UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS)’s Post

One part of the journalism/publishing process that is really important for content creation is quality control. Especially the understanding that content can always be improved. That's why sub-editors existed - to check copy for sense, grammar and to ensure the copy did what it was expected to do. Proof reading is more important than ever - whether you are checking your copy, someone else's copy or AI generated copy. Here are 5 reasons to proofread . . . #content

Here are some reasons to proofread copy before you share it.

📚 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 🖋️ Looking to take your writing and editing skills to the next level? Look no further! We've gathered insights from our seasoned editors who are passionate about their craft. Their valuable tips can help you refine your writing and editing prowess. Let's dive right in and learn from the best. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧: 📝 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝐹𝑒𝑎𝑟" John advises writers not to worry about perfection in their first drafts. Just get your thoughts down on paper and leave the polishing for later. 🧹 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝐸𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠" John's top editing advice is to eliminate filler words like "just," "really," and "very." It streamlines your writing, making it more concise and impactful. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲: 🎨 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑤, 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑇𝑒𝑙𝑙" Emily believes in the power of vivid descriptions and sensory details to create an immersive reading experience. Show, don't tell, and let your readers experience the story. 🪛 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝐶𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟" Emily's editing mantra is all about clarity and conciseness. Trim unnecessary words and phrases to make your writing stronger and more engaging. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥: 📓 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑃ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠" Michael emphasizes separating the writing and editing processes. Write first, then take a break before editing. Fresh eyes catch mistakes and improvements better. 🔑 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇𝑖𝑝: "𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝐾𝑒𝑦" Michael's top editing tip is consistency. Ensure your writing follows a consistent style, tone, and formatting. Consistency builds reader trust. -------------------------------------- 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬 - 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 & 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠. 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://bulletedits.com/ 𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥: [email protected] 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐔𝐊: (+44) 2045770286 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤: https://lnkd.in/gpzJcAqf #ExpertAdvice #EditingEnthusiasts #EditingTips #WritingCraft #EditorialExpertise #WritingExcellence #EditingSkills #WritingQuality #AdviceFromExperts #EditingProfessionals #WritingPolish #ExpertInsights #EditingMagic #WritingCommunity #ExpertGuidance #EditingExperience #WritingHelp #ExpertOpinions #EditingWisdom #WritingSupport

Writing has always been fun for me, something I’ve enjoyed since high school journalism classes. Writing clear, compelling copy is something I’m focused on getting better at this year. Copy that’s on brand, authentic, at times witty, but always gets to the point. You know it when you see it, read it. Two approaches I'm pursuing to build up that skillset: Putting pen to paper and copying really good writing samples (Sam Parr) Starting a list of sentences I wish I had written (Nathan Baugh) Any other resources you recommend for improving copywriting skills?

I just had an epiphany, and some of you aren't going to like it. It's about the Oxford comma. And writers know that few writing rules or questions bring out such strong opinions. I was a journalist and journalism professor for years. AP Style = no Oxford comma Now, I'm a content marketing editor. Marketing = it's the clients' choice Our clients ALL choose the Oxford comma. And, you know what? I LIKE IT! I like the Oxford comma. 🤓 It gives sentences with series clarity. Now, what journalism clubs am I getting booted out of? hashtag#writing hashtag#editing

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 🌏 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 💅 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫,  But so does polished, error-free content. ▶ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲. ❓ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠? ➡ 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Refines content, structure, and style for clarity, conciseness, and engagement. ➡ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: Final step before publication,  focuses on identifying and correcting errors. ❓ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭? 🛑 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Errors can undermine your trust. ↔ 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: Editing ensures clear and engaging content. 📉 𝐒𝐄𝐎: Well-edited content can improve search rankings. 🔍 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦: Well-edited content shows attention to detail. 📝 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: ✔ -𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤:  Step away to view your content with fresh eyes. ✔ -𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝:  Reading aloud helps identify awkward phrasing and errors. ✔ -𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬:  Many online and offline tools aid editing and proofreading. ✔ -𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤:  Have someone else review your writings to catch mistakes. 🌟 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 In the content creation process. ⏳ 𝐁𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠,  You can create high-quality content  That is both informative and engaging. ⬇ 🔹 𝐏.𝐒. What is your opinion on editing and proofreading? ------------- Don't forget to follow your writer, Quswa Aijaz, for more writing tips.

