WRIT 265: Editing in Academic and Professional Contexts
This online course introduces you to different levels of editing – structural, stylistic, and copy editing – the world of publishing, and editing in different genres. The levels of editing follow the Professional Editorial Standards developed by Editors Canada. The course is designed for students who are interested in becoming editors or better writers.
The course has six modules:
Editing is a skill and sensibility that is developed and finessed over a lifetime. For this reason, this course emphasizes practice through "learning activities" in which students share their editing work in a collaborative spirit of peer and instructor feedback. The comments and coaching that students give and receive mirror the dynamic process of editing. The activities and assignments resemble real-life scenarios.
WRIT 265 can be taken as a stand-alone course, as part of a Queen's University undergraduate degree or Certificate in Writing, or as professional development leading to completion of a Professional Editing Standards Certificate.
The course has six modules:
- Module 1: Introduction to Editing. Discover what editors do, where they fit in the publishing process, and the variety of materials they work on.
- Module 2: Structural Editing. Explore the different forms that a piece of writing can take depending on audience, purpose, and medium.
- Module 3: Stylistic Editing. Become familiar with common sentence flaws and how to fix them.
- Module 4: Copy Editing. Develop skills to edit for consistency, correctness, and completeness.
- Module 5: Delve into two of the following genres: academic journal article, government report, short story (fiction), and personal essay (creative nonfiction).
- Module 6: The Twenty-First Century Editor. Reflect on the world of publishing and on your next steps as a lifelong learner.
Editing is a skill and sensibility that is developed and finessed over a lifetime. For this reason, this course emphasizes practice through "learning activities" in which students share their editing work in a collaborative spirit of peer and instructor feedback. The comments and coaching that students give and receive mirror the dynamic process of editing. The activities and assignments resemble real-life scenarios.
WRIT 265 can be taken as a stand-alone course, as part of a Queen's University undergraduate degree or Certificate in Writing, or as professional development leading to completion of a Professional Editing Standards Certificate.
What students say |
I am very pleased I took this course as my writing and editing skills have dramatically improved. I have already started applying what I have learned in other school work this semester and in writing reports for my job, and I will certainly continue to use it in my own writing. |
I’ve always edited by ear, but it was great to actually learn how to identify errors in grammar and punctuation. I’ve learned how to edit without taking over the entire piece of work and to communicate with the author to create the best version of their work. |
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Course sampler: A peek inside the stylistic editing module
The Top Ten? Maybe Not, But These Errors Are Quite Common
In this sample, I share the "top five" from the course notes.
Stylistic editors need a good knowledge of the parts of sentences, the types of sentences, and how sentences and paragraphs work to create meaning. In this section, we look at ten common stylistic errors and how to fix them.
1. Revise sentences to vary the length.
He entered and looked around. He walked to the desk. He picked up a fountain pen.
This style flaw puts the burden on the reader to work out the relationships (What is most important? What events are linked?) between various statements.
Possible rewrite: After entering and looking around, he walked to the desk and picked up a fountain pen.
More often, stylistic editors have to break long, complex sentences into shorter sentences. Here is an example provided by Frances Peck in her seminar Plain English: Building Results.
Although wildfires, which can occur in forests, shrub lands and grasslands, are sometimes uncontrolled fires started by lightning or human carelessness, a small number are prescribed fires set by authorized forest managers to mimic natural fire processes that renew and maintain healthy ecosystems.
There is nothing grammatically wrong with this sentence, but the multiple clauses and phrases may overtax the reader. Frances suggests the following revision.
Wildfires can occur in forests, shrub lands and grasslands. Some wildfires are controlled fires started by lightning or human carelessness. A small number are prescribed fires. These are set by authorized forest managers ...
Is the revision better? It loses the subordination of ideas in "although wildfires ... are sometimes controlled, a small number are prescribed." On the other hand, the revised version is more readable.
2. Put the most important idea in the main clause, and supporting information in a subordinate clause.
She had no ride and could not attend the protest.
Possible rewrite: Because she had no ride, she could not attend the protest.
By turning "she had no ride" into a subordinate clause, we emphasize the main point that she could not attend the protest.
3. Use parallel construction for words or groups of words presented in a list or series.
The findings of the two studies differed because of the data sources employed, the types of measures used, and due to covering different time periods.
A possible revision: The findings of the two studies differed because of the data sources employed, the types of measures used, and the time period covered.
The parallel structure gives the sentence a smoothness and polish that is lacking in the nonparallel version. In this way, parallel structure reinforces the meaning.
As Maxine Ruvinsky notes in the reading for this week, editors should not mindlessly impose parallel structure. Think about the sentence and what the author is trying to say. Consider this one: The new student is intelligent, creative, and wants to start a theatre club. The problem is "wants," a verb that follows two adjectives. We could change it to The new student is intelligent, creative, and eager to start a theatre club. That's better, but maybe the main point of the sentence is that the student wants to start the club. We could therefore subordinate the first two other adjectives, and restore the verb "wants" to a more prominent place. The new student, who is intelligent and creative, wants to start a theatre club. The point of this example is to show that editing takes thought and that there may be more than one "right" answer.
