"Quarters of the news editor," one of a group of four photos in the 1900
brochure,
Seattle and the Orient, which was collectively captioned, "
The Seattle Daily Times—Editorial Department."
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing
written,
visual,
audible and
filmmedia used to convey information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, and many other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate and complete work.
[1]
The editing process often begins with the author's idea for the work itself, continuing as a collaboration between the author and the editor as the work is created. As such, editing can involve creative skills, human relations and a precise set of methods.
[2][3]
Editors work on producing an issue of
Bild, West Berlin, 1977. Previous front pages are affixed to the wall behind them.
There are various editorial positions in publishing. Typically, one finds editorial assistants reporting to the senior-level editorial staff and directors who report to senior executive editors. Senior executive editors are responsible for developing a product for its final release. The smaller the publication, the more these roles overlap.
The top editor at many publications may be known as the
chief editor,
executive editor, or simply the editor. A frequent and highly regarded contributor to a
magazinemay acquire the title of editor-at-large or
contributing editor. Mid-level newspaper editors often manage or help to manage sections, such as business, sports and features. In U.S. newspapers, the level below the top editor is usually the
managing editor.
In the book
publishing industry, editors may organize
anthologies and other compilations, produce definitive editions of a classic author's works (scholarly editor), and organize and manage contributions to a multi-author book (symposium editor or volume editor). Obtaining manuscripts or recruiting authors is the role of an
Acquisitions Editor or a
commissioning editor in a publishing house.
[4] Finding marketable ideas and presenting them to appropriate authors are the responsibilities of a sponsoring editor.
At
newspapers and
wire services, copy editors write headlines and work on more substantive issues, such as ensuring accuracy, fairness, and taste. In some positions, they
design pages and select news stories for inclusion. At U.K. and Australian newspapers, the term is
sub-editor. They may choose the layout of the publication and communicate with the printer. These editors may have the title of
layout or design editor or (more so in the past)
makeup editor.
Scholarly books and journals
Within the publishing environment, editors of scholarly books are of three main types, each with particular responsibilities:
- Acquisitions editor (or commissioning editor in Britain), who contracts with the author to produce the copy
- Project editor or production editor, who sees the copy through its stages from manuscript to bound book and usually assumes most of the budget and schedule responsibilities
- Copy editor or manuscript editor, who prepares the copy for conversion into printed form.
In the case of multi-author
edited volumes, before the manuscript is delivered to the publisher it has undergone substantive and linguistic editing by the volume's editor, who works independently of the publisher.
As for
scholarly journals, where spontaneous submissions are more common than commissioned works, the position of
journal editor or
editor-in-chief replaces the acquisitions editor of the book publishing environment, while the roles of production editor and copy editor remain. However, another editor is sometimes involved in the creation of scholarly research articles. Called the
authors' editor, this editor works with authors to get a manuscript fit for purpose before it is submitted to a scholarly journal for publication.
The primary difference between copy editing scholarly books and journals and other sorts of copy editing lies in applying the standards of the publisher to the copy. Most scholarly publishers have a preferred style that usually specifies a particular dictionary and style manual—for example,
the Chicago Manual of Style, the
MLA Style Manual or the
APA Publication Manual in the US, or the
New Hart's Rules in the U.K.
Technical editing
Technical editing involves reviewing text written on a technical topic, identifying usage errors and ensuring adherence to a style guide.
Technical editing may include the correction of grammatical mistakes, misspellings, mistyping, incorrect punctuation, inconsistencies in usage, poorly structured sentences, wrong scientific terms, wrong units and dimensions, inconsistency in significant figures, technical ambivalence, technical disambiguation, statements conflicting with general scientific knowledge, correction of synopsis, content, index, headings and subheadings, correcting data and chart presentation in a research paper or report, and correcting errors in citations.
Large companies dedicate experienced writers to the technical editing function. Organizations that cannot afford dedicated editors typically have experienced writers peer-edit text produced by less experienced colleagues.
It helps if the technical editor is familiar with the subject being edited. The "technical" knowledge that an editor gains over time while working on a particular product or technology does give the editor an edge over another who has just started editing content related to that product or technology. But essential general skills are attention to detail, the ability to sustain focus while working through lengthy pieces of text on complex topics, tact in dealing with writers, and excellent communication skills.
Editing services
Editing is a growing field of work in the
service industry.
Paid editing services may be provided by specialized editing firms or by self-employed (freelance) editors.
Self-employed editors work directly for clients (e.g., authors, publishers) or offer their services through editing firms, or both. They may specialize in a type of editing (e.g., copy editing) and in a particular subject area. Those who work directly for authors and develop professional relationships with them are called
authors' editors.
See also
References
- Jump up^ Mamishev, Alexander, Williams, Sean, Technical Writing for Teams: The STREAM Tools Handbook, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, John Wiley & Sons. Inc., Hoboken, 2009, p.128
- Jump up^ "Encarta Dictionary definition of "editing"". Archived from the original on 31 October 2009.
- Jump up^ "Encarta Dictionary definition of "editor"". Archived from the original on 31 October 2009.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Poland, Louise, The business, Craft and Profession of the Book Editor, in Carter, David, Galligan, Anne, (eds.),Making books: contemporary Australian publishing,Queensland University Press, 2007, p.100
- Jump up^ Appiah, Bernard (2009). "Science editing at an Indian firm: perspectives of two US visitors". Science Editing32 (4): 118–119.
Further reading
External links
| Look up editing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |