-SIG & Wikipedia:Technical editing involves
reviewing text written on a technical topic and
identifying errors related to the use of language
in general or adherence to a specific style guide.
Technical editing may also include substantive
editing, including suggesting revisions to
enhance clarity, persuasiveness, and
effectiveness of the text's organization, as well
as queries on factual content. A tech
editor edits everything other than fiction or
news.
11
11

What’s in your editorial toolbox?
On your desk In your head
 Style guides (general & industry-
specific)
 Dictionaries/grammar checkers
 Checklists & style sheets
 Editing markup system (proofreaders
marks)
 Software
 Use of English language
 Data presentation (information
architecture)
 Typographic & layout knowledge
 Content strategy
 Editing types/levels
 Editorial commenting
 Time management
 People skills
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Clements and Waite: People skills: “…one of the most important skills you can cultivate as a
technical editor is the ability to get along well with people. For technical editing is not solitary
work.”

Style guides (examples)
13
13
General
• Chicago Manual of Style
• Elements of Style
• GPO Style Manual
• Modern Language
Association
• Associated Press
Industry-specific
• American Psychological
Association
• Council of Biology
Editors’ Style Guide
• Microsoft Manual of
Style
• Read Me First!

Dictionaries
14
14
General
• Webster’s 3rd New International
(1961)
• Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary (11th ed. 2009)
• American Heritage Dictionary
(5th to be released late in 2011)
Many specialized ones
(http://www.yourdictionary.c
om/diction4.html)
• Technical
• Scientific
• Chemical
• Medical
• Agricultural
• Biological
• Biographical

Checklists and style sheets
15
15
Checklists
• Each activity in the
publication process
could have a checklist:
doc plan, writing,
editorial, publication
• Ensures consistency
• Aids collaborative and
team projects
Style sheets
• Addition to style guides
(company or industry
level)
• Document or project
level
• Individual guide

Editorial
checklist
• Build your own checklist
• Base your checklist on the context (industry,
industry standards, document type, and
project life cycle phase)
• Follow a logical progression of activities
• Update checklists as required to reflect new
requirements or changes in supporting
documents
• Can be detailed or high-level, or both
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Self-made editorial checklist
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Task
Description
Grammar Correct grammatical mistakes.
Passive Voice Revise passive sentences to make them active, where appropriate.
Lists Check that bulleted, numbered, procedure, and terminology lists are used and styled
appropriately.
Headings Check that headings are used appropriately; check for organization, parallelism, “orphans,” and
so on.
Tables and Figures Check that table and figure numbers are consecutive. Check that table and figure titles and
captions are title capped, are phrases (as opposed to complete sentences), and that they accurately
and concisely describe the table or figure.
Cross-References Check that cross-references are accurate and relevant, and create links.
Terminology Research technical terms and acronyms for consistency, accuracy, and inclusion in a larger
project’s glossary or index. Ensure that new terms are appropriately defined in the text. Compare
definitions with other book or series definitions, and ensure published definition is consistent and
the best one available.
Formatting Check for and fix obvious formatting issues. If project doesn’t have a production department,
ensure all formatting is correct and fits style guide.

Company
editorial
checklist
• A checklist can act
as a reminder and
offer a way to
keep within the
type or level of
edit
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18

Exercise: Read passage and create a rough style sheet
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21

Did you include
these things?
Why/why not?
•Inches
•Feet
•Fahrenheit
•Degree signs
•Serial commas
•Hyphen use
•Number use
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Hard skills and
soft skills
• Corbin
• Hard skills: writing ability, superb sensitivity
to language and communication; information
design, graphic arts, project management,
time management, environment-based (for
example, programming, industry-based
jargon, basic laws of science)
• Soft skills: problem-solving, negotiating,
diplomacy, tact, learning quickly, coaching,
teaching, patience, attention to detail,
sympathy, insight, breadth of view, sense
of humor, and imagination
• Tarutz
• Empathy, restraint, good judgment,
adaptability, flexibility, persuasion,
decisiveness
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23

What traits
make a good
editor?
• Which of these traits is most important in a
good editor?
• Personality?
• Skills?
• Talent?
• Passion?
• Problem solving?
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The who of technical editing:
Audience
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In technical writing classes,
we learn that end users
(audiences) fall into one of
four categories:
• Layperson
• Technical
• Expert
• Administrator
In technical editing, you
must consider these folks as
well as the end user:
• Writers (technical writers,
subject matter experts,
administrators)
• Managers (yours and
others’)
• Fellow editors

