Technical documents provide information that readers need to make decisions or complete tasks. Technical editing ensures that this information is presented in a way that facilitates the reader's understanding. Technical editors offer suggestions for improvement in design of both content and layout and therefore work with the document in both early and late stages.
#22127
Hints for Developing a Table of Contents
Planning a project before beginning the detailed work is one of the vital steps to success in technical communication. Developing a table of contents is one of the steps in the planning process of a document.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Editing
#30818
Hockey Sticks and User Assistance: Writing in Times of Resource Constraints
If you have all the resources you need, do the very best job you can in all respects. But if your resources are tight, ask yourself whether you are writing the essential stuff at a level of quality users will notice. Also, ask whether the value of the documentation you are producing aligns with the economic pressures on your company.
Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2008). Articles>Writing>Technical Editing
#24058
How Careful Should Editors Be?
Three recent incidents prompt me to ask, How careful do editors have to be in checking facts? Is it possible for publications people to be too careful?
Taylor, Priscilla S. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Editing
#24063
Do you ever feel you'd like a second opinion on a particularly miserable paragraph you've been editing?
Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Editing
#20810
How Do You Handle Letters to the Editor?
Letters to the editor can be a headache. Many editors play fast and loose with them, often under orders. Among the worst and most common offenses are choosing letters to bolster a policy and having staff members write letters under other names to influence or misrepresent readers' views.
Writing that Works (2003). Articles>Editing>Business Communication
#13461
How Much Technical Knowledge Do Editors Need? The Authors’ Perspective 
Technical communication professionals and educators often discuss how much technical training editors need to effectively perform their job: however, their authors’ opinions are seldom considered. Thus, I designed a survey to gauge the authors’ perceptions of how much technical knowledge editors need and how this technical knowledge affects the editorial process. The survey results indicate that most authors think technical editors should have some technical background, but this background does not have to be in any particular subject. In addition, most authors believe that this technical background improves the editorial process.
Roper, Donna G. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Editing
#14831
How Papers Can Find and Retain Copy Editors
The American Copy Editors Society wondered what papers were doing to address this problem, whether editors felt that the academic community should do more to feed the pipeline, and what the industry was doing to encourage people to enter the field. The study was administered by copy editor Carrie Camillo of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. With the support of her paper and its editor, Tim McGuire, she produced a 33-page report that is the most comprehensive work available on the subject. This column is taken from Camillo’s report.
Glamann, Hank. ACES (2000). Careers>Editing>Journalism
#31662
How to Avoid Proofreading Blunders
The following tips are to help you avoid embarassing--and costly--bloppers and blunders.
Druley, Steve. Copresco (2000). Articles>Editing
#19700
How to Conduct a Review Meeting
Although technical reviews of many draft user’s guides, references, and help systems occur through the black box (that is, the author sends out the material, and reviewers send it back marked up, without the two ever seeing one another), many technical communicators find that a personal meeting ultimately saves time and improves communication in the process of developing a technical communication product.
Carliner, Saul. Intercom (2003). Careers>Management>Editing
#30528
When your photo can't be changed, surround it with a cool color.
Before and After (2005). Design>Graphic Design>Image Editing
#19673
Editing involves more than just formatting and inserting page numbers. You need to ask, 'How can I improve the communication?'
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2003). Articles>Editing>Writing>Technical Writing
#10816
How to Proofread and Edit Your Writing
Proofreading is a pain. There's no doubt about it. It can be tedious and boring--if you approach it as correcting errors. But proofreading isn't correcting errors so much as it involves reviewing the paper for ideas and for readability. It allows you to read your draft, to consider what you've written, and to change your mind. It's an opportunity to clarify--for yourself as well as for your reader--what you've said and to make some choices. Proofreading is in your control, no one else's. No one, really, can proofread for you because the kinds of changes that come form proofreading are changes in your meaning, your intent, and your purpose in the draft. But while no one can proofread for you, others, a classmate, or a writing assistant at the Writing Resource Center, can help you proofread; they can help you assess the draft, propose some alternative solutions, and make some choices. So, while proofreading can be tedious, it doesn't have to be lonely.
Morgan, M.C. Bemidji State University (1997). Articles>Editing
#24894
How to Think (and Act) Like an Editor: Training for Editors
In this workshop, participants will experience portions of a performance-based training program for technical editors. The program emphasizes the skills that STC Fellow Lola Zook calls 'learning not only what the editor is to do, but what the editor ought to be.'
