TECHNICAL EDITING AS A CAREER FOR BACHELORS OF CHEMISTRY1

PERHAPS, like a good debate, this paper should begin with a definition of terms. Technical editing as used here means the style editing of technical material. It should be obvious that no new bachelor of chemistry can pass upon the scientific value and logic of chemical reports-that is done by supervisors before the reports reach the technical editor. The technical editor is a technical grammarian, but he is more than that. He is an expediter of ideas. It is his job to see that the ideas of the research or production chemist reach manage- ment, or the scientific world, or customers in the most efficient and attractive manner possible.

In recommending a field of life work to any student our first concern is: "Is there a big enough demand to warrant specializing in that field?" Ten years ago most of us would have said, "No," if the question were asked about report editing, but the war has changed the picture considerably.

Research chemists always have had to write some sort of report of their work for the patent division or for management (to back up a request for expensive equipment or more help). But most of those reports were meant for only local consumption and no attempt was made to do a good job of the writing because the reports were merely the means to more important ends. Indeed, the reports to management were often so poorly written that the readers had no earthly idea as to what was going on; so they either agreed to the request be- cause the research looked like something very com- plicated and, therefore, important, or refused it because they could not see any sense to it.

Before the war, only a relatively few large industries with national organizations (such as Hercules Powder, DuPont, Standard Oil, and Pure Oil) considered their reports important enough to have report editors. Of course, there were the research organizations like Ar- mour Research Foundation, Battelle Memorial Insti- tute, and Mellon Institute which, by the very nature of their work, were required to pay considerable attention to their reports. Because they were doing research for government and for private industry, frequently their only tangible product was their reports, so most of them had some definite plan of report editing. Almost from the beginning government research groups have had some more or less organized report procedures and some of the groups had report editors.

With the war came an increased demand for tech-

' A paper presented before the Chemistry Section of the Illinois Academy of Science a t Benton, Illinois, on Mey 7, 1948.

ETHALINE CORTELYOU Amour Research Foundation, Chicago, Illinois

nical writers and editors because many companies found themselves in the position of consultants to government agencies which demanded reports of their activities. Even the government agencies themselves became still more report conscious. On the Manhattan Project, I was only one of a t least a hundred technically trained persons who worked full time a t writing or editing reports on the research and operating proced- ures that went into producing the atomic bomb.

One of my first jobs as technical editor a t the Armour Research Foundation was to catalog ten iile drawen full of reports from outside agencies on only those research problems of interest to our group in applied mechanics. And for just four projects alone reports continue to come in a t the rate of 10 to 15 a week; all of those reports are being edited by someone.

At the recent national spring convention of the American Chemical Society a symposium on technical journalism drew an attendance of about 200 persons, of whom about 20 per cent were women.

Before encouraging a student to train for any par- ticular profession we must consider he has the necessary qualifications, which brings up the question, "Just what are the qualifications required for report editing?"

Although it is a field in which the person holding only a bachelor's degree is not a t a disadvantage, it should not be regarded as a refuge for laboratory misfits. Just aa a good research chemist differs greatly from the good production chemist or the good chemical librarian, the report editor differs from all three of them.

Surprising as it may seem, I would say that the pre- dominating characteristic of a good editor is a desire t o serve. Recently I asked the report editor of a large eastern company what she would say were desirable qualifications for a report editor and, without any prompting from me, she said, "A desire to be of service to people, being able to get pleasure out of helping others do a good job."

Often a person who would make a good teacher would be equally as good a t editing because the two jobs have much in common. Personally, I have found many of the habits formed in previous years of teaching have been very useful in editing. Just as a good teacher does not carelessly assume previous knowledge on the part of his students a good editor makes sure that a report writer gives an adequate introduction to his work and does not use highly technical language when simple English will meet his needs adequately. Both a good teacher and a good editor need to like people and to

DECEMBER, 1948 693

know how to get along with them. An editor's job is a major. It would seem to be much easier to take a good touchy one for he must be able to correct a writer's science major and teach him a few fundamentals of mistakes without antagonizing him. editing, and this hsp proved to be true in my experience.

