The Copyeditor's Handbook Glossary of Copyediting Terms
linespacing
"white pace" between successive lines of text; usually called leading
cleanup
(1) File cleanup, standardization of formatting and keyboarding, usually with the use of macros, to prepare computer files for editing and the subsequent production process. (2) Manuscript cleanup, incorporation of an author's responses to the copyediting into the final hard copy or computer files.
callout
(1) Placement callout, a notation on hard copy usually in the left margin) or in a manuscript file (following the publisher's convention) to indicate the placement of an image or table or to signal a cross-reference (2) Image callout, a label identifying an item in an illustration
styling
(1) editorial changes in a manuscript to ensure conformity to an editorial style; see mechanical editing (2) formatting of the elements of a manuscript by using the style and template features of a word processor; compare markup
incorrection
(1) replacement of a correct variant, falsely believed to be erroneous, by some other (possibly less satisfactory) correct variant (2) replacement of a correct variant by an incorrect one
clipping
(1) shortened form of a word usually created by pruning syllables from the front, middle, or back of a longer word: exam for examination (2) Abbreviation formed by clipping off the end of a word: Rev., Prof.
flag
(1) to call to someone's attention (Flag all math symbols") (2) Gummed slip of paper, attached to hard copy, on which a copyeditor writes a query; also called query slip
built-up fraction
A fraction typeset as separate numbers with a solidus (slash) between them: 1/2, 3/4, 7/8. Compare case fraction
hyphen
A horizontal bar character used to indicate a split or incomplete word.
full caps
ALL CAPITALS
compound
Adjective, adverb, conjunction, noun, or preposition composed of two or more words. A compound form may be open (written as several words but treated as a unit), hyphenated (written as two or more words connected by hyphens), or solid (also called closed; written as one word). Compound forms are also described as permanent (a fixed form listed in a dictionary) or temporary ( a form determined by a style manual's hyphenation rules and affected by the use and position of the word in a sentence).
headnote style
Brief introductory or explanatory material that follows a part, chapter, or section title and preceds the running text
epigraph
Brief quotation conveying the theme of a work or a division of a work, placed in the front matter of a book, on the part title page of a section, or on the opening page of a chapter
credit line
Brief statement of the source of an illustration, often placed at the end of the legend
intercap
Capital letter that appears in the middle of a word, as in a company or product name (FedEx, PowerPoint, Ebay) also called midcap or camel cap
acute accent
Diacritic mark
on-screen editing
Editing that is performed on a document's computer files rather than on hard copy; also called online editing or electronic manuscript (EMS) editing
APA style
Editorial preferences specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
PDF [Portable Document Format]
Electronic file format that preserves the font, page layout, and images of the original file independent of a computer's operating system or software
all cap
FULL CAPITALS
A-head
First-level heading within a chapter (or comparable section of a document); also 1-head
interrobang
Fusion of the question mark and exclamation point, once proposed (but never widely adopted) as an addition tot he standard list of punctuation marks in English
line editing
In traditional publishing, revision focusing on literary style at the sentence and paragraph levels. Today often used interchangeably with the term copyediting
indie author
Independent author. Performs the tasks normally undertaken by a traditional publisher, hires services to do this work, or collaborates with other independent publishing professionals (editors, designers, production specialists, distributors) and commercial publishing platforms to self-publish a work
Unicode
International coding system that enables keyboarders to produce over one hundred thousand linguistic, mathematical, and scientific characters
stet
Latin for "let it stand" used to reinstate text that had been marked for deletion or change
hair-line rule
Lightest (or thinnest) horizontal line available
fraction slash
Name of the character used to construct case fractions. Not found on a standard QWERTY keyboard or in Microsoft Word's Symbol Browser. In Unicode this glyph is U+2044
editorial coordinator
Person who supervises an in-house copyeditor or who assigns work to a freelance copyeditor. In book publishing, often called managing editor, chief copyeditor, production editor, or project editor; in other industries, may be titled communications or pubs (short for publication) manager, editor, or specialist
flush
Positioned at the margin of the text page, either flush left or flush right.
curly quotes
Rounded marks used for quotations and apostrophes.
dot leaders
Row of periods between horizontal entries in a table or list; for example: Annual turnover...............93.4%
initial cap only
See sentence style
UC
Short for uppercase (capital letters)
flush and hang
Style of setting indexes and lists. The first line of each entry or paragraph is set flush left, and the remaining lines of the entry are indented.
