copy-editing for the web

Quick Copy-Editing for the Web

Quick Copy-Editing for the WebJaclyn Law and Kat TancockJaclyn Law and Kat Tancock

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Why copy edit?Why copy edit?

It’s your last line of defense It’s your last line of defense

againstagainst errorserrors like these….like these….

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Diana, Princess of Whales

CBC.ca

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“Due to a typographical error, a previous version of this article said that the amount of losses

from Monday’s market collapse was $1,300 trillion.

The correct amount is $1.3 trillion.”

Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch.com

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Source: RegretTheError.com

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Source: RegretTheError.com

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From a student newspaper at Brandeis University:

The original article provided the incorrect location of New York University’s new institution.

It is in Abu Dhabi, not Abu Ghraib.

Source: RegretTheError.com

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From a review of a cosmetic-dentistry clinic:

Patients can leave up to eight shades whiter after one sitting.

Two key rules for editing your site• Be consistent• Be organized

Develop your skills

• Know your own errors and double-check them

• Take a class if you can• Try to give yourself at least a day to

proofread• Slow down and really look

What is copy editing?

• Editing copy for grammar, punctuation, spelling and usage to make it clean, clear, concise and consistent

• Dealing with word repetition, redundancy, clichés, jargon, lack of logic, offensive or outdated language, etc.

• Ensuring copy works with the layout

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Why you need to copy edit

• Errors confuse and annoy readers. They also reflect poorly on your publication and your brand.

• Copy editing elevates your articles.• You can’t rely on spell-checkers.

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Copy editing tips

• Allow yourself plenty of time and space.• Invest in good reference books.• You’ll catch more errors on paper.• Some editors read twice – first for

meaning, second time to make changes.

• Some editors read with a ruler.

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Repurposing from print

• If cutting, double-check attributions• Watch for "on page x," "in the chart

above"• Check for info in captions, sidebars, etc.• Watch for line breaks, end marks,

capitalization/drop caps, bullets• Remove/rework time references and

seasonal references

How long should content stay up?• Edit for forever• Include a publication date• If necessary, program an offline date

with your CMS• But—make sure all URLs go somewhere

(even if it's a redirect)

• Know when to back off. Sometimes, preserving personality and colour is more important than perfect grammar.

• Have a reason for making changes. Don’t change something just because that’s how you would write it.

• Don’t worry – nobody knows everything about grammar and punctuation. The key is knowing where to look up the answers.

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Web editorial process

• Check each other's work.• Get colleagues' help when you can.• Never take off your copy editor's hat.• Use spell-check (but don't stop there).• Watch for Canadian spelling.• Double-check everything you typed into

the CMS.

Make use of the web

• Link out to sources (e.g., Health Canada)

• Check for dead links (validator.w3.org/checklink)

• Google sources' names to double-check spelling (and link to them)

Dealing with errors

• "Report typo"• Strikethroughs• Updates at end of article/post• Date your content and identify source• Don't make major changes without

identifying them to readers• Follow up on comments

Example: cbc.ca

Example: wired.com

Example: besthealthmag.ca

"Updated to add:"

Example: canadianmags.blogspot.com

Note strikethrough

Top 6 things that bug your readers1. Lack of subject-verb agreement2. Sentence fragments3. Dangling modifiers4. Comma splices5. Faulty parallelism6. Poorly constructed lists7. Vague pronouns

1. Lack of subject-verb agreement

• Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.

• Avoid choosing the wrong word as the sentence subject e.g., “The designer’s collection of shoes were very stylish.” (The subject is the collection.)

• Treat compound subjects (e.g., “Sugar and butter”) as separate items (“Sugar and butter are tasty.”)

• Some plural words are mistakenly treated as singular (data, media, phenomena).

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Subject-verb agreement cont’d

• Some terms get a singular verb even if they sound plural e.g., “Two weeks is the typical incubation period.”

• Collective nouns (e.g., team, board, group) are single units, so they take singular verbs, except in situations like this one: “The committee are debating the budget.” (A single unit can’t debate itself.)

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• Two subjects joined by “nor” or “or” take a singular verb if both subjects are singular e.g., “Neither Elaine nor Jerry remembers the date of Kramer’s birthday.”

• Two subjects joined by “nor” or “or” take a plural verb if the subject closest to the verb is plural, or if both subjects are plural e.g., “At our charity events, neither the singer nor the back-up dancers receive payment.”

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Subject-verb agreement cont’d

• Some words always take a singular verb e.g., anybody, anyone, each, either, neither, every, everybody, everyone, nobody, somebody. (Refer to Canadian Press Stylebook.)

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Subject-verb agreement cont’d

2. Sentence fragments

• If your sentence is missing a subject or a verb, it’s a fragment e.g., “The neighbour’s poodle was barking again. Which she couldn’t stand.”

• It’s OK to use sentence fragments once in a while for effect, or for captions and blurbs where a full sentence isn’t needed.

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“Write incomplete sentences occasionally. Like this. To make an idea easier to absorb. For a change of pace.”

- CP Stylebook

“Write incomplete sentences occasionally. Like this. To make an idea easier to absorb. For a change of pace.”

