James Abbott McNeill. Whistler's Mother (1871)



Course Overview

This course, Editing Business, Government and Technical Information, is currently being offered as ETWR 2379 (and as POFT 1007 continuing education) at Austin Community College, Austin, Texas. In this course you learn administrative forms and organizational processes for technical editing, both for in-house and freelance; practice proofreading and copyediting (including standard, traditional hardcopy editorial markup and proofreading symbols); review grammar, usage, and punctuation rules; practice substantive (comprehensive) editing; develop portfolio-quality editorial samples; explore methods of editing electronically; and learn how to create style sheets and style guides.

Semester/year Fall 2012
Instructor David McMurrey
Class location & meetings Online class
Office Northridge 4225
Office hours Thursday: Northridge Campus 4225 11:30pm-4:30pm
Phone 512.223.4804
E-mail davidm@austincc.edu

Week of August 27


When does summer end?

Getting organized. In this first week, take a look at the schedule, policies, objectives, and requirements for this course. Fill out an online questionnaire and write a brief get-acquainted memo that will be posted on our course website so we can all get know each other! We will meet "live" in Adobe WebConnect.

Due dates Watch and listen to the Course overview
Fill out the questionnaire — due Aug. 30
Set up your edit log. Every time you do an edit, fill out this log: you can watch your efficiency and accuracy improve over the semester. You'll also have a good idea how to estimate editing projects. You'll get credit for the edit log by logging in the data for all your on-your-own edits. — due Aug. 30
Write the get-acquainted memo to introduce yourself to your instructor and the rest of the class. This memo will be password-protected; only our class can see these memos; ask your instructor for the password. — Aug. 30
See the get-acquainted memos.

Technical editing overview. In this first week of our course, focus on a broad definition of technical editing.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 1. Editing: The Big Picture: quiz — Sept. 2
Rude Chapter 2. Readers, Users, Browsers, Problem Solvers...: quiz — Sept. 2
Practice edits. Let's see how well you can copyedit "straight out of the box"! Rest assured that the results you enter in your edit log will have absolutely nothing to do with your grades in this course.
Live edit 1 Let's see how we do on the hikikomori document. We will do these "live" edits together in an online meeting room. These live edits will be Thursdays beginning Aug. 30, 6:30 p.m., with the last one the next-to-last week of semester. (No edit session Thanksgiving Day.) Meetings will be recorded. Each Thursday morning, you'll receive e-mail containing a link to the online meeting room. If you do not receive the e-mail Thursday morning, click the archive link above and to the left.
Completed edits Completed edits. I'll post these each week.

Week of September 3

Diagnostics. In the first two weeks of this course, take the sentence diagnostic which checks how well you know your traditional usage and punctuation rules. (ETWR 2379 does not feature these topics; you can use the diagnostic results to study on your own.)

Diagnostics Sentence diagnostic — due Sept. 6

You get credit for taking this diagnostic and additional credit when you complete the sentence-diagnostic-related exercises and quizzes.
Rude Chapter 3. Collaborating with Writers: quiz — Sept. 9
Rude Chapter 23. Management: quiz — Sept. 9

House 2379 Style. We'll have a number of stylistic requirements in this course. Wherever you edit or write, you'd hope there is a house style. Even though house-style issues seem trivial, the lack of standards for them can cause arguments, lost time digging round for trends in the organization's documents, and generalized anxiety. Here is a link to our house style.

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 2 First aid — Sept. 6, 6:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of September 10

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 1 will be due end of the week — Sept. 16

Electronic editing, copyediting, style sheets. This week we continue one of the major focuses of this course: copyediting. That focus will include style sheets and methods for editing online.

Tutorials Electronic editing: tutorials
Rude Chapter 4: Marking Paper Copy: quiz — Sept. 16
Rude Chapter 5: Marking Digital Copy: quiz — Sept. 16

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 3 Stem cells — Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of September 17

Electronic editing, copyediting, style sheets. We continue with our studies of copyediting and look into style sheets and methods for editing online.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 6. Electronic Editing: quiz — Sept. 23
Rude Chapter 7. Basic Copyediting—An Introduction: quiz — Sept. 23
Rude Chapter 8. Copyediting for Consistency: quiz — Sept. 23
Resources Copyediting resources (additional copyediting resources)
Study stylesheets
Practice creating stylesheets. (Use this stylesheet grid or design your own.)

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 4 Nitrogen dioxide — Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of September 24


Fall is falling!

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 2 will be due end of the week — Sept. 30

Copyediting — continued. Review some essential issues for technical editors: spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, gramar and usage.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 9. Spelling, Capitalization, and Abbreviations: quiz — Sept. 30
Rude Chapter 10. Grammar and Usage: quiz — Sept. 30
Extra practice Copyediting resources (for additional practice)

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 5 Dell All-In-one copier — Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of October 1

Punctuation and proofreading. We'll finish up with the copyediting and proofreading segment of this course with these two chapters from Technical Editing. See if you can explain the difference between copymarking and proofreading!

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 11. Punctuation: quiz — Oct. 7
Rude Chapter 13. Proofreading: quiz — Oct. 7
Live edit 6 Selling on eBay — Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of October 8

Quantitative and technical material. Read the Rude chapter on editing quantitative and technical material and take the quiz. We will probably not do any of the exercises from that chapter. Instead, we'll probably catch up with studies from the preceding week and review for the exam.

