Editing Copy editing (section)

== Practices ==
=== Mechanical editing ===
Mechanical editing is the process of closely reading a piece of writing for consistency, either internally or in accordance with the publisher's house style. According to Einsohn, mechanical editors work with such things as the following:<ref>{{cite book |last=Einsohn |first=Amy |title=The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys |year=2011 |publisher=University of California |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=978-0-520-27156-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbMwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 | quote= The heart of copyediting consists of making a manuscript conform to an ''editorial style'' (also called ''house style''). Editorial style includes: <br/> spelling <br/> hyphenation <br/> capitalization <br/> punctuation <br/> treatment of numbers and numerals <br/>treatment of quotations <br/> use of abbreviations and acronyms <br/> use of italics and bold type <br/> treatment of special elements (headings, lists, tables, charts, and graphs) <br/> format of footnotes or endnotes and other documentation. }}</ref>
* Abbreviations and acronyms
* Additional elements, such as charts, tables, and graphs
* Capitalization
* [[note (typography)|Footnotes and endnotes]]
* [[Syllabification|Hyphenation]]
* Italicization (appropriate use of [[emphasis (typography)|emphasis]] (italic or bold); appropriate choice of broad typeface category ([[italic type|italic]], [[roman type|roman]], other), especially in mathematical or scientific texts)
* Numbers and numerals
* Punctuation
* Quotations
* Spelling

Gilad also mentions the following:<ref>{{cite book |last=Gilad |first=Suzanne |title=Copyediting & Proofreading for Dummies |year=2007 |page=50 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-470-12171-9}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=April 2016}}
* Initialisms
* Page numbers, headers, and footers
* Underscoring

Proper spelling and punctuation are subjective in some cases, where they must be left to the discretion of the copy editor or the publisher. Most publishing firms use a widely recognized [[style guide]] such as the ''[[New Oxford Style Manual]]'', ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'' and ''[[List of style guides#Canada|The Canadian Style]]''. Companies that produce documents and reports but do not consider themselves publishers in the usual sense tend to rely on in-house style guides or on the judgment of the copy editor.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|5}}

=== Grammar and usage ===
The goal of the copy editor is to enforce inviolable rules while respecting personal stylistic preferences. This can be difficult, as some writers view grammatical corrections as a challenge to their intellectual ability or professional identity. Therefore, copy editors are encouraged to respect the author's preference if it is acceptable. This practice is complicated further by volatile language conventions as recorded by books on grammar and usage, the authors of which often disagree.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|333–337}}

=== Content editing ===
Content editing consists of reorganizing or restructuring a document. This involves any inconsistent parts of the content as well as any variances. Content editors can fix the content by either rewriting it or heavily editing it. The copy editor will often point out especially difficult passages to the author, who will resolve the issues.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|9}}

Although copy editors are not responsible for factual correctness of the document, they can provide comments for the author on any information that they know to be untrue,<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|9}} such as year discrepancies or misleading ideas. Such [[fact-checking]] is acceptable for copy editors who know the document's subject matter.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|7–10}}

The copy editor must also point out any biased language without infringing on the author's meaning. This includes material "that might form the basis for a lawsuit alleging libel, invasion of privacy, or obscenity". Some see censoring biased language as [[political correctness]], so it is important that the copy editor distinguish between the two.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|7–10}} To do this, the copy editor will permit intentional "politically incorrect" views and censor only marginalized, offensive, or exclusive language.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|405}}

=== Correlating parts, typecoding, and permissions ===
Most [[manuscript]]s will require the copy editor to correlate the parts within it. Copy editors must carry out the following tasks in this process:<ref name="einsohn2011">{{cite book |last=Einsohn |first=Amy |title=The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys |year=2011 |publisher=University of California |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=978-0-520-27156-2}}</ref>{{rp|7}}
* Verify any [[cross-reference]]s that appear in the text
* Check the numbering of footnotes, endnotes, tables, and illustrations
* Specify the placement of tables and illustrations
* Check the content of the illustrations against the captions and the text
* Read the list of illustrations against the illustrations and captions
* Read the [[table of contents]] against the manuscript
* Read the footnotes/endnotes and in-text citations against the [[bibliography]]
* Check the alphabetization of the bibliography or reference list
 
Some manuscripts may require special cross-checking. For example, in a how-to text, a copy editor might need to verify that the list of equipment or parts matches the instructions given within the text.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|7}}
 
Typecoding is the process of identifying which sections of the manuscript are not regular running text. These portions of text, known as elements, include the following:<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|10}}
* Part and chapter numbers
* Titles and subtitles
* Headings and subheadings
* Lists
* Extracts
* Displayed equations
* Table numbers
* Source lines
* Footnotes
* Figure numbers and captions

It is the copy editor's job to typecode (or make note of) all manuscript elements for the publication designer.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160508130210/http://www.cyranoworks.com/documents/Editinglevels.pdf Cyranoworks.com]</ref> Hard-copy copy editors are usually asked to pencil in the type codes in the left margin of the manuscript. On-screen copy editors may be asked to insert type codes at the beginning and end of each element.<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|10}}

Finally, if the manuscript contains long quotations from a published work that is still under [[copyright]], the copy editor should remind the author to acquire permission to [[reprint]] those quotations. The same goes for the reprinting of tables, charts, graphs, and illustrations that have appeared in print. Rules vary for the reproduction of unpublished materials (letters, diaries, etc.)<ref name="einsohn2011" />{{rp|10}}