A Copy Editing Refresher For Communication Pros
Posted on Nov. 1, 2021 / Subscribe 0
You know that sinking feeling? The pit in your stomach when you realize the press release you read 40 times before sending went to media with the wrong launch date? Or when you noticed you signed that email to your client with “Vest regards”?
Although we’re held to a higher standard of accurate, engaging, and error-free writing as communications professionals, we’re also fallible, and our writing subject to human error. Fortunately, there are a host of helpful tips and resources to help avoid these embarrassing and credibility-crushing mistakes, even in the face of tight deadlines or tired eyes.
Copy Editing Is More Than Spell Check.
Though reviewing writing for spelling and grammar is absolutely essential, it’s important to take time to fact check numbers and statistics, confirm dates/times are correct, review people’s names or professional titles for accuracy, and read headlines and copy for flow and clarity.
Enlist A Fresh Pair Of Eyes.
Despite their best efforts and self-editing, getting too close to a piece of writing could cause writers to gloss over errors in their own work. Often, an objective reader – think coworker, friend, or family member – can help catch necessary edits in work to which the writer has gone author-blind, especially after reading it for a third (or 300th) time.
Read Your Work Aloud…and Backward.
A helpful editing approach for writers reviewing their own work is to read their work out loud. This helps catch clunky run-on sentences or confusing syntax that may trip up a reader unfamiliar with the content. Similarly, to catch minor typos and spelling errors, reading a piece backward, word-by-word can help break up writers’ familiarity with the content for a more objective review.
Print It.
Printing out and proofreading a hard copy of written work can help writers see their work in a different light. Quickly scanning on screens can leave writers susceptible to overlooking easily avoided errors. For some, marking up a physical copy of a piece of writing can reveal errors they wouldn’t otherwise notice in a digital format.
Change The Font Style, Size, Or Color.
An alternative – or supplement – to the hard copy review is to change the physical appearance of the piece in review. Changing the font style, making it larger, increasing the space between lines, or changing the text’s color (just for the review process) makes the copy feel new, countering the fatigue that often follows several rounds of self-review.
Study Up On Editing Tools And Resources.
In addition to the aforementioned editing techniques, there are numerous resources available to support writers.
A growing variety of copy editing software and plug-ins that writers can integrate into their internet platforms or word processers is available to help catch errors and offer suggestions for revision and clarity. While many require a subscription, some of the most popular options offer free versions as well. Consider programs like Grammarly, Writer.com, or 1Checker to enhance the editing process.
Writing on behalf of clients or your own organization may entail specific style guidelines and standards. Is your team pro- or anti-Oxford Comma? An organization’s style guide or industry-standard style guides like the AP Stylebook can answer questions like that and assist writers in checking their work.
The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) offers extensive editing resources, advice, and education through its website and blog, social media channels, events, and trainings. The ACES Academy even provides access to previous webcasts on a host of editing-related topics.
Keep these tips handy when reviewing your next piece of writing and copy edit with confidence.
Catia Sabak is Communications Manager at the Detroit Regional Chamber and member of PRSA Detroit. She is also the Chapter’s co-chair of membership.
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