The what of
technical
editing: Media
• Computer-based training materials
• Tutorials
• Data sheets
• Procedures
• Animation
• Multimedia
• Videos
• Podcasts (audio)
• Screencasts
• User interfaces
• Printed materials
• Books
• White papers
• Reports
• Pamphlets
• Quick reference cards
• Electronic materials
• PDF files
• Online help files
• Online documentation
• Web pages
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28

The where of
technical
editing:
Industries
• Computer software and hardware
• Website development
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Sciences
• Government
• Legal, banking, and brokerage services
• Wherever clear technical information is needed
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The when of technical editing:
Timing
30
30
When in the cycle
• Design (edit in internal
documents,
storyboards)
• Development (edit
drafts)
• Production (edit actual
deliverables)
Ownership can
determine the “when”
• Writer owns
information, provides
markup early
• Editor owns
information, modifies
files directly before
release

The why of
technical
editing: Quality
• Editing is quality control for written
communication
• “Quality control (QC) is a planned and
systematic pattern of all actions necessary to
provide adequate confidence that the product
optimally fulfills customer's expectations.”
(https://csqafordummies.blogspot.com )
• Definitions of quality for technical information
• Five Cs: clear, concise, consistent, correct,
concrete
• More detailed: accuracy, clarity,
completeness, concreteness, organization,
retrievability, style, task orientation, visual
effectiveness
31

The value of
technical
editing,
as defined by
STCTechnical
Editing SIG
• Improves document readability and usability
• Increases the writers’ overall productivity
• Increases writers’ product knowledge
• Reduces translation costs
• Protects the company from legal oversights by
helping keep copyright information and other
legal lingo that is current and consistent
• Reduces calls to Customer Support by
frustrated clients
• Increases sales
• Eliminates lost revenue and the costs involved
in saving face after a poor, negative, or
offensive message has been sent out
32
32

Why we define
metrics
• To measure the value of the information
• Improved, simplified documentation & UIs
• Easier to use documentation & UIs
• To increase benefits
• Productivity (our own, but our customers’ too)
• Satisfaction (our customers’, but our own,
too)
• Sales
• To decrease costs
• Document production costs (resources,
processes)
• Support costs (training, help desk,
maintenance)
• To demonstrate that writers and editors have a
positive effect on quality & value
33

Defining quality
and value
• Before you can measure anything, you must
know what the end goal is:
• Adhering to guidelines
• Meeting defined criteria
• Exhibiting quality characteristics
• Satisfying customers
• Improving usability testing
• Increasing productivity
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Measuring
quality and value
• After you know what your goals are, you should
“quantify” to measure them:
• Most involve numbers, ratings, rankings
• Any metric or measurement is valid, if applied
consistently and appropriately
• Perform baseline measurements to start, then
use the same metrics over time to show
quality improvement
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Putting metrics
to use
• Collect data only if you are going to use it
• Measure just enough, and at the right time
• Measure the right things
• Try the metrics out; modify to fit
• Use metrics to understand; not to motivate or
evaluate
• Train, describe, and communicate about your
metrics
• Interpret the metrics for others
• Get management commitment!
36

Characteristics
of useful metrics
• Development
• Appropriate
• Balanced
• Comprehensive
• Inexpensive
• Nonintrusive
• Use
• Discriminating
• Leading indicators
• Quantifiable
• Objective, unbiased
• Statistically reliable
37

Quantify your
measurements
• Any metric is valid: if consistent and applied
appropriately!
• Begin with baselines, then use same metrics
over time
• Track # of hours spent on various edits
• Develop metric for average # of pages per
hour
• Track editing of new vs. changed pages
• Track percentage of deliverable edited
• Caveats: Some industry standards exist, but
those based on your context and your
productivity are best (for example, what is a
page or a topic? what is the markup style?)
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3838

Define quality
goals, then
measure quality
• Define SMART quality goals
• (http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria)
• Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant,
time-bound
• Define the characteristics of quality, define your
quality goals
• Absence of defects
• Exceeding customer expectations (beta tests,
usability test, customer surveys)
• Quantify the goals so you can measure them
• Take baseline measurements; then repeated
measurements, show quality improvement over
time
• Document the quality goals and metrics, then
demonstrate how they were met.
39