There seems to be a general trend towards companies being less interested in quality text these days, or at least not being prepared to pay for it. This is what translation agencies would have us believe, anyway. I’m curious as to the reasons for this. It’s a topic too complex for a social media post but here are a few thoughts. On the one hand, the digital revolution has made it incredibly easy to generate and publish text. In the pre-digital age, publishing a piece of writing involved an intermediate process of editing and typesetting. These days, nothing stands between us and sharing our two-pence-worth with the world. It makes sense that this has diminished the value of text (and images, and video) overall – the more there is of something, the less it is valued. It has a disposable quality, and thus investing time and money in its production is not considered worth it. But with so much content coming at us on our screens, it seems to me that good-quality text is still pretty important, particularly when it comes to advertising. Adverts pop up on our social media screens from unknown companies and service providers. The quality of the text and images helps us to determine whether or not something is “legit”. An advert with poor translations, spelling mistakes or just a generally unprofessional look is far more likely to be dismissed by viewers as dubious or dodgy – surely I’m right about this? Any thoughts on the topic appreciated! #translation #editing #proofreading #advertising

Editing is subjective. And because it's subjective, editors aren't going to get it right every time. That's the gamble you take when working with an editor. But I promise you, having trained eyes on your text does wonders for your words. I carefully consider whether the text is great as it is or whether it can be improved. And that means I have to be both subjective and objective. Editors don't always need to make significant changes to make the words read better than before. Sometimes taking out a single word removes doubt, strengthens the meaning and helps things flow. Here are a smattering of editing examples to show you how small changes can zhuzh up your writing. Example 1 🟡 Original: that could signify potential risks ✂️ Edited: that signify potential risks Why the change? 📌 The possibility (the "could") is in "potential". "Could" is redundant. Example 2 🟡 Original: An SKA assessment will help you scope a new fit-out and ensure as many sustainability factors as possible are incorporated. ✂️ Edited: An SKA assessment will help you scope a new fit-out and incorporate as many sustainability factors as possible. Why the change? 📌 I restructured the passive "are incorporated" construction so that "you" becomes the one doing the "incorporating". The action's now more direct and speaks to the reader. It also takes out an unnecessary verb ("ensure"). Example 3 🟡 Original: In Britain, more than 82% of workers express the desire to want to work flexibly in the future. ✂️ Edited: In Britain, more than 82% of workers say they want to work flexibly in the future. Why the change? 📌 My client's client doesn't have a stuffy tone of voice – "express the desire to" had to go. 📌 You could say "More than 82% of British workers", but why change it for the sake of it? It's absolutely fine as it is and fits well in the passage. Editors work WITH you. They explain why they've changed or suggested something and then it's up to you. You have ownership. You might like that change. You might want to tweak it yourself now you've had a fresh take on it. 🦁 And because I have a massive lion's mane and love a hair pun... An editor is someone to BOUNCE ideas off. #proofreading #editing #ContentWriting #MarketingCommunications

In the fast-paced world of publishing, there's a silent hero behind every great piece of written content: the editor. The meticulous work of editing often goes unnoticed, yet it is what shapes raw manuscripts into polished masterpieces ready to captivate readers. In this blog post, we delve into the inner workings of Kiesha's Publications – a hub of editing excellence where words are refined, stories are perfected, and clarity is king. Behind Closed Doors: The Editing Process Unveiled The Silent Guardian: Kiesha's Editorial Team At Kiesha's Publications, two seasoned editors stand as the guardians of quality content. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for precision, these editing aficionados meticulously scrutinize each word, sentence, and paragraph that crosses their desks. Their dedication to maintaining the integrity of the author's voice while enhancing readability is the cornerstone of Kiesha's editing philosophy. From Manuscript to Masterpiece: The Editing Journey The editing journey at Kiesha's Publications is a multi-faceted process that involves several stages of fine-tuning. From the initial manuscript assessment to structural edits, copyedits, and proofreading, every step is meticulously executed to ensure a flawless final product. Each edit is focused on enhancing coherence, clarity, and consistency, breathing life into the author's vision while adhering to editorial standards.

Ready to Level Up Your Editing Skills? (It's not only about "take a break and edit later") We're going beyond that! 1️⃣ Stage 1: Macro Editing First up, we have Macro Editing. It's about shaping the structure and purpose of your content. Imagine you've crafted a blog post titled "Top 5 Tips for a Happy Morning Routine." ➡️ During editing, ask yourself: ↳ Does my content answer the core question? ↳ Is the angle fresh and engaging? ↳ Does it flow logically? The goal here? ✔️ A reader-friendly, crystal clear article that enlightens and informs. Let's move on to the next phase. 2️⃣ Stage 2: Micro Editing Now, let's zoom in. Micro Editing focuses on the finer details that make your content shine. Good content reads like a melody, each note purposeful and pleasing. That's what Micro Editing does! ➡️ Here's what to focus on: ↳ Does each sentence pack a punch? ↳ Have I cut repetitive ideas and words? ↳ Is my language clear and accessible to my target audience? The result? ✔️ A piece that's factually solid and effortlessly understandable. 3️⃣ Stage 3: Polishing (Proofreading) The final touch. Polishing is where we address grammar, spelling, and punctuation with surgical precision. Because even the most brilliant idea can be overshadowed by a misplaced comma. ➡️ What's the key to flawless proofreading? ↳ Keep language and style consistent. ↳ Check every comma, period, and apostrophe. ↳ Remove annoying typos that hurt your credibility. ↳ Pay attention to regional differences and spelling choices. P.S. Do you enjoy editing, or does it often feel like a burdensome task?