New Perspectives on Technical Editing

Book excerpt: New Perspectives on Technical Editing provides readers with a rich picture of a thriving discipline. Its 10 chapters are written by various experts in the field, each of whom looks at technical editing from a distinct vantage point, setting challenging questions and offering authoritative recommendations based on experience and research. Contributors examine significant approaches to the practice and teaching of technical editing: the recommended research methodologies, the not entirely straightforward history of technical editing, effective approaches to developing editing courses, the politics of editing within today's organizations, the definition and on-the-job work of copyediting, the power of electronic editing, the complex nature and best practices of science editing, and the nuts and bolts of successfully editing technical journals. Readers will find insights into background literature, trends, responsibilities, workflow, legal issues, ethics, tricks of the trade, unanticipated complications, business know-how, considerations of audience, interpersonal relations, and strategies for different media that they can apply in their own work and research. Each contributor provides substantive chapter references, and the book's annotated bibliography describes and evaluates 100 of the most influential and useful editing resources.