Copyediting

Prompts

The copyeditor’s prime directive: :: Remember that words matter.

What are the two general-purpose style manuals?

• Words into Type
  ;;
  CMOS

What are the two general-purpose style manuals?

• CMOS

;;
Words into Type (WIT)

What are the two widely used scientific style manuals?

• CSE
  ;;
  APA

What are the two widely used scientific style manuals?

• APA

;;
CSE

What is the best approach when faced with newfangled terms ending in -ize? :: Be suspicious.

What is Eisohn’s judgement when using the word “folderize”? :: Avoid on a general audience.

Three ways a copyeditor could respond to a problem.

• Ask author to revise.
• Propose a revision.
  ;;
  Leave it alone.

Three ways a copyeditor could respond to a problem.

• Leave it alone.
• Propose a revision.
  ;;
  Ask author to revise.

Three ways a copyeditor could respond to a problem.

• Leave it alone.
• Ask author to revise.

;;
Propose a revision.

How many sources should a copyeditor check when faced with a difficult problem? :: More than one.

Three ways a copyeditor can use a convention or rule.

• Adapt
• Ignore
  ;;
  Apply

Three ways a copyeditor can use a convention or rule.

• Apply
• Ignore
  ;;
  Adapt

Three ways a copyeditor can use a convention or rule.

• Apply
• Adapt

;;
Ignore

Why is it important for a copyeditor to check several sources before making a difficult decision? :: To weigh options and make an informed decision.

Copyeditors serve three constituencies:

• the publisher
• readers
  ;;
  authors

Copyeditors serve three constituencies:

• authors
• readers
  ;;
  the publisher

Copyeditors serve three constituencies:

• authors
• the publisher

;;
readers

What is the goal shared by the copyeditor, author, publisher, and readers? :: An error-free publication.

The four concerns of a copyeditor?

• coherency
• consistency
• correctness
  ;;
  clarity

The four concerns of a copyeditor?

• clarity
• consistency
• correctness
  ;;
  coherency

The four concerns of a copyeditor?

• clarity
• coherency
• correctness
  ;;
  consistency

The four concerns of a copyeditor?

• clarity
• coherency
• consistency

;;
correctness

What conflicts among their constituencies do copyeditors juggle? :: Conflicts in desire.

What mantra should a copyeditor remember to practice self-effacement while editing? :: “It’s not my manuscript.”

The term used to refer to a copyeditor’s intuition and instincts about how to respond to a problem. :: Editorial judgement

How slow should a copyeditor read a manuscript? :: Slow enough to consider each letter and word.

What’s the best use of software in editing? :: Reduce time-consuming mechanical tasks.

The four commandments of copyediting:

• Don’t introduce errors into the manuscript.
• Don’t change the author’s meaning.
• Don’t miss a deadline.
  ;;
  Don’t lose, damage, or disorganize versions of the manuscript.

The four commandments of copyediting:

• Don’t lose, damage, or disorganize versions of the manuscript.
• Don’t change the author’s meaning.
• Don’t miss a deadline.
  ;;
  Don’t introduce errors into the manuscript.

The four commandments of copyediting:

• Don’t lose, damage, or disorganize versions of the manuscript.
• Don’t add an error into a text.
• Don’t miss a deadline.
  ;;
  Don’t change the author’s meaning.

The four commandments of copyediting:

• Don’t lose, damage, or disorganize versions of the manuscript.
• Don’t add an error into a text.
• Don’t change the author’s meaning.

;;
Don’t miss a deadline.

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:
1.
2. Correlating parts
3. Language editing
4. Content editing
5. Permissions
6. Markup
;;
Mechanical editing

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:

1. Mechanical editing
3. Language editing
4. Content editing
5. Permissions
6. Markup
   ;;
   Correlating parts

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:

1. Mechanical editing
2. Correlating parts
4. Content editing
5. Permissions
6. Markup
   ;;
   Language editing

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:

1. Mechanical editing
2. Correlating parts
3. Language editing
5. Permissions
6. Markup
   ;;
   Content editing

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:

1. Mechanical editing
2. Correlating parts
3. Language editing
4. Content editing
6. Markup
   ;;
   Permissions

A copyeditor’s six principal tasks:

