Resources for editors

The following collection of references comes from members, instructors, conferences, and workshop presenters from various fields. If you have a useful reference to add let us know at meaworkshops@gmail.com.

Dictionaries recommended by editors
Editing: terms and definitions
Freelance editing advice; contract
Grammar quiz
Organizations of like-minded professionals
Proofreaders' and editors' marks
Software help
Style and usage books
Style guides
Style sheet (blank)
Thesauruses... thesauri... oh, what's the word?

Recommendations are shown exactly as they were sent and are listed in alphabetical order under each heading.

Online

Answers.com
Dictionary.com

Canadian

Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed.
Gage Canadian

American

American Heritage Dictionary
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.

British

Chambers Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary
Oxford Dictionary of English

There are varying opinions on how to define different types of editing. Here are a few of those opinions:

• From the EAC: Definitions of Editorial Skills
• From the Technical Editors' Eyrie: Classifying Editorial Tasks
• From the Northwest Independent Editors' Guild: Types of Editing

• Customizable editorial agreement (with thanks to the EAC).
• Globe & Mail article on getting rid of problem clients.

www.syntaxis.com/grammar_quiz (with thanks to the folks at Syntaxis).

• Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), Manitoba chapter
• Editors' Association of Canada (EAC)
• International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Manitoba chapter
• Manitoba Writers' Guild (MWG)
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Manitoba chapter (new site coming)
• Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC)
• Society for Technical Communication (STC), Manitoba chapter

Proofreading and editing symbols: Inkwell Editorial site.

MS Word help: MS Word MVP site.

If you are looking for prescriptive rather than descriptive authorities, use a style and usage book instead of a dictionary. Here are some recommended by members:

• The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (revised 3rd edition by Burchfield).
• A Dictionary of Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner (1998 reprint).
• Words Into Type, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall).
• Caps and Spelling by The Canadian Press.

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Chicago Manual of Style
• Concordia University Libraries: Citation and Style Guides (help with guides)
• International Standards Organization (ISO) (excerpts)
• Modern Languages Association (MLA)
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.

Jean Weber's site has useful information on what to include in a style sheet: Technical Editors' Eyrie.

Use this style worksheet while working on projects to help you record style decisions as you go along.

This one requires a user name and password: The Visual Thesaurus.
Online Thesaurus: Thesaurus.com.