eggcorn
The erroneous transformation of a stock expression into a new one, often based on an incorrect assumption about the etymology of the original. The linguist Geoffrey Pullum named this type of error, from the mangled saying "Mighty oaks from little eggcorns [acorns] grow"
b/b
The short for from baseline to baseline. The notation 16 pts. b/b asks for 16 points (of vertical space) between the baselines of two successive lines of text. See also leading; linespacing
editorial style
The sum of editorial decisions ensuring consistency in matters of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, punctuation, treatment of numbers and numerals, treatment of quotations, use of abbreviations, use of italics and bold type, treatment of special elements (headings, lists, tables, charts, graphs), and format of footnotes or endnotes and other documentation
half-title page
The very first page (p. i) in a printed book, normally showing only the main title and omitting subtitle, author's name, publisher, edition, and other copy. Sometimes called bastard title
frontispiece
Unnumbered illustration facing the title page of a book
square brackets
[ ]
alt text
[Alternative text] Special markup of tables and illustrations in electronic format to work with text-to-speech (TTS) and other accessibility tools.
ASCII
[American Standard Code for Information Interchange; pronounced "ASS-key."] Set of 128 alphanumeric and nonprinting characters (e.g., wordspace, tab, hard return) used in converting word processing files from one format to another. When files are converted into ASCII, all typeface formatting (e.g., italics, bold), diacritics, and other non-ASCII characters are lost.
DOI
[Digital Object Identifier] Permanent, unique alphanumeric identifier assigned to an online document by the International DOI Foundation and the document's publisher
ESL
[English as a Second Language] the term for nonnative use of English in countries where it is the primary language
EFL
[English as a foreign language] the term for nonnative use of English in countries where it is not the native language
FPO
[For position (or placement) only] Initialism stamped or watermarked on low-resolution images used as placeholders in a layout until the final images are supplied
ISBN
[International Standard Book Number] Thirteen-digit number assigned by a publisher to uniquely identify a book. Before January 2007, ten-digit ISBNs were used
OCR
[Optical character recognition; optical character reader] technology or device that scans printed text, character by character, and translates the character images into character codes, such as ASCII, that can be used in data processing or editing
SI
[Systeme international d'unites] system of measurement based on the metric system and used by scientists around the world. SI has seven base units; meter (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), ampere (electric current), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substance), and candela (luminosity)
CIP data
[cataloguing-in-publication] Block of publishing information about a book supplied to the publisher, upon request, by the Library of Congress. The CIP block is usually printed on the copyright page
MS
[plural MSS] short for manuscript
corpus
[plural: corpora] a collection of written and spoken language used in linguistic study and lexicography
leading
[pronounced "ledding"] vertical spacing between the baselines of two successive lines of text, measured in points. the word derives from the lead once used to create space between lines in hot-metal typesetting. see also b/b; linespacing
grave accent
a diacritic mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
cedilla
a diacritical mark (,) placed below the letter c to indicate that it is pronounced as an s
widow
a first line of type on a printed page that runs less than full measure; specifically, the short last line of a paragraph carried over fromt he preceding page
case fraction
a fraction typeset as one glyph: ½; also called a piece fraction; see also fraction slash
typeface
a named group of fonts—consisting of different type sizes and including roman, italic, bold, etc— in a given design eg Times Roman
tearsheet
a page "torn" from a printed document for use in the production of a new document
drop folio
a page number placed at the bottom of a page
comment
a remark or query for the author; may be shown in balloons or the review pane in a Microsoft Word document. see also bubble; embedded query; query list; query slip
bulleted list
a type of vertical list in which each item is introduced by a bullet or other graphic character
mark-revisions feature
a way of showing deletions and insertions in a document on-screen
short title
abbreviated title of a book or article used in a note or in-text citation after the full title has been cited on its first occurrence in the chapter or document
acronym
abbreviation formed by the first letters of the words in a phrase and pronounced as a word (NASA, FEMA); often used interchangeably with initialism, but some house styles treat these differently
initialism
abbreviation formed by the first letters of the words in a phrase and pronounced as separate letters (FBI, NSA)
contraction
abridgment of a syllable, word, or phrase by omitting some portion (e'er, they'll, Dr., Sr.) compare clipping
justification
alignment of left and right margins in typeset text. most book pages are justified left and right, but some documents are justified only at the left margin (also called ragged right)
blind folio
also called suppressed folio, is not printed, although the page is counted in the numbering of the pages
wordspacing
amount of space between printed words
Cupertino
an erroneous auto-correction on an electronic device. So named after the tendency of an early spell-checker to miscorrect the unhyphenated spelling of cooperation to Cupertino (Apple's California headquarters)
type page
area on a printed page defined by the top, bottom, left, and right margins. includes the running heads and running feet, folios, and sidebars
text page
area on a printed page in which the body of the text appears
table
arrangement of words or numbers in columns and row
manuscript editing
as defined by the CMS, synonymous with copyediting or line editing and encompassing tasks that range from simple mechanical corrections to substantial remedial work improving style and clarity, restructuring disorganized passages, tightening baggy prose, and the like
spine
backbone of a book that connects the front and back covers. spine copy usually includes the book title, the author's surname, the publisher's name, and the publisher's logo
boilerplate
block of text that is reused, without change, in various documents
trade books
books intended for general readers, as distinguished from books intended for professionals, scholars, or students
pull quote
brief, striking excerpt copied, or "pulled," from the main text of a dicument and treated as a graphic element
CRC
camera-ready copy
small caps
capital letter slightly shorter and squatter than full caps
sentence style
capitalization style for heads, display lines, and title of works in which all words are lowercased except those that would be capitalized in a sentence (ie the first word, proper nouns, proper adjectives, and the word I) also called initial cap only.
