Proofreading
In our
last episode we put together our article, from the Title to the Literature
references. (The our and we are not used because I am the president or because I have a tapeworm—I
am just assuming that we are doing this thing together.) We compared the
work to a building which was ready for inspection. In this, the last part
of this short series, we meet the inspectors, and put the final touches
to our work.
The
inspectors
Who are the inspectors? The first
one is very well known to you: it’s you, yourself. Put your article in a
drawer and forget about it for a week or two. When you get it out again
you will probably be surprised at how much more objectively you can look
at your work now.You may even find a few things that can be improved on.
Attend to them and then hand your article to a colleague—preferably not
a member of your fanclub but one who derives a certain satisfaction from
finding fault (like all good editors—otherwise they would be bored to tears).
When you have accommodated any further amendments, you can send the article
to the editor of the journal of your choice—and hold thumbs. Usually it
will be returned to you in due course with comments and suggestions for
corrections or alterations by the editor and/or referees. Incorporate these
in your article, if you agree. If not, give the editor good reasons why
you do not agree with some or all of the proposed alterations. Should you
feel you have been unfairly criticised, you may find consolation in a short
letter by the composer Max Reger. He wrote it after one of his works—an
excellent one, judged with the wisdom of hindsight—had been torn to shreds
by a music critic: Dear Mr Beckmesser,
I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. I have your review of my
latest work in front of me. In a few moments I shall have it behind me.
Yours etc.
Proofreading
When you and the editor have
reached agreement and the article has been accepted for publication, you
will soon receive the page-proofs of your article. You will probably also
be informed that you must return the proofs by yesterday, and that any major
alterations you make at this stage will cost you dearly. The signs and symbols
used to correct printed matter are not internationally standardised but
this rarely causes problems. The proofreader’s marks commonly used in South
Africa are shown on the following page.
Bingo!!!
Not long after you have returned
your corrected proofs to the editor, the proud day will come when you can
admire the fruits of your labour in print. And as you page through them
you discover, to your horror, a printing error on page 3. Don’t worry too
much: one good reason to do even better next time. If the error is crucial,
however, you will have to request the editor to publish a correction in
the next number of the journal.
Epilogue
I can give you no guarantee,
but if you follow the advice I have offered on our short journey through
the world of science writing, you should not receive the kind of letter
sent by Peanuts.
It was
fun writing this series. I hope you found it enjoyable and perhaps also
informative.
Let me
end with quotes by two great minds: What
you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness embraces genius, power
and magic.—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote on his compositions the letters S.D.G.: Soli Deo Gloria: All honour and glory to the Almighty: I humbly dedicate this work, done to the best of my ability, to the greatest creator of all.
—by Dr Otto Leistner
SABONET
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M. 1995. The Plain English guide. Oxford University
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Day,
R.A..1979 How to write and publish a scientific paper.Institute
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Killick,
D.J.B. 1981. Guide to science writing. Department of
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Raper,
P.E. 1987. Dictionary of Southern African place names.
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Roget’s
Thesaurus. 1998. Penguin Books.
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New Fowler’s Modern English Usage. 1998. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
The
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J. 1986. Write right. David & Charles, Newton
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