Re: Reviews and red pens: an informal poll

[Len Olszewski <saslpo -at- UNX -dot- SAS -dot- COM>]

Faith Weber asks about red pens in technical reviews:

> I sometimes use red to point out changes, ask questions, etc. in
> documents out for review, and I'm wondering if I should stop!


As one of the standard items I put in my list of reviewer guidelines in
the memo that covers a review draft, I always have one guideline that
tells my reviewers to use a colored pen to write comments, and *not*
to use black or blue pen or pencil.

During the editing cycle here, the editors use one color of ink pen for
any draft, and all other comments *I* make are in another color (the same
all the way through) different than anyone else's color. In fact,
everyone commenting during the editing cycle has his/her own color. This
prevents the need for initialing every comment or edit - you just
initial with your color once on the first page. Works pretty well.

Red is just another color. I sort of like to be purple, myself.

Regarding the reviewer guidelines I circulate, hardly anybody ever reads
'em. Either that, or you'd swear that my reviewers read 'em all, then do
*precisely* the opposite of what I say. Not everybody is that bad, but a
lot are.  And, to be fair, the people who are the worst reviewers are
*consistently* bad for all reviews in which they are involved. Nobody
asked about this, but I felt the need to vent a little. Now, I feel
great.

|Len Olszewski, Technical Writer |"Lady, I was TALKING to the duck.." |
|saslpo -at- unx -dot- sas -dot- com|Cary, NC, USA| - Old Punchline                    |
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| Opinions this ludicrous are mine. Reasonable opinions will cost you.|