Paul Mundy www.mamud.com

Editing step by stepHow an expert does it

Getting the manuscript ready 1 Check on your master sheet which

document to edit Open the document file and save it in the

next version’s folder. Rename it according to the file naming convention, showing the version number or date

Levels of editing

Read through the document quickly to see what it is about and to note major problems with

Meaning Structure Content Words Grammar and spelling

Check higher levels (Meaning, Structure) before worrying about the lower levels (Words, Grammar, Spelling)

Levels of editing: Meaning

What is the manuscript as a whole trying to say? What is the overall message?

What does each section or paragraph say? Does each paragraph have a key sentence?

Normally at the beginning or the end Consider writing run-in heads for each paragraph to focus its

topic Delete them later if they are unnecessary

Structure

Content

Words

Grammar & spelling

Meaning

Levels of editing: Structure

Is it in the right order? Does it flow logically? Is it in the right order? Does it follow logically from the previous text? Use frequent headings

Structure

Content

Words

Grammar & spelling

Meaning

Levels of editing: Content

Does it have the right information? Is the information correct and complete? Is it relevant?

Structure

Content

Words

Grammar & spelling

Meaning

Levels of editing: Words

Does it say it clearly? Delete unnecessary words Turn abstract nouns into verbs Replace long words with short words Get rid of jargon and abbreviations

Structure

Content

WordsGrammar & spelling

Meaning

Levels of editing: Grammar & Spelling Is the language correct?

Check for misspellings and poor grammar Keep sentences short and varied

Structure

Content

Words

Grammar & spelling

Meaning

Getting the manuscript ready 2 Import the standard template into the file

Tools > Templates and Add-ins > Organizer… > Styles

Reformat each paragraph using the standard styles

Headings, Body text, Table text, etc. Make capitalization in headings consistent

Use Shift+F3 to cycle through capitalsCapitalsCAPITALScapitalsCapitalsCAPITALS

Getting the manuscript ready 3 Remove extra spaces in sentences (eg, two

spaces after full stops) Ctrl+H In Find what field enter space space In Replace with field enter space Click Replace all

Remove extra spaces between paragraphs Ctrl+H In Find what field enter ^p^p (^ = Shift+6) In Replace with field enter ^p Click Replace all

Getting the manuscript ready 4 Manually search and replace

ise with ize ising with izing isation with ization isab with izab (eg, realisable, realisability)

Set the language for the whole document Tools > Language > Set language

Getting the manuscript ready 5 Set the footer to include the filename and page

number View > Header and Footer > Switch between Header

and Footer > Insert AutoText > Filename, and Insert Page Number

Turn on grammar and spell checking Tools > Options > Spelling & Grammar

Turn off Track Changes Ctrl+Shift+E

Select the whole document and colour the background 10% grey

Format > Borders and Shading… > Shading

Editing 1

Starting at the top, edit each paragraph Restructure the document if necessary Delete unnecessary material, or move it to the Scrapyard Rewrite paragraphs to make them easier to understand

Work through the manuscript paragraph by paragraph, section by section, editing as you go

Check the Meaning Structure Content Words Grammar & spelling

Structure

Content

Words

Grammar & spelling

Meaning

Editing 1

Remove the background grey as you edit each paragraph

Restructure sections by moving blocks of text

Use Cut (Ctrl+X) and Paste (Ctrl+V) to move individual blocks

Use the Spike (Ctrl+F3, Ctrl+Shift+F3) to collect and move multiple blocks of text

Editing 2

Don’t know what to do with some text? Move it to the end – to the Scrapyard Give it a different background colour

Skip over text you cannot edit quickly Leave it grey, come back to it later

Mark queries with Comments Highlighting $$$ALL CAPITALS

Highlighting

OK?

Editing 3

Use a split screen to see two parts of the manuscript at the same time

If necessary, open a separate window with previous version of text

Give previous version a coloured background So you don’t get confused Format > Background > select colour

Cross-references, references

Create captions for Tables, Figures, Boxes Insert > Reference > Caption

Insert cross-references to captions Insert > Reference > Cross-reference

Check the references Use a split screen so you can see the text and

references at the same time Highlight the references you have checked, so

you can see which are not yet checkedHighlight

Tables

Too much detail? Too many columns or rows? Do numbers add up? Do numbers make sense? Do numbers match what is

in the text? Is the information complete?

Place, date, source of data… Does text refer to table? Would a graphic be better?

Graphics

Is the graphic necessary? Is it clear? Does it need to be

redrawn? Do we have copyright? Is the source

acknowledged? Check the caption and

labels Does it match what is in

the text? Does the text refer to or

explain the figure?

After editing the text

Create a table of contents Read the manuscript again

Correct any errors or poor wording Revisit text you skipped

Rewrite the introduction if necessary Check the references and cross-references

(if you have not yet done so)