How do editors
contribute to
quality goals?
• Analyzing problem reports from support
• Learning more about actual users, actual
problems
• Planning technical edits based on customer
pain points
• Demonstrating a reduction in problems in
areas over time
• Measuring the quality of information
• Adhering to guidelines, characteristics
• Identifying a number of defects, showing
reduction by doing second edit
• Editing for Quality (EFQ) edit as described in
IBM DevelopingQualityTechnical Information
40

Nine quality
characteristics as
defined
in IBM’s DQTI*
• Easy to use
1. task orientation
2. accuracy
3. completeness
• Easy to understand
4. clarity
5. concreteness
6. style
• Easy to find
7. organization
8. retrievability
9. visual effectiveness
41

Editing for
Quality (EFQ)
steps
1. Do the EFQ edit and write the report
2. Rate the quality characteristics
3. Confirm the ratings
4. Compute the overall EFQ score
42

Step 1:The edit
• A full technical edit, with a focus on the nine
quality characteristics
• Classify the strengths and weaknesses found
during the edit according to the nine quality
characteristics
• Summarize the noteworthy and critical
strengths and weaknesses in a quality report
43

Step 2 Rate the
quality
characteristics
• Assign a satisfaction rating to each quality
characteristic, based on the strengths and
weaknesses identified:
• For example, 1 exemplifies the highest quality
with few or no weaknesses; 2 means that
strengths outweigh the weaknesses; 3 shows
strengths and weaknesses balance; 4 shows
weaknesses outweigh the strengths; 5 shows
that weak areas greatly affect the
effectiveness of the work
• Use guidelines and rules for assigning the
ratings
44

Step 3: Confirm
the ratings
• Send copies of editing markup and quality
report to two confirming editors
• Confirming editors work to review and markup
what was sent
• Confirming editors assign satisfaction ratings
independently
• Calculate an agreement score between the
original editor and the two confirming editors
• Original editor and confirming editors meet and
reach consensus on ratings
45

Step 4: Compute
the overall
quality score
• Enter ratings into an algorithm that reflects
relative importance of the quality
characteristics to your customer, use a
consistent formula to get a final score.
46

Benefits of a
quality process
• Writers improve their writing skills, with help
from the quality reports
• Editors improve their editing skills, through
peer reviews and work with confirming editors
• Editors become more consistent in their
markup, their application of corporate
guidelines, and the application of quality
characteristics
• Writers can better prioritize their work based on
relative importance of quality characteristics to
the customer and based on the quality report
47

Another
definition of
value-add
“Value-add means whatever clients say it means -
- to them and to their organization. In addition,
value-add means incorporating new technologies
and social media research when time and budget
allows.”
• What 'Value-Added Deliverables' Means
Today, Angela Kangiser, Jan/Feb 2011
Online, a division of InformationToday,
Inc.
48

The value of editors
http://www.ftrain.com/
editors-ship-
dammit.html
• Paul Ford, in Real Editors Ship, says this:
• Editors are really valuable, and the way things
are going, undervalued.These are people who are
good at process.They think about calendars,
schedules, checklists, and get freaked out when
schedules slip.Their jobs are to aggregate
information, parse it, restructure it, and make
sure it meets standards.They are basicallyQA for
language and meaning.
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4.TYPES &
LEVELS OF EDIT
51
51

Types and levels
of edit
• Classic
• Informal
• Negotiation
• Content-focused (not rules-focused)
52

Why levels of
edit?
• “Level systems are used to balance the
editing depth needed by a document against
the demands to meet a deadline or a budget
target.”
• “Levels of editing systems provide a
framework within which editors can choose
appropriate editorial tasks for a particular
document; most levels systems are set up so
that problems of increasing depth and
complexity are addressed as more time or
money becomes available.”
• --David E. Nadziejka
53
53

Defining what
we do:
“...imposing
upon it a sense
of organization
and
rationality...”
(Van Buren and
Buehler)
• Classic & historic
• Types of edit (9 types)
• Categories of editorial functions
• Coordination, policy, integrity, screening,
copy clarification, format, mechanical style,
language, and substantive
• Levels of edit (5 levels)
• Number of specific editorial functions (types
of edits)
• Level 5 contains least number of editorial
functions (types of edits); Level 1 contains
most number (all)
54

