Monday, 17 December 2018

Research - The Lost Art of Editing (article)

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/11/lost-art-editing-books-publishing

•"Editors are supposed to edit: well, of course. What else would they do? And why should Private Eye, in the process of tweaking a few authors' noses, alight on those who labour behind the scenes and accuse them of incompetence? The answer lies in the changing role of the editor, in the turning wheel of the publishing industry and in the expectations of readers."
Defining what editing is and the impact of the modern world/internet age on what it means to be an editor/what editorial design needs to consider. Good for when looking at self-publishing and fanzines in the Punk movement.

Before starting to write your essay it is important to establish a strong understanding of the topic. It is important to explore the topic using a variety of sources in order to obtain a good overall understanding. Using the resources discussed in the session start gathering information on your topic. It is important that you are clear on exactly what it is you are looking for in the beginning - write these down so that you do not get distracted.

1. Establish research aims - what information am i looking for?

2. Find sources - use the resources discussed in the session.

3. Browse the sources quickly to get a gist of the content and decide if it is relevant - use contents, index, 
google books searches.

4. Read!

5. Write bullet-point summaries of important information - avoid collecting quotes without your own 
interpretation/input.

6. Arrange your findings from all sources onto a table, chart or mind-map.

How well you do this task will likely determine how successful your first essay is. Your essay must offer a definition and key developments of your chosen theme but it is vital that you demonstrate that this information has come from multiple sources. An essay which contains only 1 or no sources will fail the basic requirements of the module therefore it is vital that you make a good record of your reading at this stage.

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