View source for Wiki143:Basic copyediting

{{short description|How-to guide explaining copyediting of articles on Wikipedia}}
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Discovering that [[Wikipedia]] pages need basic [[copyediting]], i.e., correcting for grammar, spelling, readability, or layout, may surprise new visitors to the site, but this ''is'' the "encyclopedia that anyone can edit": it is [[WP:not perfect|not perfect yet]]! Thousands of articles need simple improvements you can make without [[WP:Expert|being an expert in the subject]]. Copyediting involves the "five Cs": making the article clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent.<ref name="Armstrong2011">{{cite web |first=Julia |last=Armstrong |year=2011 |url=http://current.ischool.utoronto.ca/system/files/workshops/2011/copy_writing_workshop2011.pdf |title=Copyediting and proofreading |publisher=University of Toronto |page=2 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224809/http://current.ischool.utoronto.ca/system/files/workshops/2011/copy_writing_workshop2011.pdf |archivedate=3 March 2016 |accessdate=2 November 2019}}</ref> The following is a guide for new copyeditors.

==How to do basic copyediting==

{{dablink|For general help with editing, see [[Help:Editing]].}}

;Step one
:Scan the article for errors or ways in which it can be improved. The entire article or particular sections may be tagged as needing a copyedit. There is a list of common mistakes below.
;Step two
:Edit the page by clicking the "Edit" or "Edit source" tab near the top or one of the edit links next to the section headings.
;Step three
:Make your changes and fill out an [[Wikipedia:Edit summary|edit summary]]. Be helpful to the editors who follow you by giving a summary of what you have done. Simple "Copy edit" is fine, but "Edited for tone" is even better. The most commonly used [[Wikipedia:Glossary|abbreviation]] for "copy edit" is "ce", which is better than nothing, but it is more helpful to include one or more words or phrases such as "capitalization", "subject-verb agreement", "fixed dangling modifier", "logical quotes", or whatever describes your edit.
;Step four
:Preview your change and save.
;Step five (optional)
:If you think the article does not need further basic copyediting, click Edit again and remove the "copy edit" template at the top of the article, which is what flags it as needing improvement. The template typically is a markup that looks like {{tlx|copy edit}}, with a date inside the braces.

==Useful tools==
* [https://wordcounter.net/ WordCounter] counts characters and sentences, and makes other measurements. It can also help improve grammar, word choice, and writing style, as well as detect [[Wikipedia:Plagiarism|plagiarism]].
* [[LanguageTool]] has a free plugin for popular web browsers that checks spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation.
* Most word-processing software, such as [[Microsoft Word]] and [[LibreOffice]], have built-in spelling and grammar checkers; for instructions, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Spellchecking#Using word-processor software}}.

Please be careful when using these and other tools; they are not infallible. You should manually check the output of online tools and spelling checkers for factual accuracy, grammar, spelling and the [[WP:ENGVAR|correct variety of English]], and the output should be corrected where necessary. Editors are fully responsible for their own edits regardless of any tools they use.

==Common mistakes to fix==

These are some common errors you may find in articles:

===Commonly confused words===
{{main|List of commonly misused English words}}

''its'' and ''it's''; ''there'', ''their'', and ''they're''; ''your'', ''you're'', and ''you''; ''lose'' and ''loose''; ''lie'' and ''lay'' (and their tenses); ''who's'' and ''whose''; ''have'' and ''of'' (''should of'' for ''should have'')

===Capitalization and formatting===

* Words defined, described, or referenced as words should be italicized, e.g., "The term ''style'' also refers to the layout of an article."
* Wikipedia article headings should generally be noun phrases (''History of{{nbsp}}...'') and not prepositional phrases (''About the history of{{nbsp}}...'').
* Headings begin with a single capital letter, i.e., they use [[sentence case]]. The only other capital letters in headings are in [[proper noun|proper names]] and [[acronym]]s.
* Titles of works of art (paintings, sculpture), plays and operas, television series, films, novels and nonfiction books, song cycles, and long poems should be italicized rather than put in quotation marks, e.g., ''[[Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance]]''.
* Titles of songs, short stories, individual episodes of television series, and brief poems, e.g., "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]" or "[[Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening]]", should be in quotation marks. Italics, however, are required for a [[song cycle]], such as ''[[Winterreise]]'' or the title of a longer poem, such as ''[[Four Quartets]]''. Individual episode titles of television series need quotation marks, while the series name itself is italicized, e.g., "[[Welcome to the Hellmouth]]" is the premiere episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.

===Punctuation===
{{anchor|Parenthetical comma}}
* Location constructions, such as ''Vilnius, Lithuania'', require a comma after the second element, e.g., "He was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, after the country had gained independence."
* The [[month–day–year format|month–day–year]] style of writing dates requires a comma after the year, e.g., "On September 15, 1947, she began her first year at Harvard."
* Decade names should not include an apostrophe before the ''s'' ({{xt|"She was born in the 1980s."}} instead of {{!xt|"She was born in the 1980's."}}). Generally do not refer to a decade without its century. See [[WP:DECADE]].
* Make sure apostrophes are used correctly, and watch out for [[apostrophe#GG|greengrocers' apostrophes]].

