Electronic Editing: Results of a Dual-Mode Survey  

The preliminary results from an STC-sponsored survey of electronic editing practices, impacts, and attitudes will be presented. In addition to a full-scale survey of a random sample of STC members, the research included a pilot survey administered on the World-Wide Web and a pretest using email software that automates the survey administration process. The potential advantages and problems associated with these innovative survey methods will be discussed.

Dayton, David. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Editing>Online

Electronic Image Manipulation - Technological Advances and Ethical Considerations  

Electronic imaging has enabled the desktop publisher to capture and manipulate images to produce documents that are both attractive and cost-effective. In addition to making basic corrections such as balancing colors and improving highlight and shadow detail, the desktop publisher can retouch photographs and other artwork to repair damaged areas, eliminate distracting elements, or alter composition. However, the ease of manipulation has, in some cases, overshadowed the many ethical issues that desktop publishers need to consider. Integrity of the image, ownership of artwork, and copyright laws are some of the issues that desktop publishers must confront.

Adams, Rae and Stephanie S. Babbitt. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Graphic Design>Image Editing>Ethics

Electronic Outlining as a Tool for Making Writing Visible

The electronic outlining software found in many commercial programs, when projected on the classroom wall, helps us train students in the main activities involved in creating an outline. Freed from paper, the electronic outline allows continuous revision, encourages multiple iterations of the many interdependent activities involved in research, planning, writing, and revision, and serves as a focal point for discussion of the ways in which the group is developing an ongoing consensus, as part of a larger conversation.

Price, Jonathan R. Communication Circle, The (1997). Articles>Education>Editing>Writing

Electronic Reporting of ANSYS Results

This documents several ways to get ANSYS plots into your reports without getting out of your chair.

Bright Path Solutions (2005). Design>Graphic Design>Technical Editing

Electronically Indicating Approvals or Rejections of Editorial Changes

This technique (involving two macros) works in Word97, but not in Word6 or 7/95. The requirement is to indicate (for audit purposes) whether an editorial change was accepted or rejected by the author or other authority.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing>Software>Microsoft Word

Escape From the Grammar Trap

Too many editors focus on the details and don't pay enough attention to the bigger picture. Editors can--and should--add even more value through substantive, technical, and usability editing. Copyediting is important, but the details are only part of what an editor can and should be reviewing. After all, a document can be correctly spelled and punctuated, grammatically correct, use only approved terminology, and follow the style guide perfectly--and still not serve the audience's needs. This article covers some reasons why editors focus on details and not the bigger picture; describes how much attention technical communicators should pay to formal rules of grammar, punctuation, and usage; and describes how we can distinguish between essential and nonessential rules of grammar, punctuation, and usage.

Weber, Jean Hollis. TECHWR-L (2002). Articles>Editing>Grammar

Estimating Editorial Tasks: A Five-Step Method

Accurate time estimates are essential to projecting the costs of doing work, whether it's for external clients or other departments within an organization. In the olden days, it didn't seem to matter how many hours were spent editing, as long as all the errors were caught. Now, managers everywhere are looking for ways to cut costs; they want to know in advance how long things will take so they can monitor their increasingly strained budgets. Publications are often a prime target for cost cuts.

Cormier, Robin A. STC Northeast Ohio (2001). Careers>Editing>Pricing>Estimating

Estimating Editorial Tasks: A Five-Step Method

Everyone would agree that publications work is subject to many unknowns, but it's still possible to pin down key aspects of a project, apply educated guesswork, and calculate a relatively accurate time estimate. Here's a five-step method for arriving at that elusive number.

Cormier, Robin A. Editorial Eye, The (1997). Articles>Editing

The Ethics of Electronic Image Manipulation  

Desktop-publishing software and hardware have become affordable, powerful, and relatively user-friendly. Consequently, with reasonable investments in time and money, communications professionals can now manipulate photographs and create visual images relatively easily in their publications. However such images may be used in ways that are, aside from legal concerns, not ethical. Technical-communications professionals need to be able to recognize manipulated images and to explore the ethical implications of creating or being asked to use such images.

Adams, Rae and Stephanie S. Babbitt. STC Proceedings (1994). Design>Graphic Design>Image Editing>Ethics

An Example of Substantive Editing

Some years ago I edited a quarterly magazine for the users of a large Australian computing network. This example (from 1985) is fairly typical of the technical articles I received from department managers. I include here the unedited text and my revised version.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2001). Articles>Editing>Case Studies

Experiencing Technical Writing as Textual Coordination  

This paper describes a recent study of how of four technical writers managed the many artifacts (existing texts and information technologies for producing and manipulating text) that mediated their writing process. The author describes the study and characterizes several recurrent patterns of mediation, including textual reuse, remediation of information, and the staging of texts and software programs. The author describes the value of a repertoire of information technologies to technical writing and argues that technological skill should be considered a core competency of the field.

Slattery, Shaun. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Editing>Technical Writing

Factors in Reader Responses to Negative Letters: Experimental Evidence for Changing What We Teach    

This article summarizes the scholarly discussion about negative messages and reports the results of two pretests and two experiments using negative letters. The results show that buffers did not significantly affect college students' responses to simulated letters refusing credit and denying admission to graduate school, and strong resale was counterproductive. Students responded least favorably to rejection when they were surprised by it and when their other options were limited. On the basis of these experiments and the published literature, the author recommends that negative letters normally begin with the reason for the refusal, using a buffer only if one of several exceptions apply. If the reason makes the company look good, it should be spelled out in as much detail as possible. If an alternative or compromise exists, the writer should suggest it. Although a positive ending is not necessary, if one is used, a bland positive is better than a strong one, especially in letters to clients or customers.

