survey on editing: results

[Carolyn Rude <ditcr -at- TTACS -dot- TTU -dot- EDU>]

Results of responses to the Survey on Editing posted on techwr-L, April 8, 1996

59 people completed the quantitative portion of the survey (questions 1-15).
The survey is not "scientific" as the sample was not random. Thus the
results cannot be interpreted as representative of all technical editors.

Some questions allowed more than one answer. Some respondents did not
answer all the questions. Thus the total number of answers does not
necessarily equal the number of respondents.

Percentages have been rounded.

Thanks to all who responded!

Carolyn Rude
Texas Tech University
ditcr -at- ttacs -dot- ttu -dot- edu
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1. What style manual do you use most often?
        Chicago Manual of Style         41      (69%)
        Microsoft Manual of Style       5       (8%)
        GPO Style Manual                5       (8%)
        others                          3 or fewer users

2. Does your organization have a house style manual?
        yes     43      (73%)
        no      17      (29%)

3. Do your editorial responsibilities include evaluation for content,
organization, style, and page design?
        yes             58      (98%)
        no answer       1

4. What name best represents the editor's work on content, organization,
style, and page design?
        substantive editing     30      (51%)
        developmental editing   14      (24%)
        copyediting             11      (19%)
        evaluative editing      6       (10%)
        other                   8       (11%)

5. Do you use a computer to complete some or all of your editorial tasks?
        yes             50      (85%)
        no              8       (14%)
        no answer       1

6. Which of the following tasks are you MORE LIKELY to complete on the
computer than on hard copy?
        markup for grammar, pn, consistency, spelling   12      (24% of 50)
        spelling/grammar review                         26      (52%)
        editing for style                               22      (44%)
        reorganization                                  34      (68%)
        content development                             28      (56%)
        page design/format                              35      (70%)

7. Does policy at your organizaton allow you to change a document without a
visible record of the changes?
        yes     33      (56%)
        no      18      (31%)

8. If you must leave tracks of your editorial intervention, how do you do that?
hard copy annotations  33 (56%)
        annotations through software    16      (27%)
        document comparison program     4       (7%)
        summary comments to author      2       (3%)

9. How much editing on hard copy do you think you will be doing in 10 years?
        most or all for substantive or developmental editing    16      (27%)
        most or all for basic copyediting                       21      (36%)
        little or none                                          25      (42%)

10. Does your organization use SGML or plan to in the near future?
        yes     20      (34%)
        no      39      (66%)

11. What are the editor's responsibilities for SGML?
        complete all tasks from DTD to coding   5       (8%)
        complete some tasks                     3       (5%)
        someone else is the SGML specialis      10      (17%)
        not sure                                2       (3%)
        [interpretation: of the 59 people who responded, only 8, or 14%,
        actively work with SGML]

12. Have you edited hypertext documents?
        yes     43      (73%)
        no      14      (24%)

13. In editing hypertext, what are your editorial aims?
        correctness, consistency, accuracy      42      (98% of 43)
        completeness of information             41      (95%)
        page design including graphics          37      (86%)
        organization                            42      (98%)
        navigation                              42      (98%)
        number and accuracy of links            42      (98%)

14. In editing hypertext, how do you use the computer?
        edit hard copy before coding            11      (19%)
        complete all editing on the computer    29      (49%)
        print screens and edit on hard copy     13      (22%)

15. Has working with hypertext and online documentation changed your
editorial aims or procedures?
        no      21      (36%)
        yes     20      (34%)
        sample explanations:
                more attention to organization          38%
                more attention to navigation, linking   24%
                briefer style, awareness of visuals     10%

16. Open question: what do you wish that college students would learn about
technical editing?   Frequent responses:
        the basics (grammar, consistency, etc.) 29%
        interpersonal relations, collaboration  18%
        levels of edit                          16%
        processes, management of tasks          12%

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