#22055
If you’ve done any writing at all, you’ve experienced the dilemma of selecting the right “level” for the project. In academic and technical writing there tends to be less concern about this, though there should be. In my opinion, given two cents, the more natural my writing seems, meaning more as it would be spoken, the more comfortable it will be to the reader. It’s unclear to me whether it takes more time and effort to write at this level, but it serves readers well and that’s the key. Edit and revision is the key to excellence.
#20345
Edit Your Index: A Checklist for Efficient Editing 
This session presents a checklist for editing an index. Discussion will focus on the most efficient means of repairing straightforward index problems as identified in the checklist, such repairs being made either by the compiler of the index or by a project editor. In cases where an index cannot be fixed (so that the editor must make the decision to start over), the checklist is an objective reference for making that difficult decision.
Cohen, Barbara E. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Indexing>Editing
#30485
Editing a Malcolm Baldridge Application - A Novice Baldridge Editor Speaks
This paper discusses how the audiences and the experience of the application writers affect the editing time for a Malcolm Baldrige application. The mystery for this novice Baldrige editor -- Why did IBM want one full time editor for seven months to edit 75 pages? What was the catch? Was this job a boondoggle? As it turned out, the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige application are rigorous and examiners forbid exceptions. The criteria led to a challenging editing job when combined with the diverse background of the audience and the practice of using subject matter experts as writers rather than people who are trained as writers.
Ryan, Suzanne V. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Editing>Case Studies
#24047
I'd like to assume that most of us find ourselves having to edit a moving target only occasionally, but from the horror stories I've been hearing, it seems that more and more people are being expected to edit well in a ridiculously short time.
Stoughton, Mary. Editorial Eye, The (1997). Articles>Editing>Collaboration
#24046
Editing All the Legalese the Law Allows 
Strictly speaking, legalese isn't intended for use outside a judicial context, but quasi-legalistic writing, with its officious tone, wordiness, and complex terms, percolates into business, government, and public interest documents. It's a parroting of the real thing -- which is already hard to swallow -- and there's a lot of it around. That kind of legalese demands to be edited, because people will do almost anything to avoid reading it.
Mayhew, Paul and Elizabeth McBurney. Editorial Eye, The (1997). Articles>Editing>Legal>Writing
#15122
Collins and Hamilton's thorough guide to editing indexes offers tips on the most difficult and time-consuming of indexers' tasks.
Collins, William L. and Karen J. Hamilton. Intercom (2001). Articles>Indexing>Editing
#20188
Editing and Revising With Flair
Samuel Johnson wrote 'What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.' The wisdom contained in this pithy directive should serve as an excellent guide for writers who edit and revise documents to imbue them with a sense ofpanache. While proper syntax, diction, and usage are three primary elements in the editing and revising process, other important considerations include: (a) eliminating redundancies; (b) avoiding jargon; (c) cleaning bureaucratic expressions; (d) using active andpassive voice appropriately; (e) avoiding wordiness; and Gf) editing for slips in grammar, punctuation and mechanics.
Wadia, Mickey. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Editing>Writing
#15123
Demonstrates how well-written lists can bring order and coherence to any piece of writing.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing
#22133
Editing for an International Audience
Here are some things to consider when editing for an international audience.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing>International>Rhetoric
#30553
Editing for International Audiences 
To remain competitive, companies must increase content reuse and multilingual usability while reducing volume and eliminating culturally sensitive language. Rushanan shows how editors can increase their value to their employers by functioning as leaders in the translation and localization process.
Rushanan, Valerie. Intercom (2007). Articles>Editing>Localization>International
#10808
Traps for the unwary are common in technical writing. In my 20 years of editing, I've seen a lot of things that have slipped by writers and reviewers.
Weber, Jean Hollis. Journal of the Australian STC (1996). Articles>Editing
#30814
Editing Guidelines for Software Documentation
Software documentation can be difficult to review, so it helps to have some editing guidelines to keep you focused. Let's face it; software documentation isn't exactly exciting reading material. But you should be able to complete the job in a productive manner if you keep your coffee cup full and follow the editing guidelines below.