1. Mechanical editing
2. Correlating parts
3. Language editing
4. Content editing
5. Permissions

;;
Markup

Mechanical editing ::: Conforming to an editorial style

Give at least two things that mechanical editing aims to make consistent. Give examples you haven’t mentioned before.
;;

• spelling
• hyphenation
• capitalization
• punctuation
• treatment of numbers and numerals
• treatment of quotations
• use of initialisms, acronyms, and other abbreviations
• use of italics and bold type
• treatment of special elements (e.g., headings, lists, tables, charts, graphs)
• format of footnotes or endnotes and other documentation

The most common mistake made by novice copyeditors is rewriting portions of a text while ignoring ?? :: mechanical inconsistencies

The rules in an editorial style is not a matter of ?? but of ?? :: correctness, preference

If an editorial style is unavailable, what should the copyeditor do? :: Create a style sheet.

Give at least two tasks involved in correlating parts of the manuscript. Give examples you haven’t mentioned before.
;;

• verifying cross-references
• checking the numbering of footnotes, endnotes, tables, and illustrations
• specifying the placement of (callouts for) tables and illustrations
• comparing the illustrations against the captions and the text
• comparing the list of illustrations against the captions
• comparing the entries in the list of illustrations to the illustrations themselves
• comparing the TOC against the headings
• comparing footnotes or endnotes against the bibliography

Language editing involves correcting errors in:
1.
2. Usage
3. Diction
;;
Grammar

Language editing involves correcting errors in:

1. Grammar
3. Diction
   ;;
   Usage

Language editing involves correcting errors in:

1. Grammar
2. Usage

;;
Diction

Grammar ::: Rules on arranging words in sentences

Grammar includes ?? and ?? :: syntax, morphology

Syntax ::: Construction of phrases, clauses, and sentences

Morphology ::: Forms of words

Most linguistic issues concern ?? :: usage

Usage ::: Collective habits of a language’s native speakers.

Diction ::: Word choice

The rules for language editing are far more ?? than those for mechanical editing. :: subjective

What is the correct grammatical number of the word data? :: Both plural and singular.

When faced with a usage issue, a judicious copyeditor should follow the publisher’s style guide or ?? :: replace the word

What should you do to improve your grasp of usage? :: Learn the history of usage controversies.

Knowledge of the history of usage controversies is useful especially when working with an author whose ?? :: usage is outdated.

The goal of editing usage is to ?? not ?? :: help readers accept the text, defend the language

The question to ask when editing usage. :: “Is this sentence acceptable as the author has written it?”

Why shouldn’t you solely rely on Strunk and White? :: Oudated; Consider new linguistic data.

What should a copyeditor do when encountering a clearly incorrect factual statement? :: Query.

Whenever the content is unclear or confusing, the copyeditor’s recourse is ?? :: Ask the author to clarify.

Give at least one task involved in content editing. Give an example you haven’t mentioned before.
;;

• Checking for biased language.
• Checking for potential legal problems.
• Checking for plagiarism.

To avoid problems regarding permissions, a copyeditor must ensure that ?? :: sources and credits are supplied

Give at least one task involved in providing markup. Give an example you haven’t mentioned before.
;;

• Tagging
• Identifying and listing unfamiliar symbols

Line editing ::: improving sentence and paragraph style

To differentiate it with other kinds of editing, line editing is called ?? by the Editors Canada. :: stylistic editing

Manuscript editing ::: Combination of mechanical editing, line editing, and substantive editing

Substantive editing :: Heavy editing involving overall structure, content, and flow

Copyeditors are not:

• rewriters or ghostwriters
• developmental editors
• publication designers
  ;;
  proofreaders

Copyeditors are not:

• proofreaders
• developmental editors
• publication designers
  ;;
  rewriters or ghostwriters

Copyeditors are not:

• proofreaders
• rewriters or ghostwriters
• publication designers
  ;;
  developmental editors

Copyeditors are not:

• proofreaders
• rewriters or ghostwriters
• developmental editors

;;
publication designers

How is proofreading different from copyediting? :: Proofreading corrects errors introduced after copyediting and other later processes.