headline style
capitalization style for heads, display lines, and titles of works in which all words are capitalized except interior articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. Alternatively, prepositions shorter than for or five letters are lowercased, and longer prepositions are capitalized. Also called UC/lc.
font
characters in a given size and style of a typeface (10-point Courier roman)
entity
character—especially a character with a diacritic, a non-Latin alphabetic character, an ideogram, or a symbol or other glyph— that is not available on a standard QWERTY keyboard
art log
chart used to inventory and track all art in a manuscript; also called art inventory
diction
choice of words and phrases
serial comma
comma preceding and or or in a list of items (a, b, and c; d, e, f, or g). also called Harvard comma or Oxford comma
spousal commas
commas setting of a phrase used as a short appositive of relationship (eg, "Harvey, my husband..."), sometimes omitted ("my father Ralph) as an exception to the customary practice of setting off nonrestrictive interrupters with commas
ligature
compound typographic character: æ
syntax
construction of phrases, clauses, and sentences in a language
runover
continuation of a lengthy head, displayed equation, line of poetry, and the like onto a second line; also called turnover or turned line
nondisclosure agreement (NDA)
contract in which the parties agree not to disclose proprietary and other sensitive information that they share while doing business together
metadata
data about data. in publishing, information about an article, book, or other publication—eg title, subtitle, author, author biography, contributors, edition, publisher, publication date, ISBN, price, description of content, formats, subject categories, language, and page count. prepared in a structural digital format by publisher and indie authors, with some details supplied by outside sources such as the Library of Congress, metadata auto-fills the product pages and databases of publishers, distributes, vendors, libraries and content aggregators. Metadata underlies the contemporary system for cataloging, distributing, and selling books and supports online search and discovery
unlaut
diacritic mark placed over a vowel to change the pronunciation, especially in German. Usually omitted when words are Englished (uber becomes the ride-sharing service Uber) but often retained in proper names (Goering). compare diaeresis
tilde
diacritic mark ~
circumflex accent
diacritic mark: ^
trim size
dimensions of a page of a book
balloons
display option for showing comments and changes in a Microsoft Word document. Compare review pane
sink
distance from the top of a printed page to the baseline of a particular element on that page (e.g. a chapter title)
developmental editing
editing to develop an idea or proposal into a publishable manuscript, restructure a draft, identify gaps in subject coverage, devise strategies for more effective communication of the content, and create features to enhance the final product and make it more competitive in the marketplace
copyediting
editing to impose mechanical consistency; correlate parts of a manuscript; correct infelicities of grammar, usage, and diction; query internal inconsistencies and structural or organizational problems; flag content requiring permission; and provide markup or styling of elements.
mechanical editing
editorial interventions in a manuscript made to ensure conformity to an editorial style
CSE style
editorial preferences specified in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. Called CBE style until 2000, when the Council of Biology Editors changed to Council of Science Editors
AP style
editorial preferences specified in The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
Chicago style
editorial preferences specified in The Chicago Manual of Style
GPO style
editorial preferences specified in the GPO style manual: An Official Guide to the Form and Style of Federal Government Publishing (GPO originally "Government Printing Office" now "Government Publication Office")
house style
editorial style preferences expressed by a publisher
peer en dash
en dash used in place of a hyphen to join equivalently weighted terms in two-word compound adjectives. Recommended in the style manuals for Cambridge, Oxford, the ACS, the CSE, and APA
castoff
estimate of the typeset or printed length of a manuscript
signposting
excessive cross-referencing of topics preciously discussed and to be discussed ("The court's decision, as we saw in chapter 2 and 3, was controversial but firmly grounded in precedent. we will examine the legacy of this controversy in chapter 5 after we have reviewed the major precedents for the decision")
substantive
extensive revision of an author's text for literary style and sometimes engagement with content (revision with the latter focus is also called content editing)
track changes
feature in Microsoft Word that allows a user to show deletions and insertions in a document; generally described as a mark-revisions feature. see also redline
character attributes
features that apply to typed characters: boldface, italics, small capitals, subscripts, superscripts.
