Copy editors look things up
Those of you still enmeshed in antiquated reality-based, accuracy-inclined enterprises that limit your freedom to make things up to suit your (or your employer’s) views might want to have a look at Katharine O’Moore-Klopf’s KOK Edit site.
The Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base page at that site—yes, she makes copy editor one word, but press on—has several useful categories, of which the handiest may be the Editing Tools section, which in turn displays a wealth of links to sites on which you can look things up. She takes some pains at maintaining and updating the links. You might just want to put Editing Tools on your desktop, or perhaps to go through it and bookmark the links most useful to your work.
Comments
I am honored by your post, kind sir. Thank you.
In the book-publishing world, copyeditor is more common than copy editor. Back in the mists of time (the early 1980s), I was a newspaper journalist, and I called those professionals who vetted my news stories copy editors. I suppose that in journalists' eyes, my move to publishing was a move to the dark side.
Posted by: Katharine O'Moore-Klopf | August 22, 2010 10:47 AM
One of the best pieces of advice I learned from my copy editing instructor in college was "Editors don't guess; they know." This requires looking an awful lot of things up.
Posted by: Jonathon | August 26, 2010 1:37 PM