Good job, AMWA!

I would argue, however, that even established editors would benefit from this text as an overview and reminder of our complex tasks and decisions. It was good to see an acknowledgment of the intricacies of editorial judgment and to watch a professional walk through the research that informs her judgments. Even after years of editing, I learned something in every chapter I read.

My other argument with Amy Einsohn, the author, is that she has based the book on The Chicago Manual of Style, whose explicit purpose is to set style for academic publishing (specifically at the University of Chicago), not necessarily for “book publishing and corporate communications” as Einsohn has specified. I also wonder why she fails to mention The Gregg Reference Manual, my favorite style manual for all things business because it addresses far more relevant issues than does Chicago.

Nevertheless, Einsohn redeems herself with 15 editing exercises sprinkled throughout the chapters (the answers alone take up 66 pages). The richness of this book almost makes me wish that I would experience a very minor injury or illness that would sideline me for just one day so that I could curl up, finish the book, and take the quizzes.

The Copy Editor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 3rd Edition
Amy Einsohn
University of California Press
2011
About $15

PowerPoint presentations have become a vital part of both internal and external communications at pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Whether you are from regulatory affairs, charged with presenting information on how to comply with new requirements to the manufacturing team or you are from a small medical device company presenting your product to possible investors, your presentation could mean the lifeblood of your organization. Not only do executives use presentation slides to make pitches to stakeholders, but doctors also use them to present information at meetings and conferences too.

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That’s why I recommend that each work group, department, division, or company adopt a published style manual and mandate strict adherence to that particular style to increase the consistency of their written messages.  (To see a comprehensive matrix of 12 style manuals, visit www.textdoctor.com/stylemanuals.)

If necessary, each group can create a personalized style sheet to document where style choices differ from the adopted style manual. This process, however, can be costly and bloody.

Of course, everyone can play Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way” at review meetings, but for those who want a coherent, consistent style, these steps outlined above will be helpful.

Read upcoming blog  entries for more information about each style manual, including my opinions on each .

I experienced this when I taught a technical writing seminar at a small testing firm. A learner in the class asked me for a recommendation for a published style manual. I answered, “In the absence of a corporate requirement to use a specific industry style manual like the AMA Manual of Style (American Medical Association) or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style), I think a great choice for your company for good general business style is The Gregg Reference Manual.”

One seminar member reacted very strongly, grumbling that The Gregg Reference Manual was for secretaries and demanding that members of the class should use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). After a rather heated discussion about the pros and cons of each, we dropped the issue, but when I came to teach my class the next week, I found a box of CMS manuals (a $1000 investment) on my desk to distribute to the class.

After that, learners would e-mail me with questions like “How does Gregg handle XX?” or “We’re having an argument here about how to format YY, and it’s not listed in Chicago. Could you look it up for me in your copy of  Gregg?”

This is why it’s valuable to know which style manual is best for which industry or purpose. CMS was developed for the University of Chicago’s academic faculty and is best today for authors of scholarly works. It is also used in social science publications and most historical journals.

In contrast, the Gregg Reference Manual states that it is “the business writer’s survival manual” and, as such, includes many items not found in CMS. I own both, but I find myself referring to Gregg at least ten times as much as I refer to the CMS for business and technical writing purposes.

Check out these links:

The Chicago Manual of Style Online
Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
CMS Crib Sheet
Frick and Frick’s matrix comparing 12 current style manuals

Publication information:

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, 15th edition, 2003.

(New editions released about every 10 years)

University of Chicago Press

984 pages

ISBN: 978-0226104034

List price: $55.00 (about $30 on Amazon.com)

Lake Superior State University just released its 37th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness.

(The Queen referenced above is Queen Elizabeth, not me…)

OK, fine. Since the client can set the style, I tried to follow their prescription.

What a waste of time it was to have to stop my forward motion to analyze whether each series was “simple” or “complex,” given the limited examples offered by AP and my client. I had to decide whether to insert a serial comma or not in sentences like these:

1. We define policies that include a delegation agreement, policies and procedures, file review if applicable for UM, credentialing/re-credentialing, and complex case management.
2. This will achieve cost-effective, measurable and compliant outcomes.
3. However, we have already made noticeable progress through streamlining workflows for information sharing, defining outcome determinations, and standardizing internal processes to ensure that we meet timeliness targets.*

Imagine 400 pages with about 8 series per page. When I automatically plunk a serial comma before every final conjunction, I move through each series in an average of 15 seconds. In this nightmare scenario, I had to assess each series for simplicity or complexity, and I estimate that this cerebral effort required an average of 45 seconds. At 30 seconds more per series, that’s 26 hours more over the entire 400 pages. (Feel free to check my math.)

Is it any wonder that ALL American style guides except for the Associated Press require writers to use the serial comma? Don’t you wish everyone did?

To read my newsletter article about the serial comma, visit my Constant Contact archive.

*Note: I followed the client’s rules here; I would have used the serial comma in sentence #2.

After each group finishes writing their steps, they field-test their procedures on potential end users (another group in the class). In most cases, those users can perform the procedures without a hitch. Sometimes, however, the procedure writers have forgotten to specify if the ruler is to be placed on the table with the numbers up or down; in other cases, they have completely left out a step.

Such omissions occur because when we write, we sometimes unconsciously leave things out that are perfectly obvious to us. When we actually see users engage with our documents, we realize that we need to add, subtract, substitute, or reorder our text.

Of course, field-testing a document takes time, but so does ineffective, confusing, poorly written communication that confuses readers!

All writers need to field-test their documents. Recently, my home-town newspaper reported on a local author, Nancy Mervar, who field-tested her first children’s book, Nana’s Silly Goats, on a third-grade class. “When I have kids do the editing and revisions with me, I can do the best job on the story,” she said. “It’s really coming from the kids rather than an adult’s viewpoint of what the kids want to hear about.” An added bonus of this experience is that the students learn more about the writing process, especially since Nancy will share her revisions with them.

Want your own folding ruler? Send me a story about your experience with field-testing your documents to improve them, and if I use it in a future column or blog,  I’ll send you a folding ruler; you can even pick your color!

From Matthew Moore’s blog post in The Telegraph:

“The symbol – a dot inside a single spiral line – can be installed onto any PC running Windows 7, XP or Vista, as well as Macs and Blackberry mobile devices. It can then be used in Word documents, instant instant messenger conversations, Outlook email and other programmes, just by pressing Ctrl and the full stop button.”

I love thinking about questioning skills. I realize that whenever things go wrong, it’s usually because I didn’t ask the right questions before moving ahead.

I’m offering a webinar today on oral questioning skills for STC (the Society for Technical Communication) and will soon offer my readers a webinar on this important topic, too.