Improvement of writing in the workplace involves both writers and their managers in a systematic process: (1) prepackaging the assignment; (2) delegating; (3) clarifying and focusing the assignment; (4) promoting efficient writing techniques; (5) efficient editing and/or peer reviewing; and (6) reviewing the final document. (SK)

Describes revision as practiced at a major scientific research and development laboratory. Shows how scientific authors, technical editors, colleague reviewers, and supervisors team up in a collaborative approach in which editors provide substantive revisions early in the collaborative review process. Argues that editors should become involved at…

Assesses three conflicting views: that the author is the final authority; that the author is incompetent; and that the editor has final authority. Reveals editors' four rhetorical strategies to establish authority: using editorial dialogue, defining the audience, citing authority, and teaching. Classifies editors as having high or low status. (SR)

Outlines the process of peer editing, and points out that research shows peer editing to be highly effective. (ARH)

Explores the advantages and disadvantages of microcomputer text editors and spelling checkers and implications for their classroom use. (SRT)

Gives a case history of how one writing group devised a way to deal with the problem of author-created noun strings and long, indecipherable unit modifiers, satisfying both internal and external clients. Describes the development of an in-house usage guide. (PRA)

Discusses a particular reader's struggle with the need to revise his work at the request of an editor and relates it to the challenges that his students face. Lists three conditions that are necessary for him to make revisions: the presence of an outside skilled writer; someone who genuinely respects his work; and give and take. (TB)

A teacher describes what happens when professional writers are invited into his college composition classroom to talk about and show the processes they employ in revising their work, and reports that students benefit not only by hearing about but also by actually seeing successive drafts. In the class, the students begin the semester by analyzing…

Indicates that using highlighters to mark errors produced a 76% class improvement in removing comma errors and a 95.5% improvement in removing apostrophe errors. Outlines two teaching procedures, to be followed before introducing this tool to the class, that enable students to remove errors at this effective rate. (JD)

Identifies the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) as the best basis for a markup standard for encoding literary texts. Outlines solutions to problems using SGML and discusses the problem of maintaining multiple views of a document. Examines several ways of reducing the burden of markups. (GEA)

Examines the practice and implications of issuing corrections, retractions, and amplifications in online databases. All database producers do not provide mechanisms to accommodate retractions and corrections, and it can be difficult for a searcher to find evidence of error correction. Sidebars illustrate both the lack of and evidence of…

These guidelines for teaching editing skills to secondary students with hearing impairments focus on: (1) revision, in which students review and refine the content, ideas, and form of their writing; and (2) proofreading and copy editing, in which students examine grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. Ways to utilize peers as…

Discusses ways an editor can cut out words to help the reader understand quickly. Discusses dead wood, redundancy, redundancy in thought, smothered verbs, false precision, editing and academia, and making copy smoother. (SR)

Examines differences between composition researchers and communication professionals in use of the term "editing." Argues for cooperation between these two groups to develop an interdisciplinary definition of editing to bring consistency to research, precision to the editing process, and substantial advance in the bridge between theory…

Shows how an editing assignment emphasizing punctuation can help students in a first-year writing class discover new ideas and perspectives as part of the revision process. Considers a class that experimented with editing punctuation for a dual purpose--as a revision heuristic as well as for correctness. Reconsiders editing and revision…