55
“Classic” levels of edit fromVan Buren & Buehler
Level of Edit
Type of Edit Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Coordination X X X X X
Policy X X X X X
Integrity X X X X
Screening X X X X
Copy Clarification X X X
Format X X X
Mechanical X X
Language X X
Substantive X
 Nine types classified into five levels

An “informal”
approach:
hierarchy of
tasks (Tarutz)
• Defined a hierarchy, based on task difficulty,
time on task, and skill level involved
• Typical uses: establish common language,
sizing & estimating, training new editors,
scheduling
56

“Informal” levels
fromTarutz
• Turning pages – superficial look at text
• Skimming – obvious spelling, grammar,
punctuation
• Skimming and comparing – internal
consistency, cross-references
• Reading – writing style, such as wording, usage
• Analyzing – organizational flaws, missing info,
redundancies, technical inconsistencies
• Testing and using – technical errors, usability
problems
57

Negotiation-
based types of
edits (Weber)
• Rules-based editing
• Make a document correct, consistent,
accurate, and complete, using company
standards and guidelines; spelling, grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, hyphenation,
legal
• Not negotiable with the writer: the editor
makes corrections, enforces the rules
• Analysis-based editing
• Make a document functional and appropriate
for readers, focusing on concepts, content,
organization, form, and style
• Negotiable with the writer: the editor
suggests improvements, identifies possible
issues
58

Content focus
rather than
rules focus
(Nadziejka)
• Non-sequential, independent list of three
levels; all deal with “traditional editorial
concerns of language, grammar, format, and
style, but also with the technical content”
• Lowest level of edit must include focus on
content and purpose, not just on grammar and
style (or less); limited time should not mean
that we limit our focus on the content
• Trade-off: Some typos or grammatical errors
will exist within a document
• “For technical documentation (by which is
meant intellectual, scholarly, or highly complex
documents in any field), the primary focus must
be to help ensure that the technical content is
complete, accurate, and understandable to the
intended audience.”
59

Content-focus levels of edit
(Nadziejka)
60
Rush Edit
• Not enough time for a
complete edit
• Selection of editing tasks
within the limited amount of
time
• “...identifying substantive
problems or errors that would
adversely affect the reader’s
comprehension and the
author’s reputation...”
• Three types of tasks to be
completed in order, and as time
allows:
• Technical content
considerations
• Policy considerations
• Copy editing considerations
Standard Edit
• Plenty of time to do a complete
edit
• Complete editing of the
document
• Includes all the editing tasks in
a Rush Edit, but in the order of
the editor’s choosing:
• Technical content
considerations
• Style considerations
• Language considerations
• Integrity considerations
• Policy considerations
Revision Edit
• More time-intensive edit
• Bringing several authors
together
• Document is not nearing
completion, is not yet ready for
a Standard Edit
• Involves reorganization and
major revisions to document

Defining your
types of edits
• Must have a clear definition of the standard
types of edits you will complete
• For most uses, the following types are a
minimum you need:
• Legal edit – notices, trademarks, copyrights,
licenses
• Copy edit – legal edit + “rules-based” errors in
style guide, especially for grammar, style,
punctuation, and formatting
• Comprehensive edit – copy edit + “analysis-
based” errors, especially for organization,
completeness, logic, and accuracy
61

Characteristics
that affect your
choice
• Importance of project or release to the business
• Importance of project or release to the
customer
• Importance of the information
• Type of information
• Amount of new and changed information
• Quality of existing information
• Experience of the writer
• Availability of resources (editor, writer, SMEs)
• Availability of time
• Globalization and translation of the information
62

What type of edit would you choose?
(legal, copy, comprehensive?)
63
Characteristic of the information Choose this type of editing
Information is critical to customer
Information is important to customer
Information is mostly guidance
Information is mostly conceptual
Information is mostly reference
Information contains known issues
Information is accurate/complete
Writer of information is experienced
Writer of information is new
Schedule allows ample time
Schedule allows minimal time

Develop a
“decision tree”
• Time and resources are gating
factor
• Choose most comprehensive type
of all characteristics in decision
tree
• Document decisions in editing
plan, which should be part of a doc
plan
64
Characteristic of the
information
Choose this type of editing
Information is critical to
customer
Comprehensive edit
Information is important to
customer
Copy edit
Information is mostly guidance Comprehensive edit
Information is mostly
conceptual
Comprehensive edit
Information is mostly reference Copy edit
Information contains known
issues
Comprehensive edit
Information is
accurate/complete
Legal edit
Writer of information is
experienced
Copy edit
Writer of information is new Comprehensive edit
Schedule allows ample time Comprehensive edit
Schedule allows minimal time Legal edit

