Copyediting

Lecture 2
What is copyediting?
● Art of arranging, correcting stories

● Also called copyreading

● The person who edits and corrects

your story is called a copyeditor.
Editors—and yes, that especially
means copy editors— save
reporters every day from
countless errors, large and small.

The New York Times

Responsibilities of a copyeditor
● Edits errors on grammar
(spelling, tenses,
agreement)

● Errors of fact
(accuracy check)

● Deletes opinion
or libelous statements

● Writes headlines
Standard tools for copyeditors

Copyediting symbols

These are symbols and notations

used for correcting copy.
Exercise

Identify the errors in the following sentences.

Place the correct copyediting symbols.

Please refer to handout sheet.

Standard tools for copyeditors

AP Stylebook

The “Holy Grail” of news

writing.

Provides a common guideline

for news writing and is used by
most newsrooms across the
world.
Standard tools for copyeditors

Allows for uniformity and

consistency throughout the
paper.

Guide includes: Capitalization,

abbreviation, numerals and
punctuations
AP Stylebook guidelines

Numerals
There are nine
The numbers one to nine are always spelled out, students in Miss
while the numbers 10-higher are always in Toralba’s classroom.
numerical form.

About 16 teachers
were in attendance.
AP Stylebook guidelines

Ages
Her daughter is a 9-
Always use figures. If the age is used as an year-old girl.
adjective, make sure it is hyphenated.

She is 9 years old.

AP Stylebook guidelines

Address
12 Payapa Ave.
Abbreviate avenue (Ave.), boulevard (Blvd.),
Roxas Boulevard
street (St.) IF used with a numbered address.
Spell out if stand-alone
AP Stylebook guidelines

Dates
New Year’s Eve falls
● For months: spell out on January.

● For month + day: Abbreviate month except New Year’s Eve falls
for March, April, May, June, July on Dec. 31.

● For month + day + year: Abbreviate month My birthday is Dec.

except for March, April, May, June, July 31, 1995.
AP Stylebook guidelines

Time
At 1:30 a.m….
● Always use a.m., p.m. (lowercase)
The clock struck at
● If 12 p.m. or 12 a.m., use noon or midnight midnight...
instead
AP Stylebook guidelines

Money
P5
● Always use peso (P) sign
P999,999
● No need for decimal places if value is .00
P1 million
● Spell out million, billion, trillion
AP Stylebook guidelines

Acronyms
DSWD
● If four letters and below and
FBI
nonpronunciable/one syllable: capital
letters NBI

● If four letters and above with two syllables: Dole

CLC (capital/lowercase)
Naia

Philguarantee
AP Stylebook guidelines

Acronyms
Balanga Elementary
● When an acronym appears for the first time School (BES)
in a story, make sure to append the acronym announced today…
next to its meaning.
(For second mention)
BES principal
Jennifer Garcia de
Guzman said...
AP Stylebook guidelines

Punctuation
I ate a burger, fries
● Don’t use a comma in a simple series. and shake.

● Do use before a conjunction in a complex She studied French,

series. English and
Composition, and
World History.
Exercise

Correct the errors according to the AP Stylebook.

Please refer to handout sheet.

Other useful reminders

When referring to current officials in government, President Duterte

capitalize the title. Same goes with the three
branches of government. Vice President
Robredo
When referring to the Philippine Constitution,
always capitalize C. Majority Leader
Rodolfo Farinas

Constitution,
Cabinet, Senate,
House, Supreme Court
Other useful reminders

When checking headlines, make sure President to

there is no dangling preposition
Do not use articles in headlines
adopt the new policies
(WRONG)
President to adopt
new policies (CORRECT)
Last-minute tips for the copyeditor

● Watch out for jumbled words, letters,

misspellings and disjointed paragraphs

● Delete editorializing phrases

● Check for redundancies

● Write -30- at the end of copy

thNAk u!?