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New Perspectives on Technical Editing
Edited by Avon J. Murphy
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Baywood's Technical Communications Series, Series Editor: Charles H. Sides
Named as one of the Top 100 Technical Communication Books of 1991-2010,
as determined and compiled by the Society for Technical Communication (STC).
Read Chapter 1 now
IN PRAISE OF
"As a technical communicator with a strong interest in technical editing I was keen to find out what insights into the field this book would offer. I was not disappointed and would strongly recommend this book as a useful overview of the field for technical communicators currently working as editors or perhaps considering moving into technical editing.
Initial impressions are positive. The book is well presented in a convenient A5 hardbound format, making it easily portable and convenient for dipping into in airport lounges or during an idle moment at home or work. Presentation is plain but tidy; a light grade of paper has been used, resulting in
considerably more pages in the slim volume than would be expected. The book is divided into 10 chapters—eight chapters of essays neatly book-ended by an introductory overview and an
annotated bibliography. The first chapter, by managing editor Avon Murphy, eases the reader into the book by providing an overview of the purpose and structure of later chapters. The final chapter, by Avon Murphy and Thomas Warren, gives you ample sources of further information by providing a detailed annotated bibliography of relevant articles and books.
Each of the essays in Chapters 2 to 8 is written by a well-known specialist in the field and covers a diverse range of perspectives on technical editing. Most essays are around 20 pages in length, making them relatively easy to digest in one or perhaps two sittings. A helpful bibliography follows each essay, so you can easily use this book as a starting point for extensive further reading if you wish."
Click here to read the entire review.
—Steve Moss, *Southern Communicator, Issue 22, February, 2011
*Southern Communicator is published three times a year by ASTC (NSW), ASTC (Vic) and TCANZ.
"With its diversity of topic and approach, in-depth treatment across the broad scope of the technical editing discipline, intelligently gathered reference lists for each topic, and detailed, multi-faceted examination of a field with one name but many aspects, New Perspectives on Technical Editing provides us with information on issues that are relevant today and will be so into the future, regardless of advances in technology or trends in the profession.
This text offers readers a broad-based yet detailed examination of the diverse field of technical editing, from its research foundations, history, and evolving practice to its variety of settings and genres. The extensive lists of references for each chapter, along with the concluding annotated bibliography, make this volume especially suited to classroom use as a supplementary resource to give students a sure grounding in considerations beyond text emendation. Nowhere else is this material considered and integrated so well. Both novices and editing pros will find fresh insights to ponder and thought-provoking material to investigate further."
—Karen Lane, Coauthor, Technical Communication: Strategies for
College and the Workplace(2002)
"This text is an effectively conceived overview of technical editing. History, research, teaching, and the varied types of editing practice are all discussed. This is an ideal book for introducing new students and practitioners to the breadth of the technical editing field, with an annotated bibliography of selected books and literature articles as an added benefit."
—David E. Nadziejka, Science Editor, Fellow, Society for Technical Communication
"New Perspectives on Technical Editing, edited by Avon J. Murphy, lives up to the promise of its title. This collection of essays, each written by a topic specialist, goes beyond familiar summaries of lore and standard practices to explore how research can inform the work of technical editors. Each essay situates its topic within an historical context and, in addition, predicts changes that the future may bring, all while offering practical support for work being done today. In every piece, there is an immediate take-away for practitioners, scholars, and teachers, along with material for reflection and further investigation. The excellent bibliographies for individual topics—which range from big-picture overviews of process and methods to discussions of specific editing applications—are complemented by an extensive annotated bibliography covering technical editing as a whole. Professionals will find in this resource a reliable guide for expanding their knowledge and capabilities in a field that, as New Perspectives documents, is evermore dynamic, informed, interesting, and influential."
—Lu Rehling, Professor, Technical & Professional Writing Program
College of Humanities, San Francisco State University
"This much-needed collection provides a sophisticated survey of technical editing in the 21st century. The chapters are well-researched, insightful, and engaging."
—David K. Farkas, Professor, Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington
"The newest addition to the Baywood Publishing Company's Technical Communications Series, New Perspectives On Technical Editing is a collection of ten informed and informative articles by experienced and knowledgeable editors that have been compiled by Avon J. Murphy, a professional technical editor and owner of Murphy Editing and Writing Services. Murphy is also a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and currently the book review editor for Technical Communications, the quarterly journal of the Society for Technical Communication. With the articles providing a range of perspectives, aspiring editors will find informed and informative information on a range of editing issues such as ethics, legal issues, strategies for diverse media, electronic editing, editing technical journals, and a great deal more. Each chapter features extensive references. Enhanced with an annotated bibliography that provides an evaluated description of one hundred editing resources. A critically important read for anyone who aspires to an editorial career, New Perspectives On Technical Editing is an exceptional reference and highly recommended for professional and academic Writing/Publishing reference collections.
—Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review
"New Perspectives on Technical Editing, an impressive collection of essays by leading authorities in the field of editing. New Perspectives is not light reading. There are no headings to tell you "this is what you will learn in this chapter." But I won't hold back: this book deserves lots of praise for its excellent in-depth coverage of such a wide variety of topics in the technical editing discipline."
—David Kowalsky NEC Corporation of America and a senior member of STC’s Puget Sound Chapter, Sound.views, Volume 10, Issue 2 ~ Nov/Dec 2010
"Offering a breadth of perspectives from a variety of scholars and practitioners in the field, this collection strikes a balanced tone, one that is both scholarly and informed by praxis. . . . the collection is accessible and engaging, so it will be equally at home in the classroom, on the bookshelf of a technical-communication professor, or in a library's circulating collection."
—S. E. Vie, Fort Lewis College, Choice, February, 2011
"In the relatively small world of technical editors, some of us are neophytes, some are emerging editors, and some are the old guard. All of us will find stimulation and information in New Perspectives on Technical Editing. This anthology effectively defines the canon of the field in the early 21st century. The editor and the authors are acknowledged experts in their niches. The instructors and upper-level and graduate students who comprise a portion of the book’s intended audience are advised to become thoroughly familiar with these luminaries. The other members of the book’s intended audience, 'researchers and practicing editors' will recognize the authors."
—Ann Jennings, Technical Communication Volume 58, Number 1, February 2011
"Each chapter is written by an expert in the field: senior editors, university professors in technical communication, technical writers and linguists. The ever-evolving role of the editor is clearly elucidated in several historical reviews,
and in the descriptions of the expectations for the future.
A very striking aspect of this book is its extensive collection of bibliographic resources: every chapter lists dozens of very useful references, and the closing chapter, and annotated bibliography, contain many not so well known references, and are most useful. All in all, the book is a treasure trove listing more than 400 references, in addition to numerous webpage URLs embedded in the
texts.
The language fluency of every contributor makes this book a pleasure to read, and this particular volume of Baywood’s Technical Communications Series is very well edited. The subject index covers almost 8 two-column
pages."
—Christiaan Sterken, University of Brussels, Belgium; EASE Council member, European Science Editing, August 2012; 38(3)
"Murphy believes that technical editing is a 'maturing discipline', one that can profit by a degree of critical self-scrutiny. The reader is thus led to expect, and largely receives, an intelligent discussion of where technical editing currently sits, of the problems confronted and overcome by its practitioners, and of where it might be headed in the future.
Each of the eight writers represented in the book is an authority in their own field and is highly respected in the world of technical editors. ... a great book to have on the shelves, the references alone being enough to ensure this."
—Diane Josey Freelance writer, proofreader and indexer for Australian Professional Writers, Words Volume 2, Issue 4, November 2010
ABOUT THE BOOK
New Perspectives on Technical Editing provides readers with a rich picture of a thriving discipline. Its 10 chapters are written by various experts in the field, each of whom looks at technical editing from a distinct vantage point, setting challenging questions and offering authoritative recommendations based on experience and research. Contributors examine significant approaches to the practice and teaching of technical editing: the
recommended research methodologies, the not entirely straightforward history of technical editing, effective approaches to developing editing courses, the politics of editing within today’s organizations, the definition and on-the-job work of copyediting, the power of electronic editing, the complex nature and best practices of science editing, and the nuts and bolts of successfully editing technical journals. Readers will find insights into background literature, trends, responsibilities, workflow, legal issues, ethics, tricks of the trade, unanticipated complications, business know-how, considerations of audience, interpersonal relations, and strategies for different media that they can apply in their own work and research. Each contributor provides substantive chapter references, and the book’s annotated bibliography describes and evaluates 100 of the most influential and useful editing resources.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Graduate and upper-division technical communication students, teachers, researchers, and practicing editors who want to gain an understanding of the depth and rich diversity of approaches to technical editing.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Avon J. Murphy is a technical editor based in Western Washington. He owns Murphy Editing and Writing Services, specializing in the development and editing of Web sites, articles and books on computer technologies, and mystery fiction. A former college professor and government technical writer, he is a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and, since 1993, the book review editor for the Society for Technical Communication’s quarterly
journal, Technical Communication.
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