Developing a
“triage” system
(Tarutz)
• Triage = Deciding on the desired quality of the
product, and then how much effort is required
to attain that level of quality
• Evaluate a project by rating on a scale of 1 (low)
to 3 (high) the following variables:
• Importance of the project
• Rapport with the writer
• Difficulty of the project
• Add the total points, books with the highest
points need more comprehensive editing
65

Final
determination…
• Determine what your levels of edit and triage
system are for your work.
• Edit at the optimum type/level for the time and
resources.
• Pay attention to content.
• Remember that the organization, the author,
andYOU--the technical editor--are all striving
for the same thing: CLARITY.
66

5. COPY &
COMPREHENSIVE
EDITING
68
68

Copy editing
defined (from
Technical Editing
Fundamentals
course)
• Markup of language
• Looking at grammar, punctuation, style
• Focusing at sentence-level, word-level
• Rules-based or rules-focused
• Focus more on these quality characteristics:
clarity, style, visual effectiveness (adhering to
style guide and to rules)
• Can do a copy edit separate from a
comprehensive edit (but a comprehensive edit
often includes the copy edit)
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69

Copy editing – Center of the universe
(Weber)
• Copy editing is interrelated with all
other types of edits
• Focus on clear communication, not
just rules, rules, rules:
• Essential rules – required for
clear, unambiguous
communication
• Nonessential rules – not required
for clarity or unambiguous
communication
• Fake rules – matter of choice, our
own little bugaboos
70
70
S = Substantive editing
D = Development editing
C = Copy editing
P = Production editing
Pr = Proofreading
U = Usability editing

Copy editing,
“bridge from
writing to
production”
(Rude)
• Correct: spelling, grammar, punctuation
• Consistent: spelling, capitalization,
terminology, visual design
• Accurate: dates, numbers, links, references
• Complete: all parts are present
• Attention to detail, reading closely
• Queries content, but directs on style and form
71
71

Copy editing
steps, a la Rude
1. Gather information about the project
2. Survey the document overall
3. Run all computer checks (spell checker,
grammar checker)
4. Edit paragraphs and headings for
correctness, consistency, and accuracy
5. Edit illustrations, equations, reference list,
table of contents, front matter, and back
matter
6. Prepare the document for production
72
72

An editor’s
objective
findings
• Grammatical mistakes
• Misspellings, typos
• Incorrect punctuation
• Inconsistent usage
• Ambiguous technical information
• Ambiguous titles, index entries
• Wrong scientific terms, conflicting with general
scientific knowledge
• Wrong units and dimensions
• Inconsistent significant figures
• Improper data or chart presentation
• Citation errors
73
73

Copy edit this:
74
Executive Summary: As a result of a Nationl Bureau of
Standard’s study of the problems associated with excavation
safety, it has been concluded that there is a need for a simple
soil classification system that can be used by field supervisors
to make rapid decisions on slopping or shoring requirements.
The soil classification system should meat the following
criterion it should be comprehensive (cover essentialy all the
conditions that could be encountered; it should consider (at
least implicitly) all critical conditions; should be be usable by
construction supervisors and OSHA complience officers’ in the
field with-out the assistance of an supervisoring engineer.

Comprehensive
editing defined
• Insert comments about the content
• Check and comment on organization, usability,
logic
• Focus at topic-level, paragraph-level
• Task is more analysis-focused
• Focus more on quality characteristics such as
accuracy, completeness, concreteness,
organization, retrievability, task orientation
• Include copy edit, which might be done by a
separate person
76
76

Comprehensive
editing,
“systematic
process of
analysis and
applies principles
of good writing”
(Rude)
• A rose by any other name: substantive editing,
development editing, macro editing, analysis-
based editing
• Analyze the purpose of the document,
understand the readers and their tasks
• Usability – anticipate the user’s needs by
imagining the information in use
• Comprehension – focus on the content,
organization, visual design, and overall style
• Comprehensive editing precedes copy editing,
does not include copy editing (according to
Rude, but not according to us!)
77
77

Comprehensive
editing steps, a
la Rude
1. Analyze the purpose, readers, and uses for
the document
2. Evaluate the content, organization, visual
design, style, and reader accommodations
3. Establish editing objectives and document
them in a specific plan for editing
4. Review the plan with the writer, and work
toward consensus on changes to make
78
78

