Celebrating books that make a difference
Working on the Gillette Children's Healthcare Series has been a career highlight for WCEA partner Ruth Wilson.
Words that have worn out their welcome
Certain words and phrases rise to prominence every year, capturing the zeitgeist. Every December, I love reading the words of the year from the major dictionaries. For 2024, Merriam-Webster chose “polarization” as its word of the year, Oxford University Press…
A seasonal distraction: The Twelve Days of Christmas for copy editors
Have some professional development fun with our Twelve Days of Christmas changes in the new edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
The finer points of lists
A list can be a powerful plain-language tool to help readers find information they might otherwise miss. When used effectively, lists help busy readers skim content so they can grasp ideas quickly and efficiently. Increasingly, however, lists are overused and…
Happy International Plain Language Week!
October 13 to 18 is International Plain Language Week! Whatever you’re writing right now—email, report, manual, web page, or some other informational document—think of how you can make it easier for your readers to find, understand, and use the information…
Sentence case, Title Case, or ALL CAPS?
One of the most common issues we run into as editors is capitalization—starting certain words with a capital letter or using capital letters for entire words.
An inspiring new book about ecological restoration
Partner Merrie-Ellen Wilcox's inspiring new book is here.
The case for “you”
In workplace writing, addressing readers as “you” and “your” will help them understand and use information.
Editing consciously
The hearts of editors beat faster in April when the University of Chicago Press announced that a new edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, number 18, would be released in September. It’s come a long way since the 1st…
An eye-opening experience
On a sunny, breezy evening in Montreal, my two daughters, my nephew, and I walked through the front door of an unassuming-looking restaurant named Onoir.