===Style===
* Avoid affected, pompous or excessive language, e.g., "due to the fact that" for "because", "ascertain the location of" for "find", and (in [[:wikt:utilise#Usage_notes|almost all cases]]) "utilize" for "use".
* Check articles for unnecessary words and redundant phrases. Vigorous, effective writing is clear and concise. See [[Wikipedia:Plain English|Plain English]].
* Quotations should not be changed, except for trivial spelling and typographic errors. Otherwise, obvious errors and censorship in the original can be marked with {{tlx|sic}}, which displays as {{sic}}. Legitimate insertions and omissions are acceptable if marked by square brackets and ellipses, respectively. See [[WP:MOSQUOTE]] for details.
* [[Wikipedia:Don't be a smartypants|Watch out]] for [[jargon]] and overly long sentences, which can reduce [[readability]].
* In lists, ensure [[Parallelism (grammar)|parallelism]]. Use bulleted lists for more than a few elements, for readability.

===Article elements===
[[Wikipedia:External links|External links]] belong at the end of an article under the heading ''External links'' or ''Further reading''. Articles, books, and websites used as sources are listed separately in a ''References'' or ''Notes'' section.

===Contractions===
With the exception of direct quotations and names, do not use [[Contraction (grammar)|contractions]] in articles. Spell out the words in full, i.e., write "do not" instead of "don't"; write "cannot" instead of "can't"; etc.

===Spelling===

Correct spelling mistakes and [[typo]]s. See [[Wikipedia:Spellchecking]] for complete advice on how to do this well; the main points are:
* Be careful to use the correct variety of English (e.g., American or British), which affects spelling (e.g., ''flavour'', ''colour'', ''centre'' and ''defence'' vs. ''flavor'', ''color'', ''center'', and ''defense''). {{slink|Wikipedia:Manual of Style|National varieties of English}} has extensive guidance on how to choose correctly and how to write clearly for all readers.
** Articles about a given region use that region's variety of English.
** Otherwise, the first variety used by any given editor is retained by succeeding editors.
** The talk page may have a banner indicating which variety is already established, or the article may have a template like {{tl|Use British English}} at the top of the wikitext.
* Most web browsers have built-in spellchecking. You can use external websites or software to check for errors.
* If you want to focus only on misspellings, these tools are handy:
** [[User:Lupin/Live spellcheck]] – for monitoring misspellings as they are added
** [[Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss]] – for finding misspellings in existing text
** [[Wikipedia:Correct typos in one click]] – for correcting typos from [[Wikipedia:DUMP|dumps]]

==Things that do not need fixing==
{{further|Disputes in English grammar}}

Some style guides advise against grammatical constructions, such as [[English passive voice#Reasons|passive voice]], [[split infinitive]]s, [[English relative clauses#That or which|restrictive ''which'']], [[conjunction (grammar)#Starting a sentence|beginning a sentence with a conjunction]], and [[Preposition stranding|ending clauses in a preposition]]. These are common in high-quality publications and should not be "fixed" without considering the consequences. For example, changing even one passive sentence to make it active can easily alter the meaning of an entire paragraph. Attempts to improve any passage must be based on tone, clarity, and consistency, rather than blind adherence to a rule.

Wikipedia [[MOS:ENGVAR|does not prefer a single national variety of English]]. In general, do not change one to another except under the circumstances described in {{sectionlink||Spelling}} above.

When considering recommendations from copy-editing software like [[Grammarly]], refrain from making changes that would negatively affect the tone of the sentence. Notably, avoid suggested changes that would introduce [[WP:WTW|words to watch]] or [[WP:NPOV|non-neutral wording]].

==Etiquette==
Remember that Wikipedia is a collaborative, consensus-based environment. [[WP:BRD|Be bold]] in making changes, but if you find your work has been undone by another editor, visit the talk page of the article and start a discussion before reinstating it. According to ''Butcher's Copy-editing'':
<blockquote>The good copyeditor is a rare creature: an intelligent reader and a tactful and sensitive critic; someone who cares enough about the perfection of detail to spend time checking small points of consistency in someone else's work but has the good judgement not to waste time or antagonize the author by making unnecessary changes.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Judith |last1=Butcher |first2=Caroline |last2=Drake |first3=Maureen |last3=Leach |title=Butcher's Copy-editing |publisher=Cambridge University Press |edition=4th |date=2006 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712152932if_/http://ayorek.org:80/files/References/Copy-editing_%20The%20Cambridge%20Handbook%20for%20Editors,.pdf#page=19&zoom=auto,-147,472 |page=4}}</ref></blockquote>

==Get help and meet other copyeditors==
* If you have questions about English grammar, punctuation, or style, please seek advice at [[Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language]] or [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Grammar]].
* If you want to meet other Wikipedia copyeditors and help out, check out [[Wikipedia:Peer review/volunteers]] and [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors]].

==Find articles that need copyediting==

Articles in need of basic copyediting may be tagged with templates, such as {{tl|copyedit}} or {{tl|copyedit-section}}. A list of such articles can be found in a few places. The easiest places to get started are:
* {{cl|All Wikipedia articles needing copy edit}}, a list of articles tagged with copy editing templates.
* [[Wikipedia:GettingStarted|GettingStarted]], which suggests copyediting articles appropriate for new users after they sign up, or
* the [[Wikipedia:Community portal#Todo|Community Portal]] to-do list, which has many kinds of tasks, updated hourly.

==See also==

* [[Template:Not a typo]]
* [[Wikipedia:Make technical articles understandable]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors]]

==Notes==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
 
* [https://brians.wsu.edu/common-errors-in-english-usage/ Common Errors in English Usage{{snd}}Professor Paul Brians]
{{Writing guides}}

[[Category:Wikipedia copy editing|Basic copyediting]]
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