Category: Editing Technical Documents

No one Uses Style Guides! I enjoyed the interview with Val Swisher about Acrolinx. I had no idea there was such a tool, but I can see the value in having a tool that pushes information rather than having to pull the information from outside sources. The price tag for Acrolinx is steep, but for…

Botheration Levels I was very interested in Boettger’s study of copyediting tests, where he looked at the frequency of error types and at professionals’ perception of error types. Since I may want to pursue a career in copyediting, it was helpful to learn about the kinds of items most likely to be tested. But I…

Editorial Comments: Adding “please” isn’t enough I’ve filled many roles: student, teacher, tutor, writer, and editor. So I have experience writing, giving feedback on writing, and receiving feedback on writing. My experiences receiving feedback have informed my practice of giving feedback. Like most writers, I prefer editors whose knowledge and experience I respect. I want…

Structural Editing vs. Proofreading: “Lipstick on a pig” I’m good at finding errors—the surface-level errors, like errors in usage, grammar, and punctuation. Every fall, friends and family bring me their college admissions essays, and I’m always able to find mistakes. I gravitate to the copyediting/proofreading level of editing because that’s what comes easiest to me.…