Note that parallel form is required with pairs of words like not only ... but also, either ... or, neither ... nor, both ... and (these words are called correlative conjunctions). Whatever word group follows the first conjunction must also follow the second. This rule respects the logic and balance set up by these coordinating pairs.
The university not only dominated the town's business but also the residents' lives.
Revised: The university dominated not only the town's business but also the residents' lives.
In the revision, not only/but also are both followed by nouns (or to be more precise, an article + possessive adjective + noun).
4. Prefer active voice to passive voice in most situations.
In the active voice, someone is doing something. In the passive voice, something is being done to someone.
Passive: Lemonade and cookies are being sold by children down the street.
Active: Children down the street are selling lemonade and cookies.
Of course, in many sentences, the grammatical subject is an idea or concept, not a person or thing, but the principle still applies.
Passive: Imagery of the sea is used effectively in the poem.
Possible rewrite: Wordsworth uses imagery of the sea to suggest the depth of his loss.
Often, you can eliminate abstract, passive wording by using "you" and other pronouns. (The second person "you" is not acceptable in academic or formal writing.)
Passive voice is not always bad, however. When the focus is on the thing done rather than the doer, passive voice may be preferred.
Passive: The car is being tested for emissions.
Active: The mechanic is testing the car for emissions.
What is important is that the car is being tested for emissions, not who is doing the testing.
Although passive voice is acceptable when the doer is of no interest, watch for instances where the writer is trying to hide responsibility or conceal information. The water was contaminated by underground leakage. Depending on the context, passive writing can lose the reader's trust.
Passive voice is often signalled by the verb "to be." But note that some verb tenses also use "to be," and these sentences are still in the active voice. Here is an example: She has been to Algonquin Park three times. This verb tense is called present perfect progressive, in case you're wondering! Past perfect progress would be She had been... In these sentences, "she" is doing the acting, whether the action is ongoing or takes place in the past or present. What about "Algonquin Park has been the holiday destination for her family for the past five summers"? This sentence is in the passive voice because the doers, the family, are not acting. But there is nothing wrong with the sentence if the writer wants to emphasize the place.
5. Put modifiers in their proper places.
Modifiers come in three stripes: dangling, misplaced, and squinty.
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies (refers to) a word not clearly stated in the sentence or missing from it altogether. Sentences with danglers are often unintentional howlers.
On entering the anatomy lab, the skeleton caught my attention.
A walking skeleton! What a fright! Possible rewrite: On entering the anatomy lab, I was confronted with a skeleton.
A misplaced modifier is a phrase or clause placed awkwardly or out of order in a sentence. Because the modifier is misplaced, it refers to an unintended word.
This world order was transformed when Christopher Columbus landed after a five-week voyage on a small island to which he gave the name San Salvador.
Possible rewrite: This world order was transformed when, after a five-week voyage, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island to which he gave the name San Salvador.
The placement of a modifier can dramatically change the meaning. Here is a well-known example:
Only I love you.
I only love you.
I love only you.
I love you only.
A squinty modifier looks in two directions at once: it could apply to either what precedes it or what follows. Such constructions are ambiguous.
The coach said on Thursday we’d have to start working harder. (from Anne Stilman, Grammatically Correct, p. 231).
Did he say it on Thursday, or do we have to start working harder on Thursday?
Possible rewrite: On Thursday the coach said we’d have to start working harder.
In this sample, I share the "top five" from the course notes.
Stylistic editors need a good knowledge of the parts of sentences, the types of sentences, and how sentences and paragraphs work to create meaning. In this section, we look at ten common stylistic errors and how to fix them.
1. Revise sentences to vary the length.
He entered and looked around. He walked to the desk. He picked up a fountain pen.
This style flaw puts the burden on the reader to work out the relationships (What is most important? What events are linked?) between various statements.
Possible rewrite: After entering and looking around, he walked to the desk and picked up a fountain pen.
More often, stylistic editors have to break long, complex sentences into shorter sentences. Here is an example provided by Frances Peck in her seminar Plain English: Building Results.
Although wildfires, which can occur in forests, shrub lands and grasslands, are sometimes uncontrolled fires started by lightning or human carelessness, a small number are prescribed fires set by authorized forest managers to mimic natural fire processes that renew and maintain healthy ecosystems.
There is nothing grammatically wrong with this sentence, but the multiple clauses and phrases may overtax the reader. Frances suggests the following revision.
Wildfires can occur in forests, shrub lands and grasslands. Some wildfires are controlled fires started by lightning or human carelessness. A small number are prescribed fires. These are set by authorized forest managers ...
