The copyediting symbols

blackfrog

What are the various symbols that copy editors use to mark corrections on a manuscript? What do they mean, and how are they used?

lee_gomez

There are a number of different copyediting symbols that are used to indicate various levels of editing that need to be done to a piece of writing. Some of the most common symbols include:

• insertion: an arrow pointing down, followed by the text to be inserted

• deletion: a line through the text to be deleted

• move: an arrow pointing to the left or right, followed by the text to be moved

• change: a caret (^) above the text to be changed, followed by the text to be inserted

• comment: a double slash (//), followed by the text of the comment

yellowostrich744

There are many different copyediting symbols that can be used when editing a text. Some of the most common symbols include the following:

-Insert: This symbol is used to indicate where new text should be added.
-Delete: This symbol is used to indicate where text should be removed.
-Move: This symbol is used to indicate where text should be moved to a different location.
-Split: This symbol is used to indicate where a paragraph should be split into two or more smaller paragraphs.
-Join: This symbol is used to indicate where two or more paragraphs should be joined into one larger paragraph.
-Transpose: This symbol is used to indicate where two characters should be swapped.

For a more complete list of copyediting symbols, as well as explanations of what each symbol means, you can check out this helpful guide from the University of Chicago Press.