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Friday

A to Z Writing: X Marks the Spot for Proofreading


Exactness counts for editors and proofreaders – no matter what type of manuscripts they are preparing for publication.

Historically, manuscript editors have employed specific notational symbols to mark errors and necessary changes to content or typography. In the past, before virtual editing became commonplace, it was virtually impossible for an editorial student to graduate from journalism school without earning high marks in learning these marks.

Here’s a sampling of proofreading symbols from The Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition).



Who remembers these once-common editorial symbols?

With the advent of electronic publishing, traditional proofreading marks have fallen out of common usage.

Does electronic editing cut out important information?

Editorial changes have become considerably more efficient, economical and perhaps effective through the use of computers. At the same time, however, part of the process has been lost. It is difficult now for authors and editors to track manuscript changes, unless original files are kept and compared against revisions.

Image:  
Pencil or Keyboard?
By Cohdra
MorgueFile
2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge logo
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1 comment:

  1. I remember joining the newspaper staff in college. We had so much fun and I learned about making newspapers from yesteryear. Things have changed - ah, 6 of 1 or half dozen of another. They're different, but the experience will stay with us forever, no matter what it is.

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