Is the revision better? It loses the subordination of ideas in "although wildfires ... are sometimes controlled, a small number are prescribed." On the other hand, the revised version is more readable.
2. Put the most important idea in the main clause, and supporting information in a subordinate clause.
She had no ride and could not attend the protest.
Possible rewrite: Because she had no ride, she could not attend the protest.
By turning "she had no ride" into a subordinate clause, we emphasize the main point that she could not attend the protest.
3. Use parallel construction for words or groups of words presented in a list or series.
The findings of the two studies differed because of the data sources employed, the types of measures used, and due to covering different time periods.
A possible revision: The findings of the two studies differed because of the data sources employed, the types of measures used, and the time period covered.
The parallel structure gives the sentence a smoothness and polish that is lacking in the nonparallel version. In this way, parallel structure reinforces the meaning.
As Maxine Ruvinsky notes in the reading for this week, editors should not mindlessly impose parallel structure. Think about the sentence and what the author is trying to say. Consider this one: The new student is intelligent, creative, and wants to start a theatre club. The problem is "wants," a verb that follows two adjectives. We could change it to The new student is intelligent, creative, and eager to start a theatre club. That's better, but maybe the main point of the sentence is that the student wants to start the club. We could therefore subordinate the first two other adjectives, and restore the verb "wants" to a more prominent place. The new student, who is intelligent and creative, wants to start a theatre club. The point of this example is to show that editing takes thought and that there may be more than one "right" answer.
Note that parallel form is required with pairs of words like not only ... but also, either ... or, neither ... nor, both ... and (these words are called correlative conjunctions). Whatever word group follows the first conjunction must also follow the second. This rule respects the logic and balance set up by these coordinating pairs.
The university not only dominated the town's business but also the residents' lives.
Revised: The university dominated not only the town's business but also the residents' lives.
In the revision, not only/but also are both followed by nouns (or to be more precise, an article + possessive adjective + noun).
4. Prefer active voice to passive voice in most situations.
In the active voice, someone is doing something. In the passive voice, something is being done to someone.
Passive: Lemonade and cookies are being sold by children down the street.
Active: Children down the street are selling lemonade and cookies.
Of course, in many sentences, the grammatical subject is an idea or concept, not a person or thing, but the principle still applies.
Passive: Imagery of the sea is used effectively in the poem.
Possible rewrite: Wordsworth uses imagery of the sea to suggest the depth of his loss.
Often, you can eliminate abstract, passive wording by using "you" and other pronouns. (The second person "you" is not acceptable in academic or formal writing.)
Passive voice is not always bad, however. When the focus is on the thing done rather than the doer, passive voice may be preferred.
Passive: The car is being tested for emissions.
Active: The mechanic is testing the car for emissions.
What is important is that the car is being tested for emissions, not who is doing the testing.
Although passive voice is acceptable when the doer is of no interest, watch for instances where the writer is trying to hide responsibility or conceal information. The water was contaminated by underground leakage. Depending on the context, passive writing can lose the reader's trust.
Passive voice is often signalled by the verb "to be." But note that some verb tenses also use "to be," and these sentences are still in the active voice. Here is an example: She has been to Algonquin Park three times. This verb tense is called present perfect progressive, in case you're wondering! Past perfect progress would be She had been... In these sentences, "she" is doing the acting, whether the action is ongoing or takes place in the past or present. What about "Algonquin Park has been the holiday destination for her family for the past five summers"? This sentence is in the passive voice because the doers, the family, are not acting. But there is nothing wrong with the sentence if the writer wants to emphasize the place.
5. Put modifiers in their proper places.
Modifiers come in three stripes: dangling, misplaced, and squinty.
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies (refers to) a word not clearly stated in the sentence or missing from it altogether. Sentences with danglers are often unintentional howlers.
On entering the anatomy lab, the skeleton caught my attention.
A walking skeleton! What a fright! Possible rewrite: On entering the anatomy lab, I was confronted with a skeleton.
A misplaced modifier is a phrase or clause placed awkwardly or out of order in a sentence. Because the modifier is misplaced, it refers to an unintended word.
This world order was transformed when Christopher Columbus landed after a five-week voyage on a small island to which he gave the name San Salvador.
Possible rewrite: This world order was transformed when, after a five-week voyage, Christopher Columbus landed on a small island to which he gave the name San Salvador.
The placement of a modifier can dramatically change the meaning. Here is a well-known example:
Only I love you.
I only love you.
I love only you.
I love you only.
A squinty modifier looks in two directions at once: it could apply to either what precedes it or what follows. Such constructions are ambiguous.
The coach said on Thursday we’d have to start working harder. (from Anne Stilman, Grammatically Correct, p. 231).
Did he say it on Thursday, or do we have to start working harder on Thursday?
Possible rewrite: On Thursday the coach said we’d have to start working harder.