Compare copy and comprehensive editing
 Copy Editing  Comprehensive Editing
 Scope: Language:
Grammar
Punctuation
Style
Content:
Organization
Usability
Logic
 Focus: Word-level
Sentence-level
Paragraph-level
Topic-level
Entire deliverable
 Based on: Rules-based Analysis-based
 Types of
comments:
Imperatives
Queries
Suggestions
Queries
Imperatives
Opinions (few)
 DQTI quality
characteristic
s:
Clarity
Style
Visual Effectiveness
Accuracy
Completeness
Concreteness
Organization
Retrievability
Task Orientation
 Includes
other edits:
Includes legal editing Includes some copy editing
(some rules-based copy editing,
more analysis-based copy editing
79
Review these articles from
Jean Weber on her site,
Technical Editors’ Eyrie:
Escape from the grammar trap:
http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite
/?page_id=23
Classifying editorial tasks:
/?page_id=27
What is substantive editing:
/?page_id=28

What else would
you do to
comprehensively
edit the same
passage?
As a result of a Nationl Bureau of Standard’s study
of the problems associated with excavation
safety, it has been concluded that there is a need
for a simple soil classification system that can be
used by field supervisors to make rapid decisions
on slopping or shoring requirements. The soil
classification system should meat the following
criterion it should be comprehensive (cover
essentialy all the conditions that could be
encountered; it should consider (at least
implicitly) all critical conditions; should be be
usable by construction supervisors and OSHA
complience officers’ in the field with-out the
assistance of an supervisoring engineer.
80

Exercise:Tying it all
together
• Review GIS article.
• Copyedit it
• Write author queries to perform
comprehensive edits
• Offer suggestions for organization,
content, audience-level, etc.
81

6. EDITORS
TODAY & INTHE
FUTURE
83
83

Editor-Slash
Roles
• Taking on additional responsibilities, not just
more editing
• Most common:
• Writer/editor (33% + 26% = 59%)
• Editor/manager (10%)
• Editor/information architect (none
reported by Dayton)
84
84

Editor or
information
architect?
A perfect fit
• Editor:
• Development editing
• Usability editing
• Terminology management
• Information Architect:
• Organizing and structuring
• Navigation
• Classifying
• Why a perfect fit?
• Knowledge of users, acting as a user
• Knowledge of entire information set
85
85

Editors in
tomorrow’s
world
• Corbin:
• “A fluidity of how information is
delivered, including modular or single-
sourcing writing environments”
• “A fluidity of how frequently our
information is published, adopting and
adapting to iterative and agile
development processes”
• “Collaborative writing environments,
where information is influenced by the
latestWeb technologies, allowing users
themselves to add and edit information
in knowledge base, wikis, and blogs.”
86
86

Editing in single-
sourcing/modular
environments
• Editing for multiple contexts: print, online,
multimedia, social, etc.
• Editing to ensure information can be reused;
more focus on topic-based writing
• Editing across multiple writers, making it
sound like it all came from just one writer
• More focus on content and language, less on
layout and formatting, because XML and
tooling taking care of it
• Creating templates
• Editor/architect plays a key role in putting the
parts and pieces together
87
87

Editing in
agile/iterative
environments
• More focus on topic-based writing
• More focus on minimalist writing (don’t have
time to write about it ALL)
• Automating the editing tasks, via spell-
checkers, grammar checkers, or language
checkers
• Getting involved earlier and earlier
• Doing more developmental editing, less and
less copy editing
• More writer/editor roles likely, because can’t
cover multiple projects
88
88

Editing in
collaborative/social
environments
• Anyone can be a writer/editor/publisher
• Certain types of information lend themselves
more to this environment: reference,
knowledge base, etc. – less likely to require
editing by formal editor?
• Others becoming editors, who care about the
quality of this user-generated content:
support personnel, developers, or marketing
• Editor/architect needed to help structure,
navigate, and find the most relevant
information
89
89

The reality
• Expectation exists that professionally produced
documentation will be edited
• International outsourcing increases the need
• Clear communication is a valued skill or is it?
90
9090

Writer acting as
editor
• Ad hoc appointment
• If editor moves to another group or quits
• Stopgap measure imposed by management
• Political consequences within the group
• Sink or swim for an inexperienced editor
• Opportunity for professional development
• Skills not necessarily the same
91
9191

