Copy editing is the process by which an editor makes formatting changes and other improvements to text. Copy, in this case a noun, refers to material (such as handwritten or typewritten pages) to be set (as in typesetting) for printing. A person who performs the task of copy editing is called a copy editor. Editing is the process of preparing language, images, or sound for presentation through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications. ... Look up format in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Copy (written) refers to written material, in contrast to photographs or other elements of layout, in a large number of contexts, including magazines and advertising. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

There is no single, universal form for the term. In magazine and book publishing, it is often written as one word (copyediting). The newspaper industry writes the expression as two words (copy editing) or hyphenates it (copy-editing), and the hyphenated form is probably the one most commonly used in Britain. Similarly, the term copy editor may be spelled as one word, two words, or hyphenated. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Walk of Ideas (Germany) - built in 2006 to commemorate Johannes Gutenbergs invention, circa 1445, of printing with movable type. ... This article is concerned with the production of books, magazines, and other literary material (whether in printed or electronic formats). ...

In British newspaper and magazine publishing (though not in book publishing), the job is generally called sub-editing.

Overview

The copy editor's job may be summarized in the 5 C's: to make the copy clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent. Copy editing typically entails correcting spelling and punctuation; correcting grammatical and semantic errors; ensuring the typescript adheres to the publisher's house style; adding standardized headers, footers, headlines and so on. All these elements must be addressed before the typesetter can prepare a final proof copy. Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The term punctuation has two different linguistic meanings: in general, the act and the effect of punctuating, i. ... This article is about grammar from a linguistic perspective. ... In general, semantics (from the Greek semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ... A publishing companys or periodicals house style is the collection of conventions in its manual of style. ... A page header or simply header in typography is that material which is separated from the main body of text and appears at the top of a printed page. ... A page footer or simply footer in typography is that material which is separated from the main body of text and appears at the bottom of a printed page. ... A headline is text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it. ...

The copy editor is also expected to ensure the text flows well, that it makes sense and is fair and accurate, and that it will cause no legal problems for the publisher. Newspaper copy editors are sometimes responsible for choosing which wire copy the newspaper will use, and for rewriting it according to their house style.

In many cases, a copy editor will be the only person other than the author to read an entire text before publication. Newspaper editors often regard their copy editors as their newspaper's last line of defense.

A copy editor may also abridge text, which is also called "cutting" or "trimming." This means reducing the length of a novel or article, either to fit broadcast or publishing limits, or to improve the material. This may involve simply cutting out parts of the text, but sometimes it is necessary to rewrite uncut parts to account for missing details or plot. Some abridged texts are only slightly shorter, but others may be reduced dramatically, particularly when a literary classic is abridged for the children's market. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ...

Changes in the profession

Traditionally, a copy editor would read a printed or written text, such as a manuscript, marking it with handwritten proofreader's marks for correction. Nowadays, the text is almost always read on a computer display and corrections are made directly to the text. Increasingly, a copy editor marks up the text using XML or a similar coding scheme and is involved in preparing text for online publication, not just for printing. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus, written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... A computer display A computer display or computer monitor is an output device that is part of a computers display system. ... The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a W3C-recommended general-purpose markup language for creating special-purpose markup languages, capable of describing many different kinds of data. ... Online means being connected to the Internet or another similar electronic network, like a bulletin board system. ...

The spread of desktop publishing means that many copy editors perform design and layout work that was once left to production crews for printed publications. As a result, the skills needed for the job are shifting, with technical knowledge sometimes considered as important as writing ability, particularly within journalism as compared with book publishing. Apple Pages being used with one of the free templates Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local economical multifunction peripheral output and distribution. ... News design. ...

Traits, skills and training

Besides an excellent command of the language, copy editors need a broad general knowledge in order to spot factual errors; good critical-thinking skills so that they recognize inconsistencies; diplomatic skills to help them deal with writers; and a thick skin when diplomacy fails. They also need to be able to set priorities so they can balance striving for perfection with working deadlines.

Many copy editors have a college degree, often in journalism, English, or communications. Copy editing is often taught as a college journalism course, though the name of the course varies. News design and pagination are often taught in such classes. Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. ... English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and the Middle East, among other areas), English linguistics (including English phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics... The term communications is used in a number of disciplines: Communications, also known as communication studies is the academic discipline which studies communication, generally seen as a mixture between media studies and linguistics. ... News design. ...

In the United States, The Dow Jones Newspaper Fund sponsors internships that include two weeks of training. Also, midcareer training for newspaper copy editors and news editors (who supervise news copy desks) is offered at the American Press Institute, the Poynter Institute, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and conferences of the American Copy Editors Society. Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ), based in the United States is a publishing and financial information firm. ... The Poynter Institute is a school and resource for journalism, located in St. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ... The American Copy Editors Society, also known as ACES, is a professional association mainly for copy editors at U.S. newspapers, but others are welcome. ...

Most U.S. newspapers and many other publishers give candidates for copy-editing jobs a test or a try-out. These vary widely and often include general items such as acronyms, current events, simple mathematics and punctuation, and skills such as Associated Press style, headline writing, infographics editing, and journalism ethics. The term punctuation has two different linguistic meanings: in general, the act and the effect of punctuating, i. ... A slightly outdated edition of the Stylebook The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually simply called the AP Stylebook and nicknamed the journalists bible, is the primary guide of style and usage for most newspapers and newsmagazines in the United States. ... ... Journalism ethics or journalistic ethics refers to a set of rules or morals adopted by news organizations or members of the news media. ...

In the UK, training is available through university courses in publishing such as the one at Oxford Brookes University, alongside privately run seminars and correspondence courses operated by the Society of Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), and by commercial centers such as The Publishing Training Centre and Chapterhouse. Oxford Brookes is a public university in Oxfordshire, England. ...

See also

• Proofreading
• Fact-checking
• House style
• American copy editors
• AP Stylebook
• Obelism

Proofreading means reading a proof copy of a text in order to detect and correct any errors. ... Fact checking ... A publishing companys or periodicals house style is the collection of conventions in its manual of style. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A slightly outdated edition of the Stylebook The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually simply called the AP Stylebook and nicknamed the journalists bible, is the primary guide of style and usage for most newspapers and newsmagazines in the United States. ... Obelism is the practice of annotating manuscripts with marks set in the margins. ...

Reference

• The Art of Editing, by Floyd K. Baskette, Jack Z. Sissors, and Brian S. Brooks

External links

General

• Advice on freelance proofreading and copy-editing (UK)
• Copy Editor newsletter (USA)
• Proofreading practice at Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders

Organizations

• American Copy Editors Society
• Society for Editors and Proofreaders
• Editors' Association of Canada

Newspaper copy editing

• Test examples for Dow Jones Newspaper Fund internships
• Test question examples, compiled by the American Copy Editors Society
• The Slot, includes What exactly is a copy editor? and How a copy desk works, by Bill Walsh of The Washington Post
• Testy Copy Editors Newspaper copy editors and their fans talk shop