A Guide to Copy Editing & Design

Copy editing requires a desire to a talent for closely and quickly scrutinizing each word of copy. Copy editors rely on trusted resources to help when making decisions about what to edit and how. A Guide to Copy Editing and Design is designed to be a trusted resource for the beginning copy editor as well as an introductory guide to layout and design. Used in conjunction with your AP Stylebook, you will be starting on the road to building copy editing skills with solid resources that will eliminate a lot of guesswork while building your confidence in editing copy.

Layout and design involves engaging an audience through coherent and striking design that meets the needs of an audience. Chapters related to layout and design will give you a solid foundation for building strong and compelling designs and instruction for how to create these designs in Adobe InDesign.

There are seven chapters total. Chapter 1 provides information about editing copy for common mistakes. Chapter 2 discusses working with photographs for both the web and for print. Chapter 3 is an introduction to typography in design. Chapter 4 covers writing headlines for news articles. Chapter 5 is an introduction to design. Chapters 6 and 7 cover how to use InDesign when creating publications for print and for the web.

This online collection of chapters is a revision from a previous version of a printed book, which was the first edition. Moving the information online for the second edition allows for more rapid updating of information, meaning changes can be made as needed to keep the text and images current.

The digital format also means easy access for students who can read chapters and review information on any device that has an internet connection. Another bonus of the digital format is that the second edition is more interactive. Included in the chapters are links, flashcards, interactive quizzes/questions and downloadable worksheets, and videos, among other resources. It is recommended that you take advantage of the ease of access to chapter material as well as the interactive materials. In addition to careful reading of chapters as they are assigned, exploring the interactive materials and regularly using the book as a reference for editing and design questions will bolster your mastery of the material.