Category: Style

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Of Interest: Editing with Macros?!

A wise person once said, “Automate what you can automate!”
But can we automate some of our editing processes? Should we?

On Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 10 AM EDT (for
your local time zone, go to https://bit.ly/3LjzOv2), join Jennifer Yankopolus and Paul Beverley who will address the benefits of using macros to automate some editing tasks in Microsoft Word, and demonstrate a variety of macros written by Paul that technical editing practitioners can use to make their editing processes more efficient and focused.

This is an STC Technical Editing SIG event, and is open to both members and non-members.

To register for this event, go to https://bit.ly/3PoINOK.

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Conversation Starter: How Do You Feel About the Singular “They”?

Editor’s Note: As part of our Conversation Starter feature, we present what we hope is the first part of an ongoing discussion about the evolution of the English language, especially the use of gender-neutral pronouns.

Want to join the conversation? Email your thoughts to editor@stc-techedit.org, or write them in the Comments section at the end of this article. We’ll publish them in future issues.

Professor Jo Mackiewicz and Allison Durazzi of Iowa State University are studying how editors make editorial decisions about issues related to gender, and have put together a short survey about the use of the singular pronoun “they.” The findings of this study can help editors better understand how other editors make editorial decisions related to gender and pronouns.

This survey is a much shorter and easier-to-use version than one they distributed previously, and they think (or, at least, hope) that it will be thought provoking. It should take approximately 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the detail you provide in your responses.

To participate in this study, go to: https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2gdfd9eFWxBayb4

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Mackiewicz (jomack@iastate.edu).

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Of Interest: Definition of Quality (Editing) Panel at ConVEx 2021

Every documentation team strives to produce high-quality content. Unfortunately, the definition of what that means differs significantly, from company to company, from writer to writer, from user to user.

On 28 April 2021 at 0630 EDT at ConVEx 2021, a panel of top-class editors (Dana Aubin, Andrea Studzinski, and me too! :)) will talk about how to identify and prioritize the critical factors that influence the perception of quality, and discuss the best ways to achieve agreement on its definition.

To be a part of this fascinating discussion, as well as get more career-empowering knowledge, practices, networking, and practical solutions to improve your content strategy and technical documentation, register here: https://convex.infomanagementcenter.com

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From Around the Web: Editing Reference Lists

If there is any part of academic editing that editors do not look forward to, it is reviewing and formatting the references used in a manuscript.  But citations in a thesis or dissertation are an ethical and professional necessity, and often cause editors to spend hours going back and forth from the research paper to the style guide. 

In this blog article, Sharon Paul helps you get into the basics of how to edit a list of references and provides you with some tips that can make the entire process easier. She also links to a comparison checklist that can help you choose a suitable citation management software that can make your life a lot easier.

How to master referencing in your research paper
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Newbies’ Corner: User or Rulebook, Guide or Grammarian?

Editor’s Note: This is the first article in the Newbies’ Corner series, which is intended to give a platform to new, fresh voices, especially from those who are studying the field or just starting out. If you are a student learning about technical editing or just starting out on your technical editing journey, and would like to submit an article, please send an email to editor@stc-techedit.org.

by Nathan Richardson

As technical communicators and editors, we know about the importance of user-centered processes. There’s a growing demand for user experience (UX) writers and UX designers, and for building UX into our organization’s (or personal) content strategy from the start.

We also have a foundational commitment to “the rules.” Our work builds on reviewing content and suggesting changes in media, style, grammar, voice, and tone, among other things. We question the accuracy and completeness of a given communication and its content. For example, when editing a set of instructions, we could follow the steps, seeking errors or missing information. As technical editors, we may also try to break those instructions and identify their limits—which provides our authors with insights they might have missed. We also look for consistency, ensuring that, for example, fractional measurements are plural and consistent (think 0.7 inch vs. 0.7 inches, and within the same document .8 inches becomes 0.8 inches). We ask: are all references to other publications, articles, or patent-related prior art accurate?

Continue reading “Newbies’ Corner: User or Rulebook, Guide or Grammarian?”