kerning
fine-tuned adjustments to the spacing between particular characters in a font to improve readability and appearance. see letterspacing
first ref
first appearance of a proper name ("Identify all characters on first ref) or of a source in reference notes (give a full citation on first ref")
orphan
first line of a paragraph that is stranded at the bottom of a printed page, separated from the remainder of the paragraph by a page break. Sometimes the last line of any paragraph that contains only the last part of a hyphenated word or the last syllable of the hyphenated word if that syllable is less than four letters long
galleys
first printed version (proof) of a document; so called because these proofs were once printed on long, unnumbered sheets of paper, rather than in page form. Today, galley proofs may be requested for some lengthy, complex books but are likely to take the form of loosely paginated proofs, also called rough pages, without final positioning of illustrations or fine-tuning of page maekup
style sheet
form filled in by the copyeditor as a record of editorial choices
global English
form of written English optimized for global communication, especially among speakers of regional dialects of English and nonnative English speakers. sometimes called international English style
back matter
general term for material that comes at the end of a book or book-length document: appendixes, endnotes, glossary, bibliography, index
front matter
general term for material that comes at the front of a book, before the first chapter: half-title page, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, list of illustrations or tables, foreword, preface, acknowledgments, introduction. Also called prelims
garden-path sentences
grammatically correct sentence that leads readers astray ("down the garden path") because of incorrect parsing
sidebar
graphically separate but related text placed alongside the running text in an article, on a webpage, or in a book
en
half an em
penalty copy
hard-copy manuscript that is difficult to typeset (heavily corrected, replete with math symbols or foreign-language text) for which a compositor charges a premium
cut-in head
head that cuts across the columns of a table
spanner
head that extends across two or more columns in a table
caption
heading or title of an illustration-distinct from the more discursive legend; but caption is often used to refer to all explanatory text that accompanies a piece of art
bullet
heavy, vertically centered dot used as an ornament or as a marker in a vertical list. Bullets are solid or open; square bullets are solid or open
rule
horizontal or vertical line. the thickness (or weight) of a rule is measured in points or inches
end-line hyphen
hyphen that falls at the end of a line of text
art
illustration (e.g., drawing, photograph, map, graph); also used to refer to all illustrations in a work
figure
illustration printed as part of the running text
line art
illustration that contains only blacks and whites, no gray tones
baseline
imaginary line on which printed character sit
swung dash
in math, a symbol that denotes "approximately", in logic, negation; over an equals sign, "approximately equal to"
dead copy
in the production process, a superseded version of copy; manuscript that has been typeset and proofread. see also foul copy
foul copy
in the production process, the previous iteration of a manuscript or proof with corrections indicated thereon; sometimes referred to when checking corrections in the current ("live") version. see also dead copy
bad break
incorrect division of a word that falls across two lines of type (bad word break). Unpleasing division of a paragraph that falls across two pages (bad page break). see also orphan, widow
hang
indented lines
hard hyphen
is always retained no matter where the word falls
soft hyphen
is dropped in the final copy if the hyphenated word falls on one line
display type
large, sometimes ornamented or otherwise distinctive type, used to set off, or display, part titles, chapter titles, headings, and the like.
verso
left-hand page of a book, magazine, or brochure. compare recto
stub
leftmost column of a table, which lists the categories or variable
equal variant
legitimate alternative spelling of a word that occurs with equal or near-equal frequency; usually connected to the headword in a dictionary listing by or
secondary variant
legitimate alternative spelling of a word that occurs with less frequency than the primary spelling; usually connected to the headword in a dictionary listing by also. compare equal variant; primary variant
variant spelling
legitimate alternative spelling of a word. see also equal variant; primary variant; secondary variant
register
level of formality in the grammar, usage, and diction of written or spoken communication, as determined by the specific social context and purpose of the communication, e.g., formal, informal, intimate
up style
liberal capitalization of nouns and adjectives, a style favored by some newspapers and magazines
continued line
line of text, usually set in italics [Continued on next page] placed at the foot or top of a page when an element such as a table extends over two or more pages.
