Editing Successfully When the Author is a Subject Expert

chillibreeze writer — Rajeshwari Ganesan

An editor has to be prepared to work on documents, papers, and other written material dealing with a variety of subjects. Each written product has its own style – a press release, for instance, needs to be written in a less formal language than an academic paper. Though most editors have some familiarity with a host of subjects and styles, they cannot claim to be an expert in any particular subject. This sometimes poses difficulties to the editor, especially when editing the work of an expert – be they an academic or a professional. In many instances, the first language of the expert is not English and the expert is not completely at ease with the language.

A subject matter expert who is not comfortable with English is more likely to have written sentences that are ambiguous. Moreover, the intent of the author can be incorrectly conveyed because of the author’s unfamiliarity with English usage. A good editor aims to address these challenges with tact and understanding.

Before starting the edit, the editor needs to ensure that the style sheet has been agreed up on. As many academics are not very comfortable with the comments option provided by Word, it is best to use only track changes. Any editorial comments and queries can be highlighted to distinguish them from the suggested changes to the text.

An editor has to first understand their own limitations and work toward overcoming them. A good editor will refer to a dictionary to learn the meaning of an unfamiliar word. This is essential as syntax and semantics, especially the use of prepositions, is bound intricately to the meaning of the nouns and verbs used. The editor should query the author only if other sources of information and reference do not yield a satisfactory resolution.

Too many unnecessary queries will waste the author’s time and also confuse them. By asking only essential questions, an editor will be able to complete the editing process faster.

While questioning a phrase or suggesting a change the editor should always be polite. It is best to say something on the lines of “Please check if…” rather then saying “This conclusion does not follow from…”. Editors should avoid letting personal biases against conclusions reached by the expert from coloring their edits.

By understanding the general thrust of the argument presented in the document, the editor will be able to spot any internal inaccuracies in the logical flow. This will also help the editor ensure that headings and sub-headings are appropriate.

Editors should also check for data consistency by comparing the numbers in the text against the corresponding charts or tables. While the academic or expert is proficient in their subject, they might not be at ease with English, especially idiomatic English. The editor should focus on these areas and ensure that idioms are correctly used and metaphors are not mixed.

The editor should keep the nature of the publication and the intended audience in mind while editing. A paper meant for a scientific journal can have many unexplained technical terms, while one meant for a general reader or layman should have clear explanations. The editor can suggest that the author explain some of these terms.

Any document needs to be internally consistent as far as tense, spellings, and style is concerned. In the case of specialized texts, the editor needs to ensure that every instance of a technical term is spelled the same way. Editors need to always keep in mind that their job is to facilitate effective communication between the author and the reader. To this end, the editor is free to suggest that certain ideas be elaborated or rephrased.

Many authors who are not native speakers of English may inadvertently use politically incorrect expressions when referring to particular groups of people. It is the editor’s responsibility to bring such expressions to the notice of the author and suggest more appropriate terms.

While authors do not expect language editors to be well-versed in the latest happenings in every subject, they do expect an editor to have sufficient general knowledge as well as some interest in the topic being written about. The editor should be aware of at least some of the technical terms used, or be willing to look them up. Editors should also keep in mind that a term might have differing meanings when used in different contexts.

An editor who does not assume knowledge about the topic being discussed but instead takes the time and effort to find out more about new terminology encountered will be able to provide better language change suggestions than one who merely queries everything new.

Of course, the editor should query unclear text. This will help the author rephrase the text to make the intended meaning clear. Rather then just highlighting the unclear text and saying it is unclear, the editor needs to offer the author an explanation. By explaining the ambiguity involved or the apparent contradiction, the editor will be able to help the author refine the sentence. If possible, the editor should offer the author choices from which the author can select a phrase that makes the indented meaning clearer.

Yet another issue that crops up when an expert writes is that of abbreviations. The author is familiar with the subject and might not appreciate the need to expand abbreviations. However, many readers will be confused by abbreviations, especially because the same abbreviation stands for a variety of things depending on the subject matter being written about. Editors should be able to firmly and politely explain this to the expert author.

A good editor assumes the role of an interested student and ensures that every word, phrase, and sentence is understandable. This approach will also help the editor pick out parts of text that are ambiguous or contradictory.

An editor should keep in mind that technical terms have very precise meanings and cannot be used interchangeably. By ensuring that editorial suggestions do not involve alternate words for key terms – both nouns and verbs – an editor will be able to ensure that the edits suggested do not change the intended meaning. While non-academic texts benefit from the use of alternate words that convey the same meaning – indeed it helps retain reader interest, academic texts should not be treated in the same manner.

For instance while a non-technical document can use distance and displacement interchangeably, an academic or technical write-up that does so will end up confusing the reader.

In many ways the role of a language editor when editing a paper written by a subject expert is limited. The editor should, by and large, confine themselves to ensuring proper grammar – tense, spelling, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. Only text that is ambiguous needs to be reworked. Otherwise it is best to retain the style of the author.

Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in June, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Rajeshwari Ganesan has a master's degree in Linguistics. She has worked as an editor for a financial newspaper as well as a marketing research firm. She has extensive knowledge of financial and business matters. As a freelance content writer she has written extensively on personal finance issues. She also has considerable experience in writing content for web pages. She understands how to write copy that will appeal to US consumers and business executives.

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