Being satisfied to serve without glory, or even recog- However, all too often the appalling truth of the nition, is a very important qualification for an editor; matter is that one must teach the science major the although he may rewrite more than half of a report, his fundamentals of English grammar, too. Fundament- name never appears on it. If the result is good the ally, a good editor of chemical reports must have a author gets the credit; if the report is poor the editor good background not only in chemistry, but in mathe- is blamed for letting it get by in such shape. matics and physics as well. The chemistry graduate of

The editor must convince the report writers not only any school accepting the course recommendations of that he wants to help them but also that he is capable the American Chemical Society should have an ade- of doing so. Very often the writer must be convinced quate scientilic background for the work. that a good report is necessary, and that clear, correct Unfortunately, the American Chemical Society rec- English is vital to a good report. A teacher must be ommendations in chemistry, physics, and mathematics able to say, "I don't know," to occasional questions leave little time for free electives in such useful courses and still retain the respect of his classes; an editor, as advanced English composition, journalism, and although no expert on the subject of the report, must statistics. Certainly, an adeqmte training program be able to convince the writer that he means "single for report editing should include composition courses cummu perforated grain" and not "single perforated beyond freshman and sophomore English. A course in grain." journalism with practice in editing should be included.

An editor should have the patience of Job and the It seems peculiar that research men who gather so even temper of a saint. Most reports are written by much data and know its significance so well do not the research men of an organization and research men know how to present it in reports. Most graphs are are the prima donnas of science. There are times when designed fairly well, but in my experience as a technical an editor must be able to take quietly a regular tirade editor I would say that tables of data are usually the of abuse over a trivial mistake because the research poorest part of reports. Therefore, I think an embryo man just has to let off steam at someone since he cannot report editor should take a t least one course in statis- smash the electron microscope that has j q t now proved tics or some other course that will give him some of the that the major premise on which he based yesterday's fundamental principles of handling and presenting data. report is all wrong. On the other hand, there are just In a small company a report editor often is required as many times when the editor must be very firm with to make the graphs and line sketches for reports, so a the writer who came in yesterday with a hastily course in mechanical drawing should be very helpful. scrawled, practically illegible report on the back of I have purposely left until last the question of typing, some scratch notes and is indignant today because he is although skill in typing is a handy tool for an editor. expected to check back to see that the editor caught Somehow or other, a technically trained woman hates and changed correctly on the typed copy all the places to admit she can type because sooner or later the men where he used the same symbol to mean three different try to relegate to her the emergency, after-hour jobs mathematical quantities. the regular typists and stenographers refuse to handle.

All of which brings us to the important point that an Although a company would never think of asking a man editor must have an infinite patience for minute detail; editor to do his own typing a woman editor will have technical accuracy is his credo. Editor Marple of the to work a long time before she can convince her em- Monsanto Chemical Company tells this story on him- ployers that a typist is needed to save editorial time. self. In one issue of one of the house organs he edits he So let us face it, and list typing as another "must" had a little fun writing about the chagrin of an English course. In fact, many women editors edged into the mathematician who calculated pi to the 450th decimal field by starting as technical secretaries. place only to discover that he had made an error in the Even with the increased demand for technical editors, 396th place. Just before the magazine wknt to press few brand-new bachelors of chemistry will be able to Editor Marple &covered that by some peculiar cir- plunge into technical editing jobs a t once. Most cumstance he had vacant one line across the bottom of people in the field today served apprenticeships in the page, so he used the space to write pi to as many laboratories or classrooms. Like most of the other decimal places as he had the space to print. Imagine editors I know, I drifted into report editing by offering his chagrin when, within a week after publication, he a colleague some help in preparing a report. began receiving letters pointing out that he had made The best procedure would seem to be to get a job as an error in the 27th place! a chemist in a large organization that has no technical

Once a student has decided upon a career in report editor, and then make oneself available every time editing the next question is that of planning a sound someone is stuck with a report to write-for most re- curriculum. Up to the present, no school has offered search chemists and practicaily all plant chemists hate an adequate course in technical journalism, so in finding report writing. Such a procedure, however, may result a report editor one is faced with the dilemma of hiring in one's starting out as a ghostwriter rather than an either an English or journdism major or a science editor, but either job is fun.