- CP Stylebook

3. Dangling modifiers

• A modifier is a descriptive word or phrase that limits or quantifies the meanings of other parts of a sentence.

• Dangling modifiers are words or phrases joined to the wrong words in a sentence.

• Dangling modifiers are a serious grammar crime!

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Dangling modifiers cont’d

“Strolling around Toronto’s trendy Yorkville neighbourhood, a pair of suede boots

stopped me in my tracks.”

CORRECT: “As I strolled around Toronto’s trendy Yorkville neighbourhood, a pair of suede boots stopped

me in my tracks.”

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“Lush and green, Indiana Jones plunged into the rainforest.”

CORRECT:

“Indiana Jones plunged into the lush, green rainforest.”

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Dangling modifiers cont’d

“Roasted to perfection, my husband doused the ribs with barbecue sauce.”

CORRECT:“My husband doused the ribs, roasted to

perfection, with barbecue sauce.”

JUST DON’T DO IT!

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Dangling modifiers cont’d

4. Comma splices

First, a quick review…• An independent clause is a group of words

that has a subject-verb combination and expresses a complete thought e.g., “Buffy killed the vampire.”

• A coordinating conjunction is a word (e.g., and, but, or, nor) that joins two or more elements of equal rank, e.g., black or white, poor but happy, love and hate.

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Comma splices cont’d

• A comma splice is the use of a comma to join (“splice”) two independent clauses in a sentence, where the clauses are not connected by a coordinating conjunction.

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Comma splices cont’d

“She was my mentor, I learned a lot from her.”

• You can fix this by separating the clauses with a period or a semicolon, or by joining the clauses with a coordinating conjunction.

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WRONG: “She was my mentor, I learned a lot from her.”

“She was my mentor. I learned a lot from her.”

“She was my mentor; I learned a lot from her.”

“She was my mentor, and I learned a lot from her.”

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Comma splices cont’d

It’s OK to use a comma splice…

• when the independent clauses are short, and especially if the subject is the same: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

• when short independent clauses express contrast: “He wanted a house, she wanted a condo” or “Some like it hot, some like it cold.”

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Comma splices cont’d

5. Faulty parallelism

• Keep the structure of phrases and clauses in a series or sentence parallel.

• Once a parallel structure has been started, readers expect it to continue; the sentence feels awkward if it doesn’t.

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Faulty parallelism cont’d

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6 He put on the dress shirt, tie, the pants and shoes.

✔ He put on the dress shirt, tie, pants and shoes.✔ He put on the dress shirt, the tie, the pants and

the shoes.

Avoid mixing verb forms within one sentence.

6 I like reading magazines and to write stories too.

✔ I like reading magazines and writing stories too.

6 Max stole the car, hit the tree and was escaping on foot.

✔ Max stole the car, hit the tree and escaped on foot.

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Faulty parallelism cont’d

Be careful when writing lists in sentences. Finish the list before moving on to your next thought.

✖ She chose carrots, onions, potatoes and paid for them in cash.

✔ She chose carrots, onions and potatoes, and paid for them in cash.

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Faulty parallelism cont’d

Here’s a more complicated example:

6 “The employees demanded higher salaries, complained about the lack of day care, but their grievances were ignored by the managers.”

✔ “The employees demanded higher salaries and complained about the lack of day care, but their grievances were ignored by the managers.”

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Faulty parallelism cont’d

6. Vague pronouns

Ensure that pronouns such as “this,” “they” and “it” refer to something specific.

✖ Although the boat hit the dock, it was not damaged.

✖ They say the housing market is heating up.✖ Batman hugged Robin before he left the

Batcave.

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It’s your turn!

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5-minute fact-checking

• Assume nothing! Everyone makes mistakes. • Check proper nouns and book/movie/other

titles.• Check math (calories, money), prices and

recipes/directions.• Check ages, locations, job titles.• Always check all links!!!• Make use of Google, IMDB, Amazon, etc. • If it sounds funny, check it.

Why create a style guide?Why create a style guide?

• Establish a house style that reflects your publication’s personality

• Achieve consistency within and between issues

• Give your editors a condensed reference guide

• Resource for your web team, marketing department and freelance editors

Creating an online style guide

• Heds/subheds: colour, size, capitalization, numerals vs. written numbers

• Style of numbered and bulleted lists• When to bold, when to italicize• Do links open in a new window/tab?• What is different online vs. in print?• Have a consistent byline style

• Each publication has its own style and philosophy.

• You don’t have to write your guide all at once.• Style guides evolve to fit your needs.

“Language is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wander around like hemlines.”

- Bill Bryson

“Language is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wander around like hemlines.”

- Bill Bryson

Mindful editing

• Race: Is it relevant? Why describe someone as “exotic”? What exactly is “flesh-coloured”? What does “Asian” mean?

• Disability: Avoid patronizing, outdated language e.g., the disabled, wheelchair-bound, confined to a wheelchair, retarded, handicapped, cripple, suffering from, afflicted with, challenged.

• It’s not just about “political correctness.” Inclusive language speaks to more readers.

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Resources

Resources

Q&AJaclyn Law

jaclynlaw@gmail.com

Kat Tancockkat.tancock@gmail.com