Copy editing involves changes made to a manuscript by the copy editor before it is sent for printing or publishing. What are the five Cs of copy editing? Before I spell them out let me tell that each C represents the job and skills required of any good copy editor. The final edited copy must have the features represented by the Cs. The five Cs are,
- Clear copy
- Correct,
- Concise,
- Comprehensible
- Consistent
Before any manuscript is sent for proofreading the copy editor has to check for many defects in it which may include functions like,
- Punctuation checking
- Spelling checks
- Correcting grammatical mistakes
- Remove semantic errors
- Check all terminologies used
- Check that the publishers “in house” style is being maintained
- Incorporate headers / footers etc
- Ensure there will be no legal problems after publishing
- Summarize or shorten text (abridgement)
A good copywriter must also be a good copy editor and have good command of the language and must also be fairly aware of a wide range of topics with a very strong background in grammar. He must also have an eye for spotting errors and inconsistencies in manuscripts. It is also necessary that he be able to work under pressure and finish work within the given deadline. The growing online publications requires more than just journalistic and language skills. As editors may have to publish articles directly on the Internet, they should be also be good with computers, different word processing programs and must also have the required pagination and technical knowledge/skills.