pica
linear measurement: 1 pica = 12 points
point
linear measurement: 1 point = 0.0138 inches; 12 points = 1 pica = 0.1656 inches (rule of thumb: 6 picas = 1 inch); 72.464 points = 1 inch (rule of thumb: 72 point = 1 inch)
vertical list
list that displays items vertically on separate lines below the introductory text; also called displayed list or set-off list
diaeresis
mark resembling an umlaut but having a different function: it is placed over a vowel to indicate that the vowel is pronounced (naïve) omitted in many English names and words except in the pages of the New Yorker
diacritic
mark that changes the phonetic value of an alphabetical character. common diacritic marks include the acute accent, cedilla, circumflex, grave accent, tilde, and umlaut or diaeresis
markup
marking of a manuscript (hard copy or computer files_ to identify all design elements, ie, any copy that is not running text: extracts, display equations, part and chapter titles, footnotes, captions, etc. also called styling, tagging, typecoding. compare styling (2)
semantic tagging
markup of a document based on meaning rather than appearance, for example, to differentiate between italics used for emphasis, for foreign terms, and for book titles
displayed equation
mathematical expression set on its own line, compare run-in text
elegant variation
misguided stylistic refinement in which a writer substitutes different synonyms simply to avoid repeating a word
mondegreen
misunderstood text of a song or poem e.g. rendering the line "laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen" in the ballad "The Bonnie Earl O'Murray"
open punctuation
modern punctuation style, characterized by a minimalist approach to the use of marks, especially commas
smart quotes
name for directional quotation marks (both single and double), also called curly quotes or typographer's quotes
dagger
name for the † character
ampersand
name of the & character
open paren
name of the ( character
close paren
name of the ) character
en dash
name of the - character. an en dash is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash. In manuscripts the en dash is often typed as a hyphen
ellipsis
name of the . . . character
angle brackets
name of the < and > characters
at sign
name of the @ character
brackets
name of the [ and ] characters; also called square brackets
braces
name of the { and } characters; also called curly brackets
em dash
name of the — character. in manuscripts the em dash is sometimes typed as --
double dagger
name of the ‡ character
sidenote
note placed in a separate panel alongside the text rather than at the foot of the page or the end of the text or section of text.
cardinal number
number used for counting and specifying quantities: one, two, three
ordinal number
number used for designating position in a numerical sequence: first, second, third
superscript
numeral or character set above the baseline
subscript
numeral or character set below the baseline
redline
on-screen or hard-copy version of a manuscript that indicates which text has been added or deleted since the previous version. In the redline version, the added text is also called redline, and the deleted text is called strikeout. here, the redline text is enclosed in braces, and the strikeout text is slashed: I pledge my allegiance to {the} flag
legend
one or more sentences of explanation that accompany an illustration; often called caption, although traditional bookmaking differentiates the terms
running head
one or two lines of copy, such as a book title or chapter title, set at the top of each page of a document or book; also called header
running foot
one or two lines of copy, such as a chapter title or section title, set at the bottom of each page of a document or book; also called footer.
expressed folio
one that is printed
dingbat
ornamental character in typography
folio
page number in typeset text
plate
page of illustration, usually on special paper, that is printed separately from the regular text and is insterted between text pages during production
decked heads
pair of heads in a table consisting of a spanner atop two or more single-column heads
bubble
penciled-in circle or box in which an editor writes a comment or instruction on hard copy
compositor
person "wets" the type, either by hand or by computer, and arranges ("composes") the text in pages; also called comp or typesetter
designer
person responsible for the physical appearance of a book or document, including the typography (typeface, type size, etc), layout (margins, leading, location of running heads, etc.), and style of the art(drawings, maps, charts, etc.)
