{"id":6611,"date":"2018-07-20T09:29:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T14:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utopianediting.com\/?p=6611"},"modified":"2022-01-01T18:07:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T00:07:00","slug":"perfectit-the-copyeditors-meticulous-sidekick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/index.php\/2018\/07\/20\/perfectit-the-copyeditors-meticulous-sidekick\/","title":{"rendered":"PerfectIt, the Copyeditor’s Meticulous Sidekick"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Most editors (or maybe it\u2019s just me) like to delude themselves that they are so eagle-eyed, so perfectionist that no error would dare elude them. According to one study<\/strong><\/a>,1<\/sup> however, human proofreaders\u2014even professional ones\u2014are at best 95% accurate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Test me, test me! Surely I can beat that. I think.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

The Cost of Perfection<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]But even if I can manage 100% accuracy, there\u2019s no doubt it takes time (read: money) to scrutinize a manuscript<\/strong> and cross-check for consistency. This isn\u2019t so bad for a blog post or three-page essay, but what about an 85,000-word novel?<\/p>\n

Take that a step further: Once an editor has thoroughly combed a manuscript, he or she may now be blind<\/strong> to certain kinds of errors. That\u2019s why, when a manuscript absolutely MUST be error-free, the smart project manager has two or more editors<\/strong> go over it.<\/p>\n

Imagine what that does to the budget. Most budgets simply won\u2019t allow it. So do we throw up our hands and say, \u201cNobody\u2019s perfect?\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently I\u2019ve seen a number of prominent editors casually mention their use of PerfectIt<\/strong><\/span>, a plug-in that will check your document against a pretty detailed style sheet. It won\u2019t catch dangling modifiers or pronouns with vague antecedents, but it will certainly catch the fact that you hyphenated \u201cstart-up\u201d in two places and closed it up in one. Check here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for more information.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

This sounded promising: an automated way to catch the non-controversial, objective errors so I could focus more attention on style, flow, and tone<\/strong>. So this week I took the plunge.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

My First Experience with PerfectIt *<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I got a nice discount<\/strong> on PerfectIt because I\u2019m a member of ACES<\/strong><\/a>; if you belong to a different editing organization<\/strong>, check to see whether they offer a similar discount.<\/p>\n

The purchase and download experience were surprisingly painless. I filled out a few fields on their webpage, got a license key emailed to me, and was playing with the software within minutes.<\/p>\n

Before I began, I had a few questions\/concerns<\/strong><\/span>:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\n

    \n
  1. Would I have to spend a lot of time setting preferences<\/strong><\/span> before using PerfectIt to edit a document?<\/li>\n
  2. Would it be difficult to double-check the software\u2019s work<\/strong><\/span>, to prevent it from \u201ccorrecting\u201d something that was actually okay?<\/li>\n
  3. Would there be an easy way to implement my most frequently-used style guide<\/strong><\/span> (the Chicago Manual of Style<\/strong><\/a>)?<\/li>\n
  4. How user-friendly<\/strong><\/span> would it be overall?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

    Installing and Setting Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]For question #1<\/strong><\/span>, I was pleasantly surprised at how little I had to do. Here\u2019s what the ribbon looks like in Word<\/strong> (I\u2019m running Office 365 on a PC, but there’s also a Mac option):[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6613″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I clicked \u201cManage Styles\u201d<\/strong> and got this dialogue box:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6614″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I clicked around a bit, but all I really did was set it for US spelling<\/strong>. I figured I\u2019d see how it went and modify as needed later. If you click on \u201cEdit Style Sheet,\u201d however, you\u2019ll get this dialogue box:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6615″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Those tabs<\/strong> along the top make it easy to navigate<\/strong>. If you click, for example, on \u201cPrefixes,\u201d you\u2019ll get this:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6616″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I can see here that I\u2019ll want to do some customizing<\/strong> later, unless I can find a reliable, ready-made import for CMoS (see “Using a Style Manual”<\/strong> below). Notice, for example, that the default style doesn\u2019t test the prefixes \u201ccounter-\u201d and \u201cextra-\u201d for hyphenation rules. CMoS generally prefers to close prefixes up, but there are exceptions.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

