Honorary president: Judith Butcher Honorary vice-president: David Crystal OBE
Why edit?
Examples of the difference that good editing can make
The SfEP is compiling a collection of positive examples of editing – ones that demonstrate what a difference good editing can make to a text in terms of clarity and readability.
These examples go a step further than the usual exposing of gobbledegook, poor English and greengrocers' apostrophes. Instead, we aim to highlight the value of what we do by giving 'before' and 'after' examples and including an explanation of each problem and its solution.
Latest examples
Shortening to aid flow
Reworking text to help flow, reduce repetition and fit it into the space available.
Turning the relative into the absolute
Transforming a commercial marketing presentation into useful text with a long shelf life.
Introducing ideas in sequence
Finding the way through the jungle of a medical journal paper.
Why edit? archive
Submitting an example to 'Why edit?'
Have you dealt with a piece of copy that showed really well why editing is worth the time, effort and money? The 'Why edit?' team welcomes submissions from SfEP members and associates. All you have to do is follow some simple instructions...