June/July 2007

Volume 47, Number 6

Tips from the Trenches:

Standards: They’re So Standard

by Donna Brannan

When I was first asked by my company to develop Technical Editing Standards of Practice (SOP) by the end of the year, my very first thought was, “Ugh, how boring and monotonous can this be?” and my next thoughts were: “When will I have time?” and “Where do I start?”

Our company already had some technical editing standards in place, such as standards for terminology and format and various style guides pertinent to the client, but we did not have anything in place concerning the practice of technical editing. We also had standards of practice for all other areas of expertise within our company, such as the water and wastewater practice and oil, gas and chemicals practice, and it was decided that these needed to be developed for the editing practice as well.  

At first, I thought developing standards of practice would require a great deal of coffee to prevent my head from falling onto my keyboard and also require quite a bit of “focus” to keep my mind from wandering. I then decided, “What better way to inform the SMEs (subject matter experts) of the range of services offered by our technical editing staff!” Most of the SMEs I work with seem to think that technical editors are just proofreaders, and it would be quite an accomplishment for the company to adopt standards since most of the SMEs I work with do not know what technical editors actually do.

After researching standards of practice for technical editors on the STC Web site as well as other Web sites, I discovered that there are standards of practice for technical editors that have already been developed by editing associations in both Canada and Australia (I didn’t find any for the U.S.—perhaps this is something a fellow STCer may produce). These standards have been adopted by the Council of Australian Editors and the Editors’ Association of Canada, titled the Australian Standards for Editing Practice, located at: 

The Society of Editors

These standards are great guidelines if you should need to develop an SOP for the company you work for, or your company might want to adopt these standards in their entirety. They are general and can be adapted as a guide for any business or technical area. They cover paper-based and screen-based editing and provide guidance on all areas of technical editing:

The Publishing Process, Conventions and Industry Practice
Management and Liaison
Substance and Structure
Language and Illustrations
Completeness and Consistency