Re: Reply: Levels of edit

[Michael Keene <MKEENE -at- UTKVX -dot- UTK -dot- EDU>]

I *think* the original source of "levels of edit" is Robert Van Buren and
Mary Fran Buehler, *The Levels of Edit*, from Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
publication 80-1 (I have the 2nd edition, 1980).  At one time this was
available from the Government Printing Office, stock #033-000-07585-0,
and I believe it may still be available as a reprint from STC.  There was
also, not long after 1980, an article by Candace Soderston in Tech Comm
on the "10th level of edit,"--the usability edit--that makes a nice
companion piece to the JPL booklet.  I think everyone who has touched
this idea since the JPL publication came out has made important
modifications to the idea--obviously, what is the right focus of a
particular level in a particular setting may be wrong in a different
setting.  The interesting thing about the JPL approach to me was the
extent to which they exactly spelled out all three things: (1) different
*types* of edits, (2) different *levels* of edits, and (3) the exact
way(s) 1. and 2. relate to each other.  While my sense is that many
people today collapse all of that into "light, medium, and heavy," in
some situations it's really important to be able to spell out exactly
what is to be done--either for a client to request, or for an editor to
recommend, or for a teacher in the classroom.  Hope this helps you make your
argument successfully--

Mike Keene
mkeene -at- utkvx -dot- utk -dot- edu