Ask Doctor Howie

Editing your project September 11, 2009

Now you’ve written the material for your project and got it into some sort of shape. Whether you think so or not, your project needs editing. Very seldom is the person who wrote the material able to effectively edit it. That’s because they are too “close” to it, are too familiar with it, and the mind causes them to see what they want to see or what they expect to see.

Why edit? First of all, to check for spelling errors. Next, to check for grammar (sentence construction and so on). Is the language you’ve used appropriate for the intended audience? Is it too complex or too simple? Is the material in your project consistent? Does the label for figure 5 actually read “figure 6″? Are illustrations, charts, diagrams, figures and tables placed in the most appropriate locations? Always suggest where you would like them to be placed.

There are a whole range of other things that may need to be checked, depending on the complexity and size of your project. But it should be checked, and preferably by someone other than the author.

Editing should happen before your project is typeset so that the typesetter is working with the correct material. It should be edited again, after typesetting, to ensure images are where they need to be, and that no errors have been introduced during the typesetting process.

Get someone to edit your project!