cross-reference
phrase that mentions another part of the document or text ("in chapter 5 we discussed") also called x-ref or in-text ref. see also signposting
running text
portion of a document consisting of sentences and paragraphs, rather than set-off display lines, tables, and other elements; also called general text or regular running text
primary variant
preferred spelling of a word that has variant spellings
impression
print run of a publication
monospace type
printed lettering in which characters are of equal width. also called nonproportional type
proportional type
printed lettering in which characters are of unqual width
sans serif
printed letters that do not have short cross lines (serifs) projecting from the main strokes
broadside
printed page whose top is at the left-hand side of a regular page; readers must turn the document 90 degrees clockwise to read the text. Used to accommodate wide tables and maps. In word processing programs, called landscape orientation
page proofs
printed version (proof) of a document in page form; also called pages
hard copy
printout of a computer file; by extension, any text that appears on paper
blind proofing
proofreading in which the proofreader is not supplied with an earlier version of the text against which to compare the current version. Also called cold proofing or noncomparison proofing. Compare comparison proofing
comparison proofing
proofreading in which the proofreader is supplied with an earlier version of the text and compares the typeset copy word for word against the previous iteration
query
publishing jargon for "question"; used as a verb or a noun. often called a comment in Microsoft Word and other word processors
embedded query
query placed within the text of the electronic manuscript, usually set off with curly braces or other unique delimiters. see also comment
scare quotes
quotation marks used to convey that a word or phrase is unusual, dubious, ironic, or overly colloquial; equivalent to so-called and therefore rarely used with that expression, except to direct special attention to a part of the whole phrase being held at arm's length: my so-called "safety" net. Sometimes called shudder quotes or sneer quotes
pass
read-through of a manuscript by a copyeditor
proofreading
reading typeset copy to correct errors introduced during the typesetting, formatting, or file conversion of the final document and to identify any serious errors not caught during copyediting
redundonym
redundant expression consisting of an acronym or initialism followed by a word that is part of the abbreviation: ATM machine
key phrase endnotes
reference notes without any note indicators in the text, placed at the end of the document and keyed to the text by page number and a relevant phrase from the text. sometimes referred to as incipit notes
endnote
reference or explanatory note that appears at the end of a book or document, in a section titled "Notes"; also called backnote
hypercorrection
replacement of a correct usage, falsely believed to be erroneous, by an incorrect one
recto
right-hand page of a book, magazine, or brochure. compare verso
grammar
rules governing the system and structure of a language, usually understood to comprise syntax and morphology (the forms of words)
global search
search of one or more computer files to locate all instances of a word or words, either to doubl-check their styling (capitalization, hyphenation, etc) or to replace them with a specified substitute (global search and replace or global change)
B-head
second-level heading within a chapter (or comparable section of a document); also called 2-head. Compare A-head
name-year
see author-date: system for providing references for works quoted, paraphrased, or cited as evidence in a document, in which the surname of the author and the year of publication of the work are given in the text, along with any specific page numbers.
cold proofing
see blind proofing -> proofreading in which the proofreader is not supplied with an earlier version of the text against which to compare the current version
noncomparison proofing
see blindproofing: proofreading in which the proofreader is not supplied with an earlier version of the text against which to compare the current version
landscape orientation
see broadside; word processing page whose top is at the left-hand side of a regular page; readers must turn the document 90 degrees clockwise to read the text.
piece fraction
see case fractions
manuscript cleanup
see cleanup (2): Manuscript cleanup, incorporation of an author's responses to the copyediting into the final hard copy or computer files.
typesetter
see compositor
in-text ref
see cross-reference; phrase that mentions another part of the document or text
leaders
see dot leaders; Row of periods between horizontal entries in a table or list; for example: Annual turnover...............93.4%
communications manager
see editorial coordinator
production editor
see editorial coordinator
project editor
see editorial coordinator
managing editor
see editorial coordinator: Person who supervises an in-house copyeditor or who assigns work to a freelance copyeditor. In book publishing, often called managing edito
soft hyphen
see end-line hyphen
backnote
see endnote
block quote
see extract
prelims
see front matter
rough pages
see galleys: form of loosely paginated proofs
international English style
see global English
bastard title
see half-title page
nonbreaking space
see hard space: special word processing character that produces a wordspace but does not permit a line to break at that space.
midcap
see intercap: Capital letter that appears in the middle of a word
camel cap
see intercap: capital letter that appears in the middle of a word
incipit notes
see key phrase endnotes
modern figures
see lining figures: typographical style of numerals in which all digits sit on the baseline
coding
see markup
tagging
see markup
typecoding
see markup
nonproportional type
see monospace type: printed lettering which characters are of equal width
humanistic style
see nontechnical style
electronic manuscript (EMS) editing
see on-screen editing
online editing
see on-screen editing: Editing that is performed on a document's computer files rather than on hard copy
sticky note
see query slip
query tag
see query slip: small slip of paper with an adhesive edge that can be attached to the sides of a hard-copy manuscript page; used for writing queries
strikeout
see redline
footer
see running foot
header
see running head
general text
see running text
regular running text
see running text
turnover
see runover
shudder quotes
see scare quotes; quotation marks used to convey that a word or phrase is unusual, dubious, ironic, or overly colloquial
sneer quotes
see scare quotes; quotation marks used to convey that a word or phrase is unusual, dubious, ironic, or overly colloquial
Oxford comma
see serial comma
harvard comma
see serial comma
straight quotes
see smart quotes
typographer's quotes
see smart quotes
closed compound
see solid compound
forward slash
see solidus
slant
see solidus
slash
see solidus
virgule
see solidus
content editing
see substantive editing
displayed list
see vertical list
set-off list
see vertical list
query list
separate sheet of paper interleaved with a hard-copy manuscript and bearing queries keyed to the manuscript by page and paragraph number, query number, or other means
asterisk-dagger sequence
sequence of symbols used for nonnumbered reference notes: asterisk (*), dagger (†), double-dagger (‡), section mark (§), parallels (∥), number sign (#)
macro
series of computer keystrokes, commands, and operations that are stored as a unit so that the entire routine plays out when the user invokes the macro
suspended compound
set of compound adjectives or nouns in which an element common to all members is not repeated. for example: fourth-, fifth-, and sixth graders
nontechnical style
set of conventions for the treatment of numbers in nontechnical writing. Also called humanistic style
technical style
set of conventions for the treatment of numbers in technical and scientific writing and in other documents containing many numbers and quantities, including statistical and financial material. also called scientific style
serif
short cross line that projects from the main stroke of a printed letter
x-ref
short cross-reference
apos
short for apostrophe
AA
short for author's alteration; used to indicate changes made by an author on a set of proofs
AU
short for author; used in queries ("AU: Revision OK?")
