Copy-Editing and Textual Subdivisions
For some of the subsequent terms, see 20240908151947-Publishing_Vocabulary.
From “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
[…] folios should be numbered in one sequence throughout the typescript, so that the typesetter can see at once where a folio belongs, though the preliminary pages may be lettered or numbered in roman, to allow for the addition of material not provided by the author.
If a folio is added after, say, 166, call this extra folio 166a; immediately below the folio number on 166 say ‘166a follows’ and on 166a ‘167 follows’, so that anyone checking the folio numbers knows at once if a folio is missing.
A copy-editor should number things reliably so that it is possible to easily perceive when text is missing from a piece of text, particularly a long-form piece of text. Folios, like pages, use numbering to identify their location in the sequence of spatial-textual units. Consequently, they are numbered “in one sequence¨ (Butcher 2006, 38).
Meanwhile, other distinct kinds of information in that sequence of spatial-textual units have their own numerical sequence, namely chapters, appendixes, etc (Ibid). These kinds of information in the text must first be laid out and labeled before they are numbered, i.e. one must already have done what can be seen in 20240917113949-Copy-Editing_and_Textual_Layout. These kinds of information:
From “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
[…] are usually numbered in arabic, though it may be simplest to retain roman numbers in reference to other books and journals. If you renumber chapters, etc., in arabic, remember to change the numbers not only in the headings but also in the contents list and in any cross references.
That is, any renumbering, due to added or removed material or a change in the numbering system, may require changes in headings, the table of contents, and any cross references in the book itself (Ibid).
Distinct systems of numbering may also be used for material exogenous v. endogenous to the text (Ibid).
Numerical v. Typographical Distinguishing of Headings
There is a mutual exclusivity between the necessity of numbering textual parts in their sequence, and the necessity of distinguishing heading grades typographically. Nonetheless, numbering has the unique benefit of locating parts of the text for the purposes of the table of contents and cross references. When typographical distinction is used, the work of numbering is outsourced to separate pieces of text that map that numbering to folio or page numbers of or for the main text, those separate pieces often being the table of contents, appendix or index.
If paragraphs:
- Are expected to be referred back to by at least the reader
- Have relatively minute length
- Have a distinct role from the main text Then those paragraphs should be numbered as well as formatted differently from a regular paragraph (Butcher 2006, 39):
From “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
Numbered paragraphs should be laid out like other paragraphs unless they form a list of points that need needs to be distinguished from the main text. The distinction will be based partly on the length of the paragraphs and partly on whether the reader is likely to refer back to the items independently of the surrounding text.
That is, such paragraphs should be treated as a list deserving of numbering.
page copy-editing arabic_numerals roman_numerals space exogeneity endogeneity lists table_of_contents appendices cross_reference cross-reference parts chapter part appendix mutual_exclusivity trade-off table_of_contents editing editor copy-editing copy-editor
bibliography
- “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter.” In Butcher’s Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-Editors and Proofreaders, 4th ed., 28–68. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006.