    Trial Run<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]For this first test, however, I was ready to go. When I clicked \u201cLaunch PerfectIt,\u201d<\/strong> this sidebar popped up:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6617″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]It gives you another chance to play with the settings before you get cranking. Once you start, it will run through the manuscript for each of its tests<\/strong> (hyphenation, capitalization, etc.), and you can track its progress<\/strong> with this dialogue box:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6618″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Here\u2019s the first error<\/strong> it detected:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6619″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Once it detects an error, it stops and prompts you to make a decision<\/strong>. This answered my question #2<\/strong><\/span>\u2014yes, I get to retain responsibility for quality control<\/strong>. (I believe there is a setting where you can choose to review all edits at the end instead of as you go.)<\/p>\n

    In this case, we definitely need to change the word from British spelling to American. I clicked \u201cFix,\u201d and the software did it for me. Then it politely prompted me to click the \u201cNext\u201d button to resume checking.<\/p>\n

    Next prompt:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6620″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]This one was a judgment call<\/strong>: use contractions or don\u2019t? Notice the style tip<\/strong> at the bottom of the sidebar. I thought that was a nice touch. In this case, I elected to retain contractions because the piece was appropriately written in a conversational tone. When I clicked \u201cNext\u201d to move on without fixing the issue, the software notified me that I could skip<\/strong> the remaining contractions tests if I wanted. Yep! Clicked \u201cContractions\u201d and moved on to the next test.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6621″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Here\u2019s another judgment call<\/strong>: whether to allow an abbreviation that hasn\u2019t been defined in the document. In this case, the audience is reading a space advocacy magazine, so we can assume they know what an EVA is (extra-vehicular activity). Again, note the helpful style tip<\/strong> at the bottom.<\/p>\n

    Once all tests were complete<\/strong>, PerfectIt asked if I\u2019d like to perform any additional tasks<\/strong>:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6622″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Why yes! Please eliminate those extra spaces<\/strong> for me![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6623″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6624″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Now, if you wish, you can generate a report of all changes made<\/strong><\/span>:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6625″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I recommend doing so and saving it in the project folder along with your style sheet<\/strong>. That way, if a problem comes up later, you can scan through the report for clues.<\/p>\n

    And last thing\u2014yes, you can have \u201cTrack Changes\u201d on while PerfectIt runs<\/strong><\/span>. You won\u2019t see the redlining during the process, but once you close the plug-in, it\u2019ll show all of PerfectIt\u2019s edits on your screen:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6626″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]If you prefer not to bother clients with non-controversial changes, then you can leave it off, of course. But some of you will want to track every change so the client can see what\u2019s been done (and justify your paycheck).[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

    Using a Style Manual<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]When I threw question #3<\/strong><\/span> out there to the Twitterverse, Intelligent Editing<\/strong> (PerfectIt\u2019s manufacturer) almost immediately responded:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6627″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I promptly joined the Facebook PerfectIt Users group<\/strong><\/a> and was pleased to see that a member, Tasha Bigelow, had JUST the previous day posted a CMoS style sheet for import (serendipity, anyone?):[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6631″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Importing it was super easy.<\/strong><\/span> In Word, I just clicked \u201cManage Styles,\u201d<\/strong> then \u201cImport,\u201d then clicked the file I’d downloaded from Facebook.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6632″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Being me, I\u2019ll probably wind up scrutinizing the style sheet and modifying it further\u2014a hefty time investment<\/strong>, but one that will pay off in more accurate work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    I did think to ask Tasha what she focused on in compiling the style sheet<\/strong>. After all, one could use CMoS to anchor a ship:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6633″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large” img_link_target=”_blank”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Bless you, Tasha!<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

    How Long Did It Take?<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]This particular test doesn\u2019t count because I spent time taking notes and screenshots. But another test I ran took about eight minutes for a 22,000-word dissertation<\/strong>\u2014and that will go faster once I\u2019m familiar with the process.<\/p>\n

    Eight minutes. Editors, think how much time<\/strong> you\u2019d have spent finding and correcting those errors manually<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

    Other Points<\/strong><\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\n