bold
short for boldface. These words are boldface
caps
short for capital letters
XML
short for extensible markup language. system for coding the elements in a digital document that reduces or eliminates the need for recoding when the document is produced on a new platform (eg., print, web, e-reader, computer tablet)
ital
short for italics
mult
short for multiplication sign, distinct from a lowercase x
N
short for number; used in statistical tables to indicate the size of the sample; often set as a small cap
PE
short for printer's error; used to indicate an error made by the compositor on a set of proofs
Q (or QY)
short for query; used in queries (Q: where is table 3?")
T of C
short for table of contents
TK
short for to come, a placeholder derived from "to kum", signifying that additional materials will be added (analog printing has long used deliberate misspellings—"lede" for "lead"—to prevent inadvertent typesetting of instructions and prompts to the compositor
typo
short for typographical error; a misprint
UC/lc
short for uppercase and lowercase; used to indicate that display text is to be capitalized according to headline style—as distinct from text to be set sentence style
squib
short parenthetical indicator placed after a table title to identify an element that pertains to the table as a whole
abbreviation
shortened form of a word or phrase; a general term that encompasses these methods of abridgment
cell
single entry or location in the body of a table
query slip
small slip of paper with an adhesive edge that can be attached to the sides of a hard-copy manuscript page; used for writing queries. sometimes called query tag, flag, or sticky note, or referred to by the trademarked named Post-it
ragged right
sometimes called rag right. Text aligned at the left margin but not at the right margin
descriptivist
somewhat misleading term applied to a language expert who seeks to document how language is used without prescribing "correct" usage or making value judgments about usage
prescriptivist
somewhat misleading term applied to a language expert who seeks to prescribe "correct" usage or to make value judgments about usage
letterspacing
space between the letters of a word. tight and loose letterspacing are used to enhance the appearance of letters set in display type
thin space
space that is narrower than a regular wordspace but wider than a hair space, approximately 1/4 to 1/6 of an em. sometimes used between personal initials: a.b. jones
down style
sparse use of capitalization, a style generally favored in book publishing and exemplified in The Chicago Manual of Style
hard space
special word processing character that produces a wordspace but does not permit a line to break at that space. Also called nonbreaking space
element
specially configured feature of a manuscript other than regular running text: a part or chapter number, title, or subtitle; a heading or subheading; a list, extract, or displayed equation; a table number, title, source line, or footnote; a figure number or figure caption
review pane
split-screen display option for showing comments and changes in a Microsoft Word document. compare balloons; bubble; embedded query
solidus
standard character / on the QWERTY keyboard, used in constructing fractions, URLs, and other expressions: 1/2, 1/3. also called forward slash, slant, slash, and virgule
CN
standard coding for a chapter number. see markup
CO
standard coding for a chapter opening. see markup
CT
standard coding for a chapter title, see markup
FN
standard coding for a footnote
PO
standard coding for a part opening
EX
standard coding for an extract
QWERTY
standard typewriter or computer keyboard layout for the Latin alphabet. The first six letters on the top row of alphabet keys, from left to right, spell QWERTY
file cleanup
standardization of formatting and keyboarding, usually with the use of macros, to prepare computer files for editing and the subsequent production process.
