A resource copy editors should check every day
The web and the print have no dearth of resources (Katharine O’Moore-Klopf’s ‘Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base’ lists hundreds of them and Dreyer’s English is the latest, and delightful, addition to the print resources); however, what we need is a daily dose: say a 10-minute slot to start or to end your day. And archives of copyediting-l (lowercase ‘ell’) offer just the right solution. This blog is to show you how.
Copyediting-l is ‘a list for copy editors and other defenders of the English language who want to discuss anything related to editing’, from tricky points of style to philosophical aspects; from submitting a quote to ensuring that you are paid; from the latest electronic tools to finding out-of-print books.
Copyediting-l is a discussion group or a ‘listserv’, which functions like a WhatsApp group, of roughly 2500 people. Dozens of questions are asked, and get answered, every day—which is why you should know how to avoid being swamped. The trick is to subscribe to the group (for instructions, see the Subscribe/Unsubscribe tab of the website) and, once you are subscribed, send a mail to iulist@iulist.indiana.edu with the following text in the subject line: set copyediting-l nomail so that you stop receiving mails from the group. You should then access the archives every day to check for posts related to your interests. You can also search the archives (they go as far back as 1997).
Most of the subscribers are Americans, but most English-speaking countries are represented, and occasionally you will come across Indian names too.
See for yourself. After all, it costs nothing—and you can always unsubscribe if you wish.
And here’s another resource that is updated once a month (no subscription required).
Yateendra Joshi has been editing technical documents for nearly 30 years, a career change he made after working for a decade as a scientist with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (1978–88). He was with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) in New Delhi for 15 years, moved to Pune to work with WISE (World Institute of Sustainable Energy) in 2005, and has been on his own since 2007, dividing his time between freelance copy-editing and teaching.
Copy-edited more than 400 papers in the past few years for an international agency. Accredited editor with Diplomate status certified by the Board of Editors in Life Sciences, USA . Diplomate status is awarded only to those who demonstrate exceptional editorial proficiency (currently, only 30 editors worldwide have the diplomate status, and Yateendra is the only one in India).
Awarded Grade A in the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) examination conducted by Cambridge English Language Assessment, Cambridge University: this is equivalent to Level C2, the highest of the six levels specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for language assessment.
Participated in several international conferences of EASE, the European Association of Science Editors: Oxford, Helsinki, Tours (France), and Tallinn (Estonia).
Member, Editing Office, Atomium Culture, Brussels
Member, Editorial Board, Information Design Journal
Was an invited Editorial Fellow at the World Resources Institute, Washington, DC.
Worked for a year as Senior Editor at ICRISAT, Hyderabad.
Currently Associate Fellow, Communication Research Institute, Canberra; has been, at one time or another, a member of
# Society for Technical Communication, USA # Council of Science Editors, USA, and # International Institute of Information Design, Austria.
Was a member of the committee of experts constituted by IGNOU, the Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, to advise IGNOU on the diploma course in publishing.
