Should the Editorial Guidelines be Rigid

This entry was posted in Editor , on June 30 , 2014.

Any editorial assignment should follow a set of guidelines, which has been provided by the client. It is required to follow the guidelines, as it acts as the framework, within which the entire editorial process has to be followed. Once the manuscript follows each and every part of that guideline, then the manuscript can theoretically be called as complete from all aspects. Irrespective of the type of research document, the guidelines can set a direction for the editors, which they require to follow for a successful completion of the editorial project. However, many times it may also be possible that there are some mistakes in the document, which are not covered by the editorial guidelines. What should be role of the editors, if they encounter with such issues? Should they leave those mistakes as it is, as those are not included in the editorial guidelines? Or, they have to move beyond the guidelines?

This is the part, where the continuous feedback from and interaction with the clients becomes important. The guidelines provided by the clients can never be inclusive from all aspects, as this not possible on the part of a simple human being to anticipate all the probable mistakes beforehand. Therefore, it is the role of the editors of any editorial service providing organization, to inform the author about the mistakes and ask him / her to revise the editorial guideline in accordance with that. Once the guidelines are revised in accordance with the review results provided by the editors, the editorial process will start afresh. This entire process will be adhering to the circle of quality control, i.e. plan, do, check, and act. Continuous revising of the editorial guidelines will enable the editorial house to enhance their quality control mechanism, which can set them apart from other players in the industry. For more information about editorial guidelines in the field of editing, kindly browse through the pages of www.editnpublish.com.

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