HelpScribe (2008). Articles>Documentation>Editing>Software
#10810
Like any well-written document, an index needs to be edited. Editing ensures consistency, clarity, completeness and accuracy. And an effective index contributes substantially to the usability of a document.
Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (1999). Articles>Indexing>Editing
#13149
Editing is magic. A good editor can take a sentence like “References should be included in the paper sufficient to enable the reader to acquire additional information should she desire it,” and condense it to “Please include references.” Editing saves time, cost, and confusion. It’s magic.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing
#20190
Editing mathematics is like editing a foreign language, with its own conventions, symbols, and rules of grammar. Various typographic rules must be followed exactly since deviations from them change the meaning of the material. Like poetry, placement of the information on the page is important for the meaning. The editor often must be a cryptographer, decoding esoteric handwritten material.
Burgan, Murrie W. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Scientific Communication>Technical Editing>Mathematics
#32036
Editing Modular Documentation: Some Best Practices
Much has been said about the creation of modular documentation - from content management systems, to information architecture, to delivery forms, to the usability of modular content (content being easier to use, easier to understand, and easier to find), and so on. However, not much has been said about the editing of that content, and what the editor's role is in such an environment.
Corbin, Michelle and Yoel Strimling. WritersUA (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Technical Editing
#15125
An interview with Seth Beckerman, a freelance editor with many international clients, reveals the challenges and rewards of working with writers around the globe.
Ketelaar, Carolee C. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing>International
#19251
Editing Online Documents: Strategies and Tips
This paper explains the basics of editing online documents: the issues, skills, strategies, and processes. Practical tips address editing the following: nonsequential content, structure and navigation, links, and online writing style. Most of these strategies and tips apply to both online technical documents and general purpose Web pages. However, they do not apply to PDF or PostScript™ documents that are posted online for printing purposes only.
Troffer, Alysson M. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Editing>Online
#10809
Editing anything that is intended to be read on a computer rather than (or in addition to) being read on a paper copy.
Weber, Jean Hollis. ASTC (1996). Articles>Editing>Online
#22124
Businesses, non-profit organizations, government departments, and other groups produce a lot of proposals and reports. This article summarizes some features of reports and proposals that are not the same as books, news items, manuals, magazine articles, memos and many other documents.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2001). Articles>Editing>Proposals>Reports
#22126
Editing Single-Sourced Projects
This article does not address the (important) questions of when a single-sourcing methodology is a good solution to an information delivery problem ('good' here meaning saving time and money while maintaining or improving the quality of the resulting deliverables). Instead, I'm looking only at the editor's involvement in the project.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing>Single Sourcing
#19560
Editing Sure Has Changed. Or Has It?
It has always been part of the editor's traditional task to search for the mot juste. This was especially true in technical fields: words could not be expected to guide readers if they were not accurate, and the mechanics of production made it costly to change words once they were published. Today, however, particularly in fields where much of what is published can become obsolete within months or weeks, fewer and fewer research organizations employ a full-time copy editor to refine the wording of their texts. Instead, to keep pace with the need for current information, our offices are being equipped with the latest tools for electronic text production.
Bodzin, Gene. Writer's Block (1995). Articles>Editing>History
#22125
Tables should allow readers to easily and accurately: see what subject matter and variables are being described; find out absolute values; observe relationships between variables. When you edit a table, it is useful to assess just how well it achieves these ends. Readers will feel confident with your table if they can quickly navigate around and absorb the data.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (1999). Articles>Editing>Technical Editing
#19682
Times are hard, and many former writers are pounding the dirt looking for work. Some who have extensive experience with peer review or revising documents are expanding their job searches to include careers as editors. However, new editors often face a barrier to entering the profession: the editing test. Rather than taking a chance on unproven candidates, publishers and other clients typically ask would-be editors to review short documents that test three main aspects of an editor’s skills.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2003). Articles>Editing>Writing
#24202
Editing Web Pages: A Second Look
How to edit Web pages--with revision tracking--using Microsoft Word.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing>Web Design>Writing
