Three Key Questions
Three Key Questions
A grammatically correct manuscript may still miss the mark by a wide margin. The writing may not be appropriate for the document's intended audience or the argument may be weak. Some of the information could be completely incorrect or biased.
Editing for content ensures the best possible outcome for a piece of written work. In her article, "Copy Editing Versus Content Editing," Victory Crayne says, "English is important, but content is King." There are three key questions an editor should ask him or herself when editing for content:
Is it complete?
Is it correct?
Is it audience appropriate?
It should be noted at the outset that there is no particular order in which an editor should be looking at these things. In fact, an editor is often looking at all of them at once. That's why it's such a challenging job!
Let's have a closer look at these three questions and what they mean for editors.
An editor must decide whether the content in a document is complete or incomplete. By complete, we mean whether the information is understandable, effective, and well organized. Has the document provided value to the reader or left her scratching her head?
Let's look at content in fiction and nonfiction to see what types of things editors need to consider when editing for completeness.
Content in Fiction
When editing fiction, an editor might look for these elements to ensure that the document is complete:
A strong opening that grabs the reader
Establishment of the protagonist as a sympathetic character early in the story and the development of a believable antagonist (one that is appropriately weak or evil)
A credible and exciting plot
Interesting setting descriptions
Sufficient emotion
Consistent point of view, facts, plot details, and character traits
Rising tension in the story
A satisfying ending or conclusion
A tone suitable for the intended audience (a crossover from considerations of audience)
Content in Nonfiction Writing
When editing nonfiction, an editor must consider a wide range of issues. Without the following elements, a nonfiction text might be considered incomplete:
A brief but thorough introduction and conclusion
A clear thesis in the introduction
Solid connection between each paragraph or each chapter in the body of the paper or book to the thesis
Case studies and anecdotes suitable for the context
Clearly described methods of research or experimentation
Clear topic sentences for each paragraph (one main idea per paragraph)
Clear, smooth transitions between paragraphs
Concise sentences containing only the information necessary for the document at hand
Correctly placed images, lists, tables, and figures
Coordinated page numbers, table and figure numbers, and section references
What do we mean when we ask if a document is correct?
The first question an editor can ask to determine the level of correctness in a document is perhaps the most obvious: Are the facts noted in the document true? For example, an author might state that the Industrial Revolution started in 1066. This is clearly incorrect and should be queried.
Typically, fact-checking is considered a separate process, and most publishing organizations have individuals that fact-check separately from the editing process. However, as an editor, you might sometimes be asked to include fact-checking in your edit of a document. At the very least, an editor should be alert to glaring errors (like the aforementioned detail about the Industrial Revolution) and flag them for the author's attention.
It's also helpful to consider internal correctness when editing for correctness. In nonfiction, this means ensuring that the conclusion the author reaches flows logically from everything the author previously stated. In fiction, this means that characters, settings, or plot devices remain true to the traits the author has already given them.
Correctness in Nonfiction
An example of a problem with correctness in nonfiction might be the following:
In our research, we determined that when sales of cookies increase, homicides decrease. Therefore, cats are clearly the cause of most homicides.
Here, we actually have two issues. Did you catch them? The first is that introducing cats as the root cause of homicides is a complete non sequitur, as nothing said before that statement supports this conclusion. The second is that the author is confusing correlation with causation. Cookie sales are unlikely to have anything to do with homicide rates, even if the numbers point in that direction.
Correctness in Fiction
An example of a correctness problem in fiction writing might be a character in a book initially described as the meek, quiet, and shy type later becoming loud and aggressive without any obvious cause. As the editor, it would be your job to point out that the new behavior must either be explained or changed to keep the character consistent.
It is important to note here that you may not always agree with an author's conclusion or even the overall message of the document. As a professional, it is your job to remain objective and help the author achieve his or her stated goals. Ultimately, the editor is responsible for clarifications and ensuring that the material is as good as it can be without disrupting the author's purpose or voice. You may not support the conclusion that the best form of government is a dictatorship run by the author and his or her five best friends, but as long as the author makes the argument in a consistent and grammatically sound fashion, that's all that really matters.
If you have all the necessary elements and everything is correct, you still have to consider audience and purpose. Every single piece of writing since the beginning of time, except for maybe the first bits that were just practice, has had an intended audience. After all, writing is for someone else to read.
If the purpose of an article is to teach the reader how to shoot a video using an iPhone, then the author really shouldn't go off on tangents describing the latest political goings on in the Republic of Maldives . . . unless that clearly and succinctly helps to illustrate a technique or point about iPhone videos.
An editor must be alert to the purpose of a document at all times, but especially if a document has had multiple authors or multiple rounds of editing. The focus of the document may have changed. If information was added, if information was removed, if characters were given a back story, or if new chapters have been included, the entire purpose (or focus) of the document may be slightly (or greatly) different than originally conceived. This might mean that the document has evolved into something better, but it may also mean that there will be a certain amount of inconsistency.
The focus on the audience should be treated the same way as the purpose of the document. When you first begin editing a manuscript, you should be able to identify an obvious audience. If it's about reuptake inhibitors, chances are the audience will not be third-grade schoolteachers but doctors interested in the latest antidepressant research in the field. The language and tone of the document should reflect this.
At the beginning of this lesson, we said something that is so important it bears repeating: content is king. That makes you, as an editor, a kingmaker.
This brings us to what you, as an editor, offer to a client. What is your "value proposition"? Why does someone choose you, or any editor for that matter, in an era of increasingly intelligent computerized spelling and grammar checkers?
In looking at the continuum of errors, which range from simple typos and missing punctuation all the way up to discourse and rhetorical issues, human editors (that includes you!) offer something that computers won't be able to for at least a few more years (if not longer): comprehension and understanding. You can read and understand a document and its nuances and correct all of it, not just the things that can be objectively described as "right" or "wrong."
This is why it's good to make heavy use of the comments in programs like Microsoft Word. Comments make it easy to help an author craft a document that is correct, complete, and audience appropriate. In order to remain competitive and provide something of value to their very human clients, editors have to provide a service that clients can't get from an application. No matter who you are working for, always take a little extra time to provide quality feedback that you know your client can't get anywhere else.
In summary, editing for content does the following things:
It ensures that a book or story has been written from the same point of view throughout and that it is written from the most appropriate point of view.
It ensures the development of thematic elements and catches inconsistencies in characterization, plot development, dialogue, and information.
It identifies any incorrectly used analogies, similes, metaphors, or examples.
It ensures that the content is well organized.
The result of an editor's work is a well-structured, logical, and consistent text. The editor brings to the table an important range of skills that clients cannot get from a computer, and these skills make editors and editing services valuable to clients.
Last Updated: 09/29/2022