Skip to content

Editing

Last updated on January 15, 2020

View the full Young Authors’ Conference text with proofreaders marks (PNG)

A colleague wrote an essay on the history and definition of “feminism” and asked me to review the article and revise based on the Chicago Manual of Style. I created a style guide to track editorial decisions to maintain consistency throughout the document.

I often edit articles for The Flooring Contractor, a commercial flooring magazine published by FCICA, the Flooring Contractors Association. View the revised Executive Vice President’s article, which provides a rundown of what was included in that issue of the magazine.

Editing is one of those skills that I do subconsciously now. I have edited professionally with FCICA, MSU IPF, and The Offbeat, and find myself editing anything that I read online or in print.

I have knowledge of editing marks, such as those shown above, but I am also masterfully proficient in editing tools such as Microsoft Word’s Track Changes and Google Doc’s “Suggesting” mode. I prefer to work with the author to revise their piece, providing suggestions and asking questions when I am unsure of the author’s goal or meaning. My purpose is not to rewrite a piece, it is to consider the piece from the view of both the writer and reader to identify areas that may need revisions for clarity or style.