The vocabulary of drafts and revisions
Writing and editing have a long tradition, and much of the vocabulary comes from newsrooms and publishing houses. Some words describe the parts of a piece; others describe stages of improving it. Here are the editing terms most likely to appear in feedback, grouped by structure, editing stages and mechanics.
Parts of a piece
Lede. The opening sentence or paragraph of a story, written to give the reader the most important point or hook. The unusual spelling is an old newsroom habit that avoids confusion with the metal “lead” used in printing. Outside news, you will often see “lead” or “opening paragraph.” Good opening paragraphs make a reader want the next one.
Nut graf. A short paragraph, usually near the start, that explains what the piece is about and why it matters.
Headline. The title of a piece, meant to tell readers plainly what to expect. Headline writing often favors clarity over cleverness.
Subhead. A smaller heading inside the text that marks a new section. Clear descriptive subheadings help readers scan.
Deck. A line of text under a headline that adds detail, also called a standfirst or dek.
Byline. The line naming the author.
Dateline. A line at the start of a news story giving the place, and sometimes date, where it was reported.
Kicker. A closing line or section that gives a piece a satisfying end. In some publications, the word instead refers to a short label above a headline.
Pull quote. A short excerpt, often set in large type, pulled out from the text to draw attention.
Sidebar. A short, separate piece next to the main one, giving extra information.
Boilerplate. Standard text reused across documents, such as a standard description of an organization.
Copy. The written text itself, as distinct from images and layout.
Slug. Two meanings: a short label identifying a story during production, or, on the web, the readable end of a page address.
Stages of editing
Developmental or structural editing. Looking at the big picture: the argument, order, scope and gaps. This is best done before sentence-level work. See structural editing.
Line editing. Improving the flow, clarity and style of individual sentences and paragraphs.
Copy edit. A careful pass for grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency and usage. A copy editor also flags unclear statements and facts that need checking, without rewriting the piece.
Proofreading. The final check of a near-finished version, looking for typos and small errors left behind. It is not meant for major changes. Some proofreading techniques, such as reading aloud or reading backward, help catch mistakes the eye skips.
Fact-check. Verifying names, numbers, dates, quotes and claims against reliable sources. Self fact-checking is a good habit even when someone else will review your work.
Revision. Changing a draft to improve it, often through several passes. The revision process moves from broad changes to fine ones.
Rewrite. A deeper revision in which sections are restructured or written again.
First draft. An initial version meant to get ideas down. It is expected to be imperfect.
Final copy. The approved version that goes to publication.
Sign-off. Formal approval that a piece is ready to publish.
Mechanics and consistency
Style guide. A set of rules about preferred spelling, punctuation, capitalization, tone and formatting. Larger publications adopt a published guide; smaller ones write their own, as in a simple style guide.
Style sheet. A working record, kept during a project, of the specific decisions made for that piece, such as the spelling of a name, whether to hyphenate a term or how to format numbers. It supports the style guide by recording exceptions and choices.
House style. The preferred style of a particular publication or organization.
Serial comma (Oxford comma). The comma before “and” in a list of three or more items. Whether to use it is a style choice that differs by guide.
Active and passive voice. In active voice the subject performs the action (“The editor cut the paragraph”); in passive voice the subject receives it (“The paragraph was cut”). Passive voice is not an error, but active voice is often clearer. See active voice.
Tightening. Cutting unnecessary words while keeping the meaning.
Wordiness and padding. Extra words that add length but not meaning.
Jargon. Specialized language that outsiders may not understand.
Tone and voice. Tone is the attitude of a piece in a given moment. Voice is the consistent personality across a writer’s work.
Tracked changes. A word-processing feature that records each edit so the writer can accept or reject it.
Markup. Notes or symbols placed on a manuscript to show changes. It also describes coding languages for web text.
Stet. A Latin word meaning “let it stand,” used to cancel an earlier correction.
Query. A question an editor asks the writer about something unclear or doubtful.
Putting it to use
When you give feedback, naming the stage you want helps. “Please line edit this” and “Please check facts only” lead to very different work. Clear requests reduce confusion; see editing feedback for more on giving and receiving notes.
Terms are not used identically everywhere, and a few of them, such as “lede” or “dek,” are common in some outlets and unknown in others. If you are working with a new team, ask what they mean.