Give at least two tasks involved in developmental editing. Give examples you haven’t mentioned before.
;;

• Developing an author’s idea
• Overhauling a rough draft
• Identifying gaps in subject coverage
• Devising strategies in communicating content
• Making the product marketable

When handling digital files, develop protocols for the following on-screen editing tasks:

• saving and differentiating manuscript versions
• backing up
  ;;
  naming files and folders

Develop protocols for the following on-screen editing tasks:

• naming files and folders
• backing up
  ;;
  version control

Develop protocols for the following on-screen editing tasks:

• naming files and folders
• saving and differentiating manuscript versions

;;
backing up

Macros ::: Programmed commands that perform routine mechanical editing operations

Ideally, how many times should a copyeditor go through a manuscript? :: Three: one preliminary skim and two complete passes

A preliminary skim involves? :: Assessing the quality of writing and noting difficult sections

Why should copyeditors read very, very slowly on the first pass? :: To catch every possible mistake.

What are the three objectives of the second pass?
1.
2. Catch missed mechanical errors
3. Fix introduced errors
;;
Incorporate answers to global questions

What are the three objectives of the second pass?

1. Incorporate answers to global questions
3. Fix introduced errors
   ;;
   Catch missed mechanical errors

What are the three objectives of the second pass?

1. Incorporate answers to global questions
2. Catch missed mechanical errors

;;
Fix introduced errors

Improve your perceptual acuity on the second pass by ?? :: Changing the appearance and haptic experience of the document (e.g., remove markups, change font, print the document)

How should you schedule the second pass? :: Without interruption.

Why should the second pass be scheduled without interruption? :: You need short-term memory to catch inconsistencies.

What should a copyeditor show when responding to an author’s query responses? :: Empathy

How should you respond to stetted revisions concerning minor issues? :: Respect author

If time is limited, what kinds of errors should be prioritized? :: Embarrassing and confusing errors

How should you approach passes when straining to meet a tight schedule?

• Slow pass + no second pass
• Slow pass + selective pass
  ;;
  Two quick passes

How should you approach passes when straining to meet a tight schedule?

• Two quick passes
• Slow pass + selective pass
  ;;
  Slow pass + no second pass

How should you approach passes when straining to meet a tight schedule?

• Two quick passes
• Slow pass + no second pass

;;
Slow pass + selective pass

What sections should you focus on during a selective second pass? :: Significant or troubling sections identified during first pass

What should you do to remember the most troubling sections to return to on the second pass? :: Mark them during first pass.

When time is short, how many pages of the manuscript should you cover? :: All

When time is short, what intensity of effort should you give on each page? :: Light effort

Different ?? require different copyediting priorities. :: documents

The twin-purpose of a business document to prioritize during copyediting. :: Persuade readers and market the business effectively

Sentence adverb ::: An adverb that modifies an entire sentence

Always follow a sentence adverb with a :: comma

“not only” always precedes :: the items being contrasted

In “not only … but also…”, the word “also” is :: optional and frequently omitted

A ?? is preferable over a ?? to precede “for example” when introducing a list. :: dash, comma

If the author’s sentences are clear, correct, and serviceable, ?? :: let them be.

Benefits of resisting the urge to recast an author’s phrase in your own voice.

• Smoother client relationship
• Shorter cleanup and copyediting
• No need to maintain the author’s style
  ;;
  Easier mechanical editing

Benefits of resisting the urge to recast an author’s phrase in your own voice.

• Easier mechanical editing
• Shorter and easier cleanup and copyediting
• No need to maintain the author’s style
  ;;
  Smoother client relationship

Benefits of resisting the urge to recast an author’s phrase in your own voice.

• Easier mechanical editing
• Smoother client relationship
• No need to maintain the author’s style
  ;;
  Shorter cleanup and copyediting

Benefits of resisting the urge to recast an author’s phrase in your own voice.

• Easier mechanical editing
• Smoother client relationship
• Shorter and easier cleanup and copyediting

;;
No need to maintain the author’s style

Terms denoting group ownership or participation sometimes appear ?? (i.e., as an attributive rather than a possessive noun) :: without an apostrophe

References

Einsohn, A., & Schwartz, M. (2019). The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications (4th ed.). University of California Press.