Editing a Glossary
This blog post takes ideas from the textbook and turns them into steps that are a little more simplified. The goal is to make them into a process that is easy to remember. I have added editing examples with the steps as well to help their memorization.
Example: an author may present their glossary in different stylistic ways
cactus. (1) fleshy, leafless stemmed plants from the Cactaceae family.
Cactus: fleshy, leafless, stemmed plants from the Cactaceae family.
Example: The second definition is much longer and full of extra information. It would need to be edited down to only the coat details and land of origin to match.
labrador-retriever: a breed of retrievers with a short, thick, oily coat that is usually either yellow or black. Originally raised in Newfoundland.
poodle: one breed of very active dogs, probably originating in Germany but regarded as the national dog of France. The breed owned by the most US presidents. They have long, thick, curly, fuzzy coats that is usually trimmed into patterns. They come in standard, miniature and toy sizes.
Example:
Alligator: a broad-snouted reptile.
Bat: winged, insect-eating creature.
Example: If the following definition was queried it would show that the information is incorrect. The edit would be made with correct information.
Ferret: a domesticated animal that originated from polecats in North America.
Edited-
Ferret: a domesticated animal that originated from polecats in Europe.
Editing a Glossary
A step by step guide!
Step One
Take an initial read to understand how this particular author uses style choices to arrange their glossary.Example: an author may present their glossary in different stylistic ways
cactus. (1) fleshy, leafless stemmed plants from the Cactaceae family.
Cactus: fleshy, leafless, stemmed plants from the Cactaceae family.
Step Two
Read the definitions and make sure that the first sentences are clear sentence fragments that summarize the main ideas. Make sure most definitions are about the same length.Example: The second definition is much longer and full of extra information. It would need to be edited down to only the coat details and land of origin to match.
labrador-retriever: a breed of retrievers with a short, thick, oily coat that is usually either yellow or black. Originally raised in Newfoundland.
poodle: one breed of very active dogs, probably originating in Germany but regarded as the national dog of France. The breed owned by the most US presidents. They have long, thick, curly, fuzzy coats that is usually trimmed into patterns. They come in standard, miniature and toy sizes.
Step Three
Make sure the glossary is in alphabetical order.Example:
Alligator: a broad-snouted reptile.
Bat: winged, insect-eating creature.
Step Four
Carefully edit each term. See that there is a definition and/or a cross-reference.Step Five
Make sure all the entries are styled in a similar manner. Copy editing spelling and grammar. Make sure the information is accurate. Check that the terms and cross-references appear in the piece.Example: If the following definition was queried it would show that the information is incorrect. The edit would be made with correct information.
Ferret: a domesticated animal that originated from polecats in North America.
Edited-
Ferret: a domesticated animal that originated from polecats in Europe.
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