Scientific Writing

Chapter 13: Editing

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

1

Prepared by:

• Nooria Afzali
• Gulnisa Jafari

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Main Topics

• Consistency
• Style
• Proofreading
• Choice of Word-Processor
• An “Editing” Checklist

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Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Editing�

• Editing is the process of making a document ready for publication or examination.
• It help with the effectiveness of your writing style and the clarity of your idea.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Consistency�

• Much of editing consists of checking the document for errors that fall under the heading of consistency (or lack of it).
• In here we check for:
• Repetition: cut repetitive sentences and paragraphs.
• Irrelevant material:
• Ordering: when material is moved from one place to other, check that the text in each location is intelligible and appropriate in the new context.

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Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Consistency (continued)

• For many papers, editing leads to removal of text. Don’t be afraid to shorten your papers: cutting will improve the quality.
• Edit for brevity and balance. Omit or condense any material whose content or relevance to the paper’s main themes does not justify its length.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Style�

• Another kind of editing is for style and clarity, and is perhaps the hardest part of finishing a paper.
• It is clearly explained in chapters 6 to 10.

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Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

7

Proofreading

• Proofreading is the final step in the editorial cycle before publication.
• To proofread document is to carefully read it to find any errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar so they can be corrected before publishing .
• It is important several reasons, but most importantly for ensuring clarity of meaning in your finished text. You want to make sure your information is clear and your message is understood.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Proofreading (continued)

In proofreading we check for:

• Substitution: a typical example is the substitution of “or” for “on” or “of”.
• Anagrams: type “being” for “begin”, “form” for “from”, “relation” for “relative”, “compute” for “complete”, and so on.
• Homonyms: also replace words by their homonyms, such as “two” for “too”.
• Punctuation: especially punctuation that commonly causes problems such as semicolons and colons.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

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Proofreading (continued)

• Always get someone else to read your work before you submit it or distribute it. You may have misunderstood a relevant article, or made a logical error; most authors are poor at detecting ambiguity in their own text; and there may be relevant results of which you are unaware.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

10

Choice of Word-Processor

• When you start to write a paper you need to choose a word-processor.
• There are, two kinds of word-processor:
• The visual or WYSIWYG style typified by Microsoft Word. The compiler style typified by LATEX, which compile marked-up text into a page description language such as PostScript.

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

11

An “Editing” Checklist

• Are all of the components present: title, authors, abstract, and so on?
• Is the ordering of material correct?
• Do the parentheses match?
• Does every figure and table have a caption?
• Have bold and italic been used logically?

Writing for Computer Science

Introduction

Computer Science

Information Systems

12