Why, oh why?
Tomorrow I start a copyediting certificate program at UCSD (the University of California, San Diego). Quite a few people have asked why. I have a PhD, I have years of experience, don’t [...]
PUNCTUATION IN BULLETED LISTS
This is something most people have to look up. Which of the examples is correct? Example A Several recent incidents have caused concern on the part of Management: unauthorized science experiments in [...]
WHEN CLIENTS DON’T WANT TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN STYLE GUIDE: WHAT’S AN EDITOR TO DO?
I had this note from a colleague. Sorry to bother you on a weekend, but I have combed my books and cannot find an answer to satisfy a client on this issue. [...]
DON’T BE ON A FIRST-NAME BASIS WITH YOUR CITATIONS
A colleague emailed me recently about APA style and how to identify the author of a citation. “I have a picky question,” she said. Good! I like that kind. The first time [...]
IS MY BAND’S NAME SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
I received the following question about singular/plural usage. It’s one a lot of people struggle with, so I’m posting it here, with my response. The basic question is: should a group of [...]
EDITING OUT THE PASSIVE
A friend submitted an article to a journal. The reviewer wanted the passive voice removed from the beginning of a particular section of the article, and the friend wanted to know what's [...]