plain language
style of communication using simple vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure that is readily accessible to readers. Several English-speaking countries now mandate the use of so-called plain language, or plain English, in government communications with the public; advocates in the Plain Language Movement promote a wider use of plain language
vetting
substantive review of a manuscript by an expert in the subject matter; similarly, the checking of a translation by someone who is proficient in both languages
reference note system
system for providing references for works quoted, paraphrased, or cited as evidence in a document, in which sources are placed in notes keyed to the running text by superscript numerals or symbols. The notes appear at the bottom of the page or at the end of the section or document. compare author-date system; citation-sequence system
author-date system
system for providing references for works quoted, paraphrased, or cited as evidence in a document, in which the surname of the author and the year of publication of the work are given in the text, along with any specific page numbers. Full bibliographical information is supplied in an alphabetized reference list at the end of the document. Also called name-year. Compare with citation-sequence system; reference note system
citation-sequence system
system for providing references for works quoted, paraphrased, or cited as evidence in a document. On first mention, each work is assigned a number, in sequence, which is used in all subsequent references to that work. These numbers appear in the text, usually as superscripts, and complete bibliographical information is supplied in a numbered list at the end of the document.
scientific style
technical style
hyphenated compound
term consisting of component words joined by a hyphen: cross-reference
open compound
term consisting of component words separated by a space (e.g. high school)
solid compound
term consisting of component words spelled as a single word. also called closed compound
temporary compound
term consisting of component words whose form (open, hyphenated, or solid) varies according to grammatical function and position in a sentence
permanent compound
term consisting of component words whose form is established in the dictionary
stylistic editing
term used by the organization Editors Canada and some other practitioners to describe line-by-line editing for literary style. compare line editing
levels of edit
term used in a 1976 publication by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to describe a management tool for specifying how much and what kind of copyediting to provide for a given manuscript. Other organizations have devised similar schemes
camera-ready copy
text and art positioned in their final printed format, ready to be shot (filmed) by the printer; in this now-outdated production technology, printing plates were made from the film. Also called CRC
jacket copy
text that appears on the protective paper wrapper of a clothbound book or on the cover and inward folding flaps of a paperback book
run-in text
text that is not set off on its own line.
singular they
the pronoun they (them, their, theirs, themselves or themself) used as an epicene, or gender-neutral, singular pronoun
usage
the way a word or phrase is habitually used by native speakers of a language
horizontal rule
thin horizontal line
vertical rule
thin vertical line
head
title that indicates the start of a section or subsection of a document or book chapter. heads are given distinctive typographic treatment *type size and weight; capitalization; set off or run in) see also running head
clear for 10s
to align numerals on the last digit *rather than the first digit) in a numbered vertical list.
close up
to delete unwanted horizontal or vertical space
kill
to order the deletion of text or an illustration
pick up
to reuse previously printed text or illustrations
close punctuation
traditional style of punctuation, characterized by liberal use of marks, especially commas
flopped
transposed; used to describe an illustration that is inadvertently (or sometimes intentionally) printed as a mirror image of the original
stacked heads
two or more heads with no text intervening
specs
type specifications created by a designer to indicate typeface, point size, vertical and horizontal spacing, margins, and the like
roman
type style used most often in printed materials—as distinct from italic, gothic, script
em
typesetting measurement whose value depends on the size of the type: in 10-point type, an em space is 10 points wide; in 18-point type, an em space is 18 points wise.
lining figures
typographical style of numerals in which all digits sit on the baseline: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0: compare with old-style figures
old-style figures
typographical style of numerals in which some digits have ascenders or descenders. sometimes abbreviated as o.s. or OS
double numeration
use of two numerals (separated by a period, hyphen, or other character) in the numbering of pages, figures, tables, or other materials. For example, the pages in chapter 1 of a book might be numbered 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc; the pages in chapter 2, 2.1, 2.2, etc;
numbered list
vertical list in which each item is introduced by a numeral
unnumbered list
vertical list in which items carry neither numbering nor bullets
midpoint
vertically centered dot, smaller than a bullet
change bar
very thick vertical rule placed in the outer margin of a technical manual to indicate a paragraph that has been revised since the previous edition; see also redline
hair space
very thin nonbreaking space sometimes inserted between typeset characters that are touching, as when italic and roman characters crash
measure
width of a line of printed text. running text is set full measure (from margin to margin); extracts and lists may be set on a narrower measuer
full measure
width of a text page (the width of a page from margin to margin)
paraindent
with of the indention of the first line of a paragraph, usually specified in picas or em spaces
homophones
words that sound alike or nearly alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings: principle, principal
ghostwriting
writing content to be published under someone else's name
leading zero
zero placed before a decimal point to improve comprehension: 0.25 acres.
curly brackets
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