Manager as
editor
• Can work in some situations
• If manager is experienced editor
• If group is new and uncongealed
• If group is small
• Blurs distinction between two very
different roles
• Difficult to allocate time
92
9292

BLS Summary:Technical writers and editors
93

Job Outlook: technical writers and editors
94
From Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2018--
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/editors.htm#tab-6
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm#tab-8

Editors and
writers
Typical editor traits
• Generalist
• Wide focus (“forest”)
• Short project cycles
• Multiple projects
• General familiarity with many products or services
• Likes stability
Typical writer traits
• Specialist
• Narrow focus (“trees”)
• Long project cycles
• One project at a time
• Intimate familiarity with a few products
or services
• Likes “cutting edge”
95
9595

Editing skill is
not enough
(Zook)
• Realize that your work is not an end in itself,
but is part of a system
• Learn to work, consciously, at many
different levels
• Develop a sense of perspective on your own
work
• Know that things are not as simple as they
may seem
96
9696

Editor’s
relationship to
writing
• “An editor’s relationship to writing should be
the same as a bartender’s relationship to
drinking . . .
s/he should be fond of an occasional drink,
but it shouldn’t be a regular habit.”
• Gordon van Gelder, Night Shade Books
97
9797

From Lola Zook,
one of my
favorite mentors
• “A good way to improve editorial skills is to
teach someone else in a one-to-one, tutorial
relationship. With a bright, assertive apprentice
who questions and challenges every aspect of
the work, you’ll find yourself reviewing rules
you’ve grown careless about, looking up items
you’ve taken for granted, sharpening style—all
because you had to take a fresh look at things
that had become so familiar you didn’t even see
them any more.”
• “Lessons from 50 years Editorial Experience,”
Lola Zook, Substance & Style, 1996, EEI Press
98
9898

Questions? Discussion?
LAST CHANCE!
99

RESOURCES &
REFERENCES
100
100

Resources and references
• Baker, Justin. (2008). “Clarity for Editing.” Direction:The Newsletter for the STC Policies & Procedures
Special Interest Group, 2nd/3rdQuarters, 2-3.
• Clements,W. &Waite, R.G. (1983). Guide for BeginningTechnical Editors.
STC-112-83.Arlington,Virginia: Society forTechnical Communication.
• Coggins,William O. Defining “Value-AddingWork” of In-house Information Development Groups.
http://www.ocstc.org/ana_conf/we6r/value-added.html
• Corbin, M. and Oestreich, L.,Technical Editing Fundamentals. STCOnline Certificate Course.
(2011/2012)
• Corbin, M., “The Editor within the Modern Organization,” inA. J. Murphy. (ed.) (2010). New Perspectives
inTechnical Editing (pp. 67-83). Amityville, NY, Baywood PublishingCompany, Inc.
• Crystal Clear Proofing: http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/crystal_clear_proofing/
• Corbin, M., Moell, P., & Boyd, M. (2002). “Technical EditingAsQualityAssurance: AddingValue to
Content.” TechnicalCommunication, 49 (3): 286-300. (Also as presentation to STC by M. Corbin, May
2006)
• Corbin, Michelle. “Effective EditingComments”Webinar presented toTE SIG in 2009.
• Crognale, Heather. “Long-distance editing:Tips for editors on managing the writer/editor relationship.”
Intercom, July/August 2008, pp. 17-19. http://archive.stc.org/intercom/PDFs/2008/20080708_17-19.pdf
• Dayton, D. (2003). “Electronic Editing inTechnical Communication:A Survey of Practices andAttitudes.”
TechnicalCommunication, 50 (2), pp. 192-205.
• Doumont, Jean-luc. “Gentle FeedbackThat Encourages Learning.” Intercom. February 2002. pp. 39-40.
• Doumont, Jean-luc. “RunningGroup Critique.” Intercom. January 2003. pp. 40-41.
• Dragga, Sam and Gong, Gwendolyn. Editing:The Design of Rhetoric, Baywood'sTechnical
Communication Series (Amityville, NY: Baywood PublishingCompany, Inc., 1989).
101
101