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 12. Quantitative and Technical Material: quiz — Oct. 14
Rude Chapter 22. Type and Production: quiz — Oct. 14
Live edit 7 Recommendation: kindergarten software — Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of October 15

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 3 will be due end of the week — Oct. 21

Comprehensive editing. This week we begin studying and practicing the business of comprehensive editing, as defined in Technical Editing.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 14. Comprehensive Editing: Definition and Process: quiz — Oct. 21
Rude Chapter 15. Style: Definition and Sentence Structures: quiz — Oct. 21
Rude Chapter 16. Style: Verbs and Other Words: quiz — Oct. 21

Code-style markup. Let's go over a simpler system of indicating fonts, margins, and alignment. You'll see a demo of how to use some type specs to mark up a document with codes that tel the type setter (human or program) how to set up the document for publication.

Coding & examples Overview of code-style markup. Read all about it.
Serious code. Frightening, huh? We'll use something simpler.
Example coding markup. Here is an example. (See the specs for this markup.)
Example coding markup. Here's a "real world" example.
Coding practice Coding-practice document. Type-code this document using these specs, and send it to your instructor — Oct. 21

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 8 Transparent backgrounds — Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.

Week of October 22

Comprehensive editing — continued. This week, get some ideas about how to edit for potential organizational problems and the overall visual design of a document.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 17. Organization: quiz — Oct. 28
Rude Chapter 18. Visual Design: quiz — Oct. 28
McMurrey, Page design. Read about headings, lists, notices, and highlighting in the online textbook, and take the quiz — Oct. 28
Fun stuff Colon News. Fast-breaking, up-to-the-minute news from the constantly changing world of colons! Chicken Soup: User Guide. There is a problem with headings, however.
Modernization edit. Comprehensive editing out of control.
Problem modifiers. Even editors can have fun . . . twisted though it may be. Expensive comma error. Interesting STC article, although I don't get it.
Project Writing edit summaries. How to write the edit summary for a comprehensive edit (a requirement on the final project in this course).
Example review letter. Here is an example of an edit-review summary (Word document) like the one you will be writing. Practice review letter. Write an edit summary on the infamous "open heart surgery" document, and post it on the web page available at this link.

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 9 RSS explained — Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of October 29


Halloween is the 31st!

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 4. This quiz is no longer part of the plan. If you can fit it in and do well, I can replace your lowest edit quiz score with this one. No later than Nov. 26

Comprehensive editing — continued. Let's continue our work in comprehensive editing by exploring how to edit graphics and online documents.

Style guide project. In our online meeting, you'll see how to create a simple style guide, and then you'll create one on your own.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 19. Illustrations: quiz — due Nov. 4
McMurrey, Page design. Read about or review notices and highlighting in the online textbook.
Project Style guide practice
Style guide project — due Nov. 11

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 10 Mail merge — Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of November 5

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 4. This quiz is no longer part of the plan. If you can fit it in and do well, I can replace your lowest edit quiz score with this one. No later than Nov. 26

Comprehensive editing — continued. Let's continue our work in comprehensive editing by exploring how to edit graphics and online documents.

Readings & quizzes McMurrey: Read about Book design and take the quiz — due Nov. 11

Style guide. Don't forget! The style-guide project is due at the end of this week. For additional details, see the week of October 29.

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 11 Red eye — Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of November 12

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 4. This quiz is no longer part of the plan. If you can fit it in and do well, I can replace your lowest edit quiz score with this one. No later than Nov. 26

Editor summary memo or letter. This summary you'll include with your final project.

Readings & examples Edit summaries. This link provides a definition, functions, strategies, format of the summary.
Example edit summary. A nice example of what we are shooting for here.
Exercises Practice review letter. In one or more of our online meetings, we will write edit summaries on documents such as this one, the infamous "open heart surgery" document, and post them on the web page available at this link.

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 12 Track changes — due Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of November 19


Happy Thanksgiving!

Week of November 26

Editing quizzes. Editing quiz 5 will be due next week — Dec. 9

Big issues for technical editors. Consider how an editor must take global contexts into account as well as ethical and legal issues.

Readings & quizzes Rude Chapter 20. Editing in Global Contexts: quiz — Nov. 18
Rude Chapter 21. Legal and Ethical Issues in Editing: quiz — Nov. 18

Practice edits. As usual, we'll edit a document together during our online meeting. Please do this edit before class to see how well you do, and then enter your results in your edit log.

Live edit 13 Pocket camcorder recommendation report — Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Note: Whenever you miss an online meeting, do the edit before the meeting and send it to me. Compare your edit to the recording the next day and make entries in your edit log. For the file name of the edit, use some part of your name and the edit number (for example, davidmc_edit2.doc.)

Week of December 3

Final practice edit, final edit quiz. Please see the past edits for the digital camera recommendation report in edits.

Practice edit 14 Digital camera recommendation report — available Dec. 4
Projects Final project: copyedit and comprehensive edit — Dec. 13

Week of December 10

Final edit project. Good luck—I hope all your hard work this semester pays off.

Projects Final project: copyedit and comprehensive edit — Dec. 13
Informal course evaluation Course evaluation form


Winter starts next week . . somewhere.


Information and programs provided by davidm@austincc.edu.