Copyediting in the Digital Age
How Computer Technology Has Changed the Editing Process
For most of the last century, copyeditors preparing books and articles for publication relied on a handful of simple tools. Their desks held colored pencils for marking paper manuscripts, correction fluid for covering up false starts, and maybe sticky notes for writing queries to authors (though the pesky slips were prone to falling off and thus were best avoided).
After handwriting corrections on hundreds of pages, the freelancer hurried to the copy shop to make a backup photocopy of the edited manuscript before sending off the original by postal mail, overnight shipping, bicycle messenger, or perhaps carrier pigeon.
All that has changed. Computer technology has revolutionized copyediting in two main ways: through the use of word processing programs for manipulating text, and through use of the Internet for accessing information.
Electronic Editing
Most (though not all) editing is now done on-screen, most often in Microsoft Word. Files are transmitted as e-mail attachments, burned onto a CD, or uploaded to an FTP site. Copyeditors no longer have to shuffle through stacks of paper, but they must manage the electronic files for each job, preserving the author’s originals and making copies for editing.
File conversion may be necessary if the author and copyeditor use different software. Publishers often format files, perhaps using a house template, before sending them for editing. Some authors like to load their files with features such as text boxes and embedded graphics, which increase file size and interfere with editing. The publisher or copyeditor will usually strip out these embellishments. In order to avoid wasting effort on superfluous formatting, authors should review a publisher’s submission guidelines or seek guidance before sending files.
Word’s great strength is its powerful text editing functions. In the hands of a proficient copyeditor, these can greatly increase the speed and quality of an edit. Most Word users are familiar with functions such as search and replace, spell-check, word count, and footnote/endnote creation. Several other features are particularly useful to editors:
- Track changes. Insertions and deletions can be displayed on screen, reviewed, and accepted or rejected individually.
- Comments. Some editors use these embedded flags for queries to authors. Others prefer inserting queries in brackets in the main text.
- Macros. Editors can write macros to automate editing tasks that need to be performed repeatedly.
- Styles. These can supplement or replace the coding of text.
Electronic editing has changed the interaction between authors and editors. It's easier to write detailed queries when they don’t have to be scribbled in the page margin. Authors can make revisions electronically in the edited files, although some publishers require authors to mark up hard copy to discourage extensive changes. The ease of electronic file transmission encourages multiple rounds of revision, so it is important for editors and clients to keep track of successive versions and to always work in the most recent file.
Online Fact-Checking
Copyeditors often need to verify the accuracy of what an author has written. The advent of the Internet and powerful search engines such as Google has largely transformed this process.
In theory, it is the author’s responsibility to get facts right. The editor’s only duty is to write a query when accuracy is in doubt. Nowadays, however, it is often faster for the editor to resolve straightforward questions online than to write a query, receive the author’s response days or weeks later, key in the correct text, and delete the query from the file.
Google easily answers most basic questions such as the spelling of names and specialized terms, the wording of titles, and the volume and issue number of journal articles. Google can also be used for more in-depth checking of content — a service that most editors only provide if the client requests and pays for it.
In addition to basic search engines, the following are handy:
- Google Books, with about 7 million volumes. The user can search for specific words or phrases in the text. In most cases, the display is limited to selected pages or text snippets, but this is often enough to enable the editor to check the accuracy of a quoted passage.
- Library databases such as WorldCat and the Library of Congress online catalog, essential for verifying information in bibliographies and reference lists.
- Specialized databases, either proprietary or free, such as Lexis-Nexis, Medline, and FindLaw. These are especially helpful for editors in specialized fields such as law and medicine.
Citing Online Documents
One more way that the Internet has changed copyediting is by increasing the number of online sources that authors cite. Unfortunately, authors often neglect to give complete information for documents they’ve found on the Web. Bibliographic entries should always include more information than just a URL, and editors should verify all URLs by copying and pasting them into a browser to make sure they work.
Screenshot Shows Tracked Changes
|
Computers Are Used for Most Copyediting Today
|
Colored Pencils Are Pretty, but Not Too Efficient
|
What do you think about this article?
Comments
More in Writing & Publishing
Latest Articles