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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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Newbies’ Corner: Editing in an International Virtual Team (A Collaboration between Students at Mercer University and the Université de Paris)

Editor’s Note: This is another article in our Newbies’ Corner series. If you or your students are interested in submitting an article for this feature, please contact me at editor@stc-techedit.org.

By Madison Bellew, Jeremy Collins, Alex Donnelly, Danielle Levy, Sydnei Mayers, Jeremiah Pulliam, Kim Wallace, and Victoria Whitehead

Technical editing is often facilitated by technology, both for the practice of editing and for communication among contributors. Students in technical communication programs bring their own perspective to editing experiences that might differ from those of more experienced professional technical editors.

In this article, students in an international technical communication class at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, U.S., share their perspectives and the lessons they learned during their experience with an international editing project completed using virtual teaming. In the project, the Mercer University students edited a report written by students at the Université de Paris about technical communication in France. Students at both universities used multiple platforms to communicate as a team about expectations for the group, the report itself, and the edits made by the Mercer University students. 

Continue reading “Newbies’ Corner: Editing in an International Virtual Team (A Collaboration between Students at Mercer University and the Université de Paris)”
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Newbies’ Corner: Can You Help a Student Out?

Rita Johnson is a student in a Technical Editing course enrolled at Bowling Green State University. She’s doing a research project, combining psychology and editing. Rita’s project focuses on how technical editors can better provide feedback to their clients and strengthen professional communication.

For her project, she’s looking for technical editing practitioners who would be willing to answer a few questions in this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccAnKr8wesPDEeGeE8_PGu_Gz2woEXEKdabj9MAdO2xr07pw/viewform

Rita will really appreciate your responses as she continues to learn from us and our technical editing experiences!

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Of Interest: Feedback Finesse – The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback

Technical communicators serve as a cornerstone in the flow of feedback through organizations that goes well beyond editorial feedback on different content types.

On 10 February 2021, at 3 PM EST (UTC-5), Liz Herman will show you how to add some finesse to the way you give and receive feedback in your organization. Learn new ways to deliver meaningful feedback. Understand how to thoughtfully respond to feedback. Leave with some artful ways to approach the flow of feedback and some specific resources for additional learning.

This is a joint STC Technical Editing SIG, STC Santa Barbara, and STC Los Angeles event, and is open to members and non-members:

  • TE SIG members: $0
  • P&P SIG members: $0
  • Santa Barbara chapter members: $0
  • Los Angeles chapter members: $0
  • Students: $0
  • Other STC members: $10
  • Non-members: $20

To register, click here.

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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