The purpose of editing is to make sure that material produced for publication is clear for the reader.
This means that the text will be analysed in relation to spelling, grammar and punctuation.
The professional editor also makes sure that the visual material are clear, and that the captions are clear and that accurate copyright information is given.
There are various jobs that are given the job title of "editor".
Not every type of editor is directly involved with making sure that the text is assessed.
In a publishing house, the roles that are suffixed "editor" include: Commissioning Editor, Production Editor, Assistant Editor.
Many of these editors will never read the entire book.
Copy editing and proofreading The copy editor and proofreader are perhaps the only people (other than the author) who read the entire book.
As well as amending punctuation, spelling and grammar, a copy editor may also be asked to flag up any material that could be construed as libel, so that the author will reconsider and perhaps rewrite these sections.
This article focuses on the work of the copy editor and review their typical work when editing text for a book.
These duties would be carried out by editors working in non-publishing environments too.
Typical copy editing tasks The editor's marks can be made straight onto the printed typescript, or some find it easier to work on PCs.
Most editors still seem to prefer the old tech approach of marking corrections on paper with a coloured pen.
The reason for this may well be that working with pen and paper is more comfortable.
First Duties Beginning by making themselves familiar with the material presented to them, whether it is a book or material for a leaflet.
They will make sure that all the appropriate paperwork has been supplied (from illustrative material, through to disks).
There may be some missing material and if so the whole process has to be delayed until it is all present.
Sending additional material to the copy editor later increases the expense of the job and adds to the risk of typos creeping in.
Working on the Text The copy editor then moves on to editing the words, checking spelling, punctuation, capitals, grammar and quotation marks (amongst other items).
If the publisher has a particular house style (perhaps they prefer all quotes to be indented) then the copy editor will make sure this is clear as they work through the words.
The Editor's Choice The copy editor will work through to ensure that there is consistency throughout the book and they will check details.
If any facts sound to them as odd or wrong, they will highlight this.
Often a copy editor needs to be as well qualified as the author and may be considered as an expert in the field that they are working.
In higher education texts, copy editors may even have PhDs so that they really do understand the topic.
When the author's material is is inaccurate, the copy editor has to make decisions as to how it should be presented.
Anything that might seem contradictory to the reader needs to be clarified, for instance, the first time an abbreviation or acronym appears it may need to be spelt out in full for better comprehension.
Font style and sizes As they work through another job the copy editor is required to do is to mark up the text for the typesetter.
The copy editor will use copy editing code (which, for the computer literate generation, looks much like html) to explain to the typesetter which sections of text will be presented as chapter headings or section headings, or which matter will be shown in a display section (for instance, an indented and bulleted list).