| Many of us are called upon to provide reviews of | | | | stories, magazine articles. |
| documents written by others as part of our job | | | | 5. 100,000 - 125,000 words (200 - 250 pages): |
| or academic program. If conducting a | | | | most novels.Calibrate your review to the intended |
| professional-level editing job was not part of your | | | | reader. If the reading level is too high, use these |
| training, follow the procedures described here to | | | | techniques to revise the writing. |
| provide valuable feedback to an author. | | | | |
| Ask who the intended reader is. As an editor you | | | | 1. Simplify sentence structures. |
| will need to know who the intended audience is. | | | | 2. Use vocabulary containing three syllables or less. |
| You will assess the readability level, the tone of | | | | 3. Use sentences with "active voice" and in the |
| the writing, the clarity, and the appropriateness of | | | | present tense. |
| the use of jargon with regard to the intended | | | | 4. Rewrite sentences which require semi-colons or |
| reader. | | | | dashes to make them less complex. |
| Read the work through. When editing, read | | | | 5. Trim wordy sentences. |
| through a piece several times in order to catch as | | | | 6. Spell out contractions. |
| many errors as possible. In the first read-through, | | | | 7. Revise a paragraph, when possible, to a list. A |
| do not concentrate on catching errors. Instead, | | | | list, well derived, shows essentials briefly and |
| focus on getting a sense of what the author is | | | | clearly. |
| trying to communicate. | | | | 8. Keep all writing on target. Eliminate rambling or |
| Do a "spell check" and readability index. Use the | | | | extraneous thoughts.Read through again and mark |
| spell and grammar check functions in your word | | | | possible errors. Check the following: |
| processing program to identify possible errors. | | | | |
| These functions can point out certain types of | | | | 1. Spelling - spell check functions can help with this |
| errors quickly, but they are not infallible so stay | | | | task, however, look for words spelled correctly |
| alert. I use Microsoft Word for this step in the | | | | but used incorrectly. |
| process. Once the spell check function finishes, a | | | | 2. Punctuation. |
| "Readability Statistics" box is displayed. While all | | | | 3. Capitalization. |
| the statistics in the box can be useful, the two | | | | 4. Grammar - pay special attention to skipped |
| which help the most are the Word Count and the | | | | words since grammar check functions do not |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score. The | | | | reliably catch these. |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score is intended to | | | | 5. Repetitious word use - use your dictionary or a |
| reflect school grade reading levels. | | | | synonym finder for possible alternative words. |
| Make sure the readability score is appropriate for | | | | 6. Accuracy of statements of fact. |
| the intended audience. If the writing is meant for | | | | 7. Flow and consistency of the piece. |
| a first grader match the reading level to a | | | | 8. Logic - make sure any argument presented is |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 1.0 to 1.9. | | | | supported and follows a logical thought pattern. |
| If the piece is to be read by a general adult | | | | Once you have marked the possible errors, |
| population, the readability score should be | | | | research them to confirm the error and provide |
| between 8.0 and 9.0. This level ensures easy | | | | suggested changes. Note down references as |
| comprehension and retention by the vast | | | | appropriate. |
| majority of adults. | | | | Provide feedback to the author. If you are |
| If the writing is intended for an academic audience | | | | reviewing in an academic or business situation, you |
| or a highly trained group of professionals such as | | | | may have guidance on how to provide feedback |
| engineers or doctors, then the writing level can be | | | | to the author. If not, here is an example of how |
| 12 or higher. Jargon is permissible when writing to | | | | to present your feedback. This format allows the |
| a specialized audience who will be familiar with this | | | | author to locate the potential change, gives a |
| selective vocabulary. | | | | solution, and a reason for the suggested change. |
| School papers and articles for publication may | | | | Page 1, Para 12: |
| have word count requirements. In general, other | | | | Line 1: Delete "Not" and replace "too soon" |
| pieces of writing do not. Word count is important | | | | with "later". Reason: Places the action in the |
| though, because readers will stop reading | | | | correct time sequence. |
| documents they deem too long. They appreciate | | | | Line 4: Replace "her nose" with "Emma's |
| writing which conveys its message fully and | | | | nose". Reason: Clarifies the reference noun for the |
| quickly. You may want to edit to lower the word | | | | pronoun. As it stands the "her" would refer back |
| count. Here are some guidelines. | | | | to the immediately preceding noun which is the |
| | | | crab. |
| 1. Less than 150 words: books for children under | | | | Reference material. Have an unabridged dictionary |
| the age of 3. | | | | and a style manual on hand while you edit. I |
| 2. 400 - 500 words (one page): business letters, | | | | recommend the "Associated Press Stylebook" for |
| executive summaries, resumes, press releases. | | | | the editing of articles, correspondence, and general |
| 3. 400 - 600 words: books for children ages 4 to | | | | writing. Most people are familiar with the results of |
| 6. The word count levels mentioned here are for | | | | this style manual since it is used by journalists |
| books intended to be read by these children | | | | writing for newspapers, magazines, and television |
| without assistance from an adult. Children should | | | | news. For books, the most common style |
| be read to from books with higher word counts | | | | reference is "The Chicago Manual of Style". |
| allowing for the possibility of growth in vocabulary | | | | You can find more information about editing, |
| and language skills. | | | | questions to ask yourself as you review, and |
| 4. 500 - 1,500 words: Internet articles, newspaper | | | | checklists, in the article "Teaching Editing. |