#21410
Glossaries can be quite difficult to write, mainly because some definitions require so much research. While many definitions can be found online, others cannot. For these, you will have to read standards, Requests for Comments (RFCs), and books—a lot of work for a three- or four-line definition!
Docsymmetry (2003). Articles>Editing>Glossary
#19996
Over the years, I've been accused of not taking life seriously enough. Although life certainly is no joke, it's not all Sturm und Drang or Weltschmerz, either. Mostly, I think, it's like Mozart: exhilarating and joyous except when it's not.
Tyler, Craig. Editorial Eye, The (1999). Humor>Workplace>Editing
#14722
Identifying Additions and Deletions, Part I: Using Compatible Software
Hart describes the problems and possibilities of Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing>Software>Microsoft Word
#14736
Identifying Additions and Deletions, Part II: Incompatible Software
Hart describes the difficulties of viewing electronic edits when the editor and the author are using incompatible software, and offers tips for working around these difficulties.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing>Software>Video
#32041
But what's the difference between GIF, JPEG and BMP? What does it mean if a GIF is interlaced or non-interlaced? Is a JPEG progressive because it enjoys art deco? Does a Bitmap actually offer directions somewhere? And the most often asked question: When do I use a specific image format?
Burns, Joe. HTML Goodies (1998). Design>Graphic Design>Image Editing
#31137
iMovie Tutorial: Capturing Video
This is one in a series which will take you through the act of capturing, editing, and exporting a video using Apple iMovie.
Iowa State University (2002). Design>Multimedia>Editing>Video
#24172
Implementing On-Screen Editing
On-screen editing offers obvious advantages over paper editing, including greater accuracy, shorter turnaround times, and improved consistency. Because authors don’t have to retype handwritten edits, there’s less risk of misreading or missing corrections. Moreover, the edits have already been typed and spellchecked, so no new typos are introduced. Most editors can also enter corrections faster with a keyboard than with a pen, particularly when complex edits require restructuring of the document or extensive rewording, and eliminating the retyping phase further reduces turnaround times. Last but not least, using the search tools makes it easier to achieve consistency in long or complex documents.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Editing>Online
#14537
Improving The Documentation Process Through Structured Walkthroughs
Documentation walkthroughs simplify the technical review process for both writer and reviewer. Walkthroughs are focused, interdisciplinary meetings at which technical reviewers evaluate the technical accuracy of documentation specifications. Documentation producers can use documentation specifications and walkthroughs to keep technical reviewers focused on technical accuracy rather than editorial issues. This, in turn, leads to fewer technical errors in the first draft and earlier reviewer involvement.
Chatfield, Carl S. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Editing>Collaboration
#29655
Improving Your Editing Efficiency: Software Skills, Soft Skills, and Survival Skills
Editing efficiently involves a mix of software skills, soft (human) skills, and strategies for surviving chaos. Although software skills are certainly important--we never have as much time as we need, and computers really can help--we must still nurture author-editor relationships. Knowing the strategies battle-scarred editors have developed over the years can save you from duplicating those scars. In this paper, I'll discuss the software skills you'll need to work efficiently, how to cope with the human factors involved in editing, and some strategies for managing the often-chaotic editorial life.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Editing>Software
#22769
Peer review is an exercise in which students review each other's written work. Peer review is often connected to revision, a part of the writing process in which writers refine and make substantive changes to their written work.
University of Minnesota (2004). Articles>Education>Editing>Writing
#22768
Revision refers to the process of reviewing one's work and making changes (either local or global) to improve the writing. Most teachers of writing encourage students to revise their work by creating drafts and going through a process of review -- either by having teacher review drafts or having other students review drafts.
University of Minnesota (2004). Articles>Education>Editing>Writing
#30508
Indexing Standards and Usability Tests
This paper provides reference information and complements the demonstration: 'Using Indexing Standards and Usability Tests' by Deborah Swain and Rebecca Oliver. Information covered in the paper includes historical background on indexing and on the ANSI Z39.4 standard for indexes. Questions about the effectiveness of standards are discussed. In addition, the paper describes one way to conduct a usability test on a back-of-the-book index: random analysis. (Three testing methods will be explained in the demonstration.)
Swain, Deborah E. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Editing>Indexing>Usability
