Editing skills are the key requirements especially when working with modification of articles/product information over a period of time. To edit an article/information, there rises a demand for several standards to be followed in order to ensure the changes not affecting the original meaning of the sentence/paragraph and the information needs to be understandable to the end user. A list of standards are provided here in order to make the text meaningful and the end user information easily understood. If correct editing standards have not been followed, then the article may not deliver the correct meaning or sometimes it might contain complicated terminologies that will not be understood by the end user.
Grammar: The content that is being edited should not change the original meaning of the sentence. The sentence needs to be in accordance with the english grammar standards.
Reference: The Elements of Style
Terminology Usage: When writing any articles, the important thing to be noted is regarding understanding the audience. It is very much required to understand who the end user is and his background knowledge. Editing any such articles for several different customers may require understanding the customer skills. Technical jargons or technical terminologies need to be stated in simple terms in order to make the end user understand the information provided.
Copyright: Be sure you take care of copyright issues while rewriting or using any existing content. Make sure you do not copy any information provided on the internet as it is bonded by copyright act. The changes need to be well defined.
Technical Editing can be divided in to the following three types:
- Substantive editing
- Copy editing
- Production editing
The editing tasks can be further classified into rule-based editing and analysis-based editing. All the grammar standards, adherance to legal requirements, design consistency, layout are part of the rule-based editing standards. Analysis-based editing is looking into more of the functional aspects of the editing standards. Evaluation of the document for concept, technicality, content, organization, functional aspects are dealt in the analysis-based editing stanard.
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