Copyediting

Copyediting is a centrally important part of the editing process. The copy editor makes sure the book is as readable as possible.

• grammar
• punctuation
• spelling
• style – design specifications and house style
• clarity
• economy and consistency
• copyright issues
• inaccuracies
• checking references, quotations etc
• typing errors
• take into account the writer's style and voice
• take into account the context of the text in question

McKenzie describes a 12-step approach in the text book.

1. Appraisal
2. Mark up
3. Rough edit text
4. Rough edit of everything else
5. Smooth edit
6. Compile queries
7. Documentation
8. Incorporate author corrections
9. Final check all
10. The printout
11. Proofing
12. Despatch

When you read McKenzie's approach, you might detect a curious attitude towards the author -- he or she is just one more (annoying) cog in a complex process that is very much determined by the editor.

For McKenzie, the editor is very much in power and what you might call 'interventionist'.

Non-interventionist editing is that which sees the author and the author's background as the arbiter of style and correction.

Proofreading

All material included in a book, magazine, newspaper or other publication must be proofread before it goes to print. Proofreading is the final step.

Errors and inaccuracies distract and detract from the book or article. Good writing and copyediting can be let down by poor proofreading. It is essential to read slowly and carefully, looking at every word, every letter and space and all punctuation.

It is a large task because (as McKenzie says on p124) the proofreader needs to do more than simply find typing errors

A proofreader must

• mark for correction all typesetting errors and faults in layout and type
• specifications
• mark any spelling errors
• check the house style
• check figures and tables
• check and correct any errors in grammar and punctuation
• check hyphenation at the end to lines
• draw attention to any obvious errors of fact that appear to have been overlooked
• mark, query or check any inconsistencies, such as discrepancies in spelling of names, styles of figures, spans of numbers or periods of time, ages, dashes, inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation

When proofreading it is important to have the manuscript (marked up by the copyeditor) alongside the final draft you are proofreading.

This is so you understand the processes that the manuscript has been through:

• what the author intended
• what the editor decided (usually in negotiation with the author)

Often the typesetter has accidentally left out or even added words. Some typesetters fancy themselves as editors. And if the truth be known they are often very astute. But they are also capable of adding problems.

Sometimes the editing process has overridden the style that has been employed on purpose by the writer. For example, they may have not used any punctuation. It is important to read and check corrections along side the original manuscript.

Nothing can be taken for granted. Everything must be checked.

TWO APPROACHES TO PROOFREADING

a. Read the copy through first for sense, noting any queries in pencil in the margin as you read. Then reread in detail, cross-checking against the original document to ensure that all the material been typed (or typeset). Look at consistency of spelling and punctuation, missing or repeated word at the end and beginning of lines, the sequence of numbers etc.

b. Alternatively, adopt the reverse order, reading in detail from the manuscript to the proofs. Then later reread for overall sense and flow.

Choose the approach that best suits you.

PROOFREADING HINTS:

• Remember if you are proofreading your own copy, be alert to your blind spots.
• Place a strip of card, or ruler, across the proof and move it down a line at a time. At the same time keep a finger of your free hand on the place in the manuscript, or use a ruler to mark where you are.
• When you find an error in a line, your eye may skip over nearby words and you will miss further errors on the same line. As soon as you have marked the initial correction reread the line before continuing.
• The typesetter/typist may have unconsciously changed one word for another similar in spelling (to/too, principle/principal) so read carefully for the sense of each word.
• Possessives and apostrophes may have been miskeyed (it's for its) check for these carefully.

Symbols for proofreading

Symbols are used by proofreader to highlight error and give instructions. It is important to become familiar with and use these symbols. The proof symbols are a ‘language' that can be read by typesetters and typists making the final changes. Their correct use ensures that proper corrections are made.

All text marks must have corresponding correction marked in the margin and vice versa.

The Symbols for proofreading can also be found on pp 523-525 of the Style Manual, 6th edition or pp 126-127 in The Editor's Companion.

See John Bangsund's Muphyry's Law