Substantive and Technical Editing: How Far Do You Go?  

Authors who cannot answer queries create a barrier to improvement of manuscripts. Some authors resist the idea that their papers might need major changes. Other authors depend on the editor to make changes that the author can and should make. Language barriers can require creative solutions. Also, there is the question of how far to go as an editor in reframing a report (for example, should an editor reframe the purpose of a paper?) and in correcting an author's errors (for example, a claim of a trend when none is shown).

Hoppenrath, Margaret, Joan C. Hinchcliffe, Sharon Naron and Arkady Mak. CBE Views (1998). Articles>Editing>Technical Editing