Consolidation
Consolidation of principles of copyediting
Precopyedit analysis of a journal article
Course details
Suggested timeline: 9–12 months into editing
Total time: Approx. 3 hours
Course description
In about 9–12 months, you will be able to consolidate your learning. And this course helps you do just that.
If you’ve been working on journal articles, you should be in a position to analyze a manuscript upfront to know what is right and what is wrong with the file and how you have to go about the editing. (Ideally, it might be good to work on journals for a few years before taking up book editing. But we know that we do not live in an ideal world and that not everyone may be so lucky.)
This course on precopyedit analysis of a journal article will cover the following:
- Checking the manuscript for continuity, completeness, and relevant support information
- Analyses of multiple inputs (if any)
- Analysis of file in terms of input and output formats and usability for the typesetter
- Detailed analysis of the various parts of the manuscript (comparing and contrasting the manuscript with the style requirements):
- Front matter of the manuscript
- List of references and citation style
- All basic manuscript elements
- Tables, artwork, and legends
- Editorial markup of the text (including math, if any)
- Quick observations on language
- Recording the information on an easy to use precopyedit analysis report having about 150 questions
After completing the course you will be able to edit any manuscript confidently simply because of the power of this precopyedit analysis.
Preparing an editorial style sheet
Course details
Suggested timeline: 9–12 months into editing
Total time: Approx. 3 hours
Course description
The approach outlined in this course would be one of the best approaches to streamlining a book-editing project. Once you prepare a master template, your book editing projects would go so smoothly that you would forever enjoy this part of the book-editing process!
This course on understanding book design in terms of Word styles would cover the following:
- Understanding a design sample (analyses of various sample designs)
Identifying elements that need a style - Grouping the various elements of a book for convenience
- Understanding featured elements
- Named featured elements
- Standard elements as featured elements
- Sections as featured elements
- Case Studies as featured elements
- Generic featured elements
- Learning the nuances of preparing a book-styling template
- Understanding the use and importance of metadata styles
- Creating a Master template
- Preparing a project template from a Master template
Principles of handling a book-editing project
Course details
Suggested timeline: 9–12 months into editing
Total time: Approx. 3 hours
Course description
If you’re going to be handling books, the first thing you need to know is that books can be unwieldy monstrous things, far longer than journal articles. You have to develop the nerve to work on a book for hours and weeks and months, often with an unrelenting enthusiasm. Planning is what helps you achieve and sustain the enthusiasm and tenacity that are needed to live through it. You have to learn to analyze a book thoroughly before you start meddling with it. And you have to work through the book both mentally and literally.
This course on handling a book-editing project will give you valuable inputs on the following stages of editing:
- Analyzing a manuscript
- Preparing a project template
- Enforcing preferences upfront (wherever possible)
- Working methodically on mechanical style aspects
- Reflecting on the general language editing you may do on the manuscript
- Using a chapterwise checklist
- Writing a technical note with at least the first batch of edited chapters you return
This course will give such a rounded understanding of the how-to of book editing that you may henceforth avoid many a heartache in the projects you work on.