• Eaton,Angela; Brewer, Pamela Estes; Portewig,Tiffany Craft; and Davidson, Cynthia R. “Examining
Editing in theWorkplace from theAuthor’s Point ofView: Results of an Online Survey.” Technical
Communication, vol 55, no 2, May 2008, pp. 111-139.
• Einsohn,A. (2006). TheCopyeditor’s Handbook. Berkeley: University of California Press, p.5
• Ford, Paul. Real Editors Ship, http://www.ftrain.com/editors-ship-dammit.html
• Grove, Laurel K., “The Editor asAlly,” TechnicalCommunication, volume 37, number 3, 1985, pp. 235-
238
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Readability
• Language Portal of Canada. http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/index-eng.php
• Mackiewicz, Jo and Kathryn Riley. “TheTechnical Editor as Diplomat: LinguisticStrategies for
BalancingClarity and Politeness.” TechnicalCommunication, vol 50, no 1, February 2003, pp. 83-94.
• Nadziejka, D. 1999. Council of Biology Editors guidelines number 4: Levels of technical editing. Reston,
VA: Council of Biology Editors
• Nielsen, Jakob., Alertbox:Usability 101: Introduction to Usability
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html
• Oestreich, Linda. “Editing with heart” workshop presentation to 49th STCAnnualConference, May
2002
• Pritchard, Laurie N. (1994). “Enhancing the Review Process: Giving and Receiving Constructive
Feedback.” In Proceedings of the Society forTechnical Communication’s 41st annual conference.
Arlington,VA: Society forTechnical Communication, pp. 32-34.
102
102

• Rude, C. D. (2011). Technical Editing (5th ed.). NewYork: Pearson Longman. (also Instructor’sGuide to
text)
• Sartoris, Brenda E. (1993). Editing toTeach. In Proceedings of theSociety forTechnicalCommunication’s
40th annual conference.Arlington,VA: Society forTechnical Communication, pp. 179–182.
• STCTechnical Editing SIG. (2010). “TheValue of Levels of Edit.” Corrigo, 11 (1). Available from:
http://www.stc-techedit.org/tiki-index.php?page=The+Value+of+Levels+of+Edit
• STCTechnical Editing SIG: “Understanding theValue of aTechnical Editor.”:
http://www.stc-techedit.org/tiki-index.php?page=Understanding theValue of aTechnical Editor
• Sutcliffe, Andrea. (1994). “Editing” (pp. 579-590). NewYork Public Library Writer’s Guide to Style andUsage.
NewYork: Harper Collins.
• Tarutz, J. (1992). Technical Editing:The PracticalGuide for Editors andWriters. Reading, MA: Addison-
Wesley PublishingCompany.
• The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter,Vol. 19, No. 4, July/August 1998
• Troffer, Alysson M. “EditingOnline Documents: Strategies andTips.” Proceedings from the 49th Annual
STCConference.
• Van Buren, R. & Buehler, M.F. (1980). The Levels of Edit (2nd ed.).
ISBN 0-914548-67-0. Arlington,VA: Society forTechnical Communication.
• Weber, J. H. (2002). Classifying editorial tasks. Technical Editors’ Eyrie. Available from:
http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=27.
• Weber, J. H. (2002).The Role of the Editor in theTechnicalWritingTeam. Technical Editors’ Eyrie. Available
from: http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=25.
• Weber, J. H. (2002).Who needs a technical editor? Technical Editors’ Eyrie. Available from:
http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=19. 103

• Weber, Jean Hollis. (2002). Classifying technical editing. Technical Editors’ Eyrie. Retrieved on January
30, 2011: http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=27
• Weber, Jean Hollis. (2002). Escape from the GrammarTrap.Technical Editors’ Eyrie. Retrieved on
February 13, 2011: http://www.jeanweber.com/newsite/?page_id=23
• Yundt, M. and McMenemy, S. It's In the Numbers: Using Metrics to Plan Documentation Projects.
Available from: http://www.writingassist.com/articles/plan-documentation-projects.htm
• Zook, L.M. (1967). “Training the Editor: Skills Are Not Enough,” STCConference Proceedings.
• AddingValue as a ProfessionalTechnical Communicator:
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/2463/2522777/docs/teLayoutTutorialFinal.pdf
• AddingValue: UsingTechnical Communications to CutCosts and Build Sales:
http://www.impactonthenet.com/addvalue.html, http://www.impactonthenet.com/addvalue.pdf
• From Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook, 2018--https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-
and-communication/editors.htm#tab-6 and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-
communication/technical-writers.htm#tab-8
104

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