Copy editor marks are an absolute must for any prospective copywriter, journalist, or freelance copy editor to learn. These shorthand symbols indicate what types of changes need to be made, such as corrections to punctuation and spelling, or items that should be removed or added. They may also indicate formatting problems with spacing, margins, or indentations. Copy editor marks are universal, so once the system is learned, it can be applied to countless types of copy. They may be called proofreading marks in some circles, but the marks are the same regardless of the writing style or what they are called.
- Develop your sense of grammar. If you do not have a good feel for word usage, punctuation, basic grammar, and formatting, the marks will be of very little use. Studying basic grammar books is a good start, and there are many websites available to help you understand the fundamental rules necessary for editing copy.
- Get a copy of the marks. There are many books that contain the marks as well as comprehensive information on when and where to use them. However, you can also easily find reference images online. Printing out a couple of pages of copy editor marks is a great first step to learning them.
- Make sense of the system. Copy editor marks consist of squiggles, lines, circles, and other symbols that may look incomprehensible at first, but patterns will emerge after studying them for a while. Lines mostly concern capitalization, while circles often indicate punctuation that has been left out. The placement of the marks also provides clues; if they are within a sentence, something is likely missing, whereas marks outside the line of text usually indicate a formatting problem.
- Practice using the marks. Look online to find a block of poorly written text (easily found on any discussion board) or write some yourself, then practice marking it up. Every grammatical error should have a corresponding mark, so reference your cheat sheet if you forget any. After editing a few pages, you will begin to get the feel for it, though less common marks—such as those for formatting fractions—may take longer to remember.
- Practice reading the marks. Find a block of text that has already been edited with copy editor marks and try to decipher them. Try to rewrite the copy using the marks as your guide.
Learn copy editor marks
Learn copy editor marks : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.
Copy editor marks are an absolute must for any prospective copywriter, journalist, or freelance copy editor to learn. These shorthand symbols indicate what types of changes need to be made, such as corrections to punctuation and spelling, or items that should be removed or added. They may also indicate formatting problems with spacing, margins, or indentations. Copy editor marks are universal, so once the system is learned, it can be applied to countless types of copy. They may be called proofreading marks in some circles, but the marks are the same regardless of the writing style or what they are called.
- Develop your sense of grammar. If you do not have a good feel for word usage, punctuation, basic grammar, and formatting, the marks will be of very little use. Studying basic grammar books is a good start, and there are many websites available to help you understand the fundamental rules necessary for editing copy.
- Get a copy of the marks. There are many books that contain the marks as well as comprehensive information on when and where to use them. However, you can also easily find reference images online. Printing out a couple of pages of copy editor marks is a great first step to learning them.
- Make sense of the system. Copy editor marks consist of squiggles, lines, circles, and other symbols that may look incomprehensible at first, but patterns will emerge after studying them for a while. Lines mostly concern capitalization, while circles often indicate punctuation that has been left out. The placement of the marks also provides clues; if they are within a sentence, something is likely missing, whereas marks outside the line of text usually indicate a formatting problem.
- Practice using the marks. Look online to find a block of poorly written text (easily found on any discussion board) or write some yourself, then practice marking it up. Every grammatical error should have a corresponding mark, so reference your cheat sheet if you forget any. After editing a few pages, you will begin to get the feel for it, though less common marks—such as those for formatting fractions—may take longer to remember.
- Practice reading the marks. Find a block of text that has already been edited with copy editor marks and try to decipher them. Try to rewrite the copy using the marks as your guide.