EDITING ARTICLES

Highlander articles go through a complicated series of edits before they can be published in the print magazine. First the section editors go through the article and add comments, then I review the article and add additional information on aspects that need to be changed, added, or improved. The articles are then peer-edited from the classroom and go through a final review by me before being sent to the printer.

WHAT I CONSIDERED

  1. Structure - does the article flow from graf to graf and command a strong sense of purpose?

  2. Tone - does the article have an intentional tone that matches its intended angle?

  3. Grammar and style - does the article adhere to AP Style guidelines? Is it free of spelling and grammatical errors?

  4. Making every word count - will readers be engaged throughout the entire piece?

SCOTLIGHT EDITING

As the Scotlight section editor during my junior year, it was my role to guide my writers through extensive, multi-part feature stories that would be the primary focus of each issue. During my editing process, I considered structure, flow, readability, and connection to the student body—and made my edits accordingly. Below, you will see an example of one writer’s contribution to the Scotlight of the fourth issue, which focused on finding positivity in COVID-19.

DRAFT 1

DRAFT 2

As I made my edits for this piece, I made sure to focus on the structural issues that needed to change. Although it only made up one section of a longer feature, it lacked a student perspective that was essential to Scotlight. I also noticed some consistent errors regarding flow issues, run-on sentences, and properly-sources references, so I made sure to emphasize that both throughout the article and in the summary above.

EDITOR DRAFT COMMENTS

After I complete the first round of my edits, I leave a comment on the top of every piece to summarize my thoughts on their article. This comment typically reviews aspects of the piece I enjoyed and any major issues that need to be addressed before the final draft. Below are a few examples of my feedback.

SELF-EDITING

Self-editing is an essential step of my writing process; from the first draft I write, I make hundreds of changes to each story before I submit it to be published. In this particular story, I hoped to emphasize the monumental step young women were taking toward the previously closed-off opportunity of becoming a Scout. Since my original lede was more generalized, I changed it to exemplify the unique experiences of female scouts as they could finally join the program that had continuously excluded them.

As I reflect on this piece, I realize I could have included more diversity in my sources — both gender- and age-wise. If I had the opportunity now, I would value more perspectives of the “brothers, cousins, and classmates” I mentioned in the lede as they witnessed female Scouts thriving as leaders alongside them.

DRAFT 1

DRAFT 2

EDITING DESIGN

In our design process, writers handed off their art or photography for Highlander editors to assemble into an InDesign spread. Since the first couple of issues were an adjustment period for our incoming junior editors, I provided guidance in the design process. After receiving their first drafts of the spreads, I gave them design comments to work on in the next round of editing.

WHAT I CONSIDERED

  1. Does the design convey the meaning of the story?

  2. Will readers be able to tell the topic of the article without even reading the headline?

  3. Is every design element intentional? Does it have purpose in the spread? (Example: only using pull quotes if they enhance the meaning of the spread or are necessary to emphasize an anecdote)

  4. Does the design flow smoothly—does it avoid interrupting any text?

PDF 1

Here is an example of the first PDF draft I received from one of my editors. While I enjoyed the concept, there were some areas that could be cleaned up in order to improve design flow. Here are the comments I gave to him after taking note of this first draft:

  • The border is unnecessary; stick with one very light green

  • The images should be compost bins rather than recycling bins since the article is about compostables

  • Move the drawn elements so the text isn't interrupted in the middle (This interruption makes it a bit hard to read)

    • Move them so the compost bins are at the bottom of the page and it looks like the trash is being thrown into the bins 

  • For the byline caps, make sure only the first letter in the name is capitalized

PDF 2

Here is the updated version utilizing my comments to make changes. The placement of the drawn elements makes the article a lot easier to read, and the compost bins make the intention of the article a lot more clear.