Locker, Kitty O. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1999). Articles>Editing>Collaboration

The Fault of Vacuity  

I labeled wordiness the most obvious fault in technical writing. In retrospect, I think I was wrong. I believe the greatest fault our writing can have is vacuity, or lack of substance. We too often write words that say nothing.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing

Fèdèration des Enseignants Documentalistes de l'Education Nationale  

FADBEN est une association de spÈcialistes des enseignants documentalistes (loi 1901) des lycÈes et collËges.

FADBEN. (French) Organizations>Documentation>Editing

The Field of Technical Editing  

Technical editing is more than checking spelling and grammar of a document; it is a professional career. Both employer and employee can benefit from the skills involved. This report is designed to inform those associated with technical communication – including current students, potential students, their parents, professionals/practitioners, other schools, and employers – about the purpose and function of technical editors. The information in this report came from many sources. Mostly, I used websites from professional societies such as the Technical Editing Special Interest Group (TE SIG). I also interviewed two expert technical editors: Diane Feldman – the manager of the TE SIG – and Julia Neunreiter – the newsletter editor for the TE SIG. In this report, I will discuss the role of the editor, the types of editors, advice for starting in the field of editing, advice for dissipating negative opinions about editors, information about trends in the technical editing field, and the benefits to companies and editors.

Wofford, Tracey Norden. Mercer University (2002). Careers>Editing

File-Exchange and Workflow Issues  

Suggests ways that editors can organize multiple versions of articles and avoid the pitfalls of transferring electronic files over the Internet.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Editing>Online

Finding Information in Different Ways

People think about questions or information in different ways. It’s important for an index to provide multiple ways of locating any given piece of information.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2003). Articles>Indexing>Editing

Review: The Fine Art of Copyediting  

Even though you might not be a copyeditor in a publishing house, the information that Stainton provides can be useful to any editor as well as to any writer.

Staples, Jeff. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Editing

The Fine Art of Editing

Editing is an art that needs to be cultivated and fine-tuned just like any other. When one is novice, the editing goals are to proofread, to clean up the text, and to correct 'grammatical' errors. The entire focus is on words and phrases. So, when they edit, they read the text as it comes and edit the words to make the text read better. What is it that they really miss? They often miss the big picture, the whole idea, and the context.

Misra, Reena. Indus (2007). Articles>Editing

Flexible Diff-ing in a Collaborative Writing System  

Discusses the use of computer-generated information about what has been revised in the display of editing in word processors.

Neuwirth, Christine M., Ravinder Chandhok, David S. Kaufer, Paul Erion, James Morris and Dale Miller. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (1992). Articles>Editing>Word Processing>Collaboration

Forget About the Lawyers! First, Let's Kill the Editors! Right?

Some companies and upper management, and even some documentation managers and writers, seem to agree. After all, in today's world of desktop publishing, writers are also typesetters and illustrators -- why not let them be editors as well? They know English. So why not save money, terminate the editors, and let peer editing begin? Or if we do keep some editors, let them be the designers, illustrators, and typesetters. As for language? Forget it! The readers will understand. Besides, who reads documentation anyway?

Sorotskin, Marilee J. Boston Broadside (1991). Articles>Editing>Documentation

Formatting a Description  

A document’'s format leads readers to expect certain types of information. A memo format suggests something different from a newspaper column. Your task as a workplace professional is to meet the reader’s expectations by presenting information that readers need in an appropriate format. This computer file contains the description of a golf ball, written by a student who is an avid golfer. You can edit and format this description (or a selected portion of it) for a specific audience.

Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Editing

The Freelancer

EFA's newsletter, The Freelancer, is published six times a year and is mailed free to all members.

Editorial Freelancers Association. Journals>Editing

From Editing to Writing: Learning the Write Stuff  

At SAS Institute Inc., a leading software development corporation, the Documentation Development Division maintains separate staffs for writing and editing. Working as an editor and working as a writer require distinctly different skills in developing user documentation. In this paper, we discuss our experience making the transition from editing to writing: the differences between the jobs, the similarities, and how working as editors has benefited us as writers. We direct this paper to anyone interested in making the change, in either direction. While your situation may differ, we hope you find our experience informative.

Restivo, Kathryn A. and Philip R. Shelton. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Editing>Writing

From the Margins to the Center: The Future of Annotation    

This article describes the importance of annotation to reading and writing practices and reviews new technologies that complicate the ways annotation can be used to support and enhance traditional reading, writing, and collaboration processes. Important directions for future research are discussed, with emphasis on studying how professionals read and annotate, how readers might use annotations that have been produced by others, and how the interface of an annotation program affects collaboration and communication on revision. In each area, the authors emphasize issues and methods that will be productive for enhancing theories of workplace and classroom communication as well as implications for the optimal design of annotation technologies.

Wolfe, Joanna L. and Christine M. Neuwirth. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Articles>Editing>Online