Profession editor - what does he do and how to become one?

Story

A certain semblance of editing existed back in the days of handwritten books, when the correctness of copying was checked when rewriting texts and corrections were made in accordance with the opinion of the copyist. A typical example is the ancient Russian chronicles, which included those events that the chronicler considered important, regardless of their real significance.

With the invention of printing, the role of editors began to be played first by typographers, who checked the correctness of typed texts, and then by representatives of the church, who looked for signs of heresy in civil books. As soon as the publication of books, magazines and newspapers became widespread, special officials appeared who ordered authors to make changes for ideological reasons. To avoid this kind of trouble, publishers began to hire full-time workers who checked materials intended for publication and formed editorial policies. At the same time, factual, verbal and stylistic defects were corrected.

Gradually, editing acquired specialization in branches of publishing. In Soviet times, however, editors again became de facto censors: because of their conclusions, many books that did not comply with official policy were not published. Some functions of internal censorship are nevertheless necessary: every publication must check published materials for compliance with the laws of the country.

Main areas of professional activity

An editor in the broad sense of the word is a person who is engaged in editing (changing, bringing to an optimal form) any material: text, visual, graphic, and so on. He is given a certain sample, which he must comprehend, correct and prepare for delivery.

Description

Depending on the area of activity, editors are:

literary: their duty is to prepare the book for printing, making corrections, but without distorting the author’s intent and writing style. The work of literary editors is the pinnacle of editing;
technical: they provide high printing quality of the publication. It is thanks to them that the reader receives a beautiful and convenient text for visual perception.
art or build editors: they are responsible for the design of the publication for all images used in the publication - both for their quality and for compliance with the originals, as well as legal norms;
scientific: such editors are always narrow specialists in some field of knowledge. The presence of a scientific editor is a guarantee of the reliability of information and an indicator of the authority of the publication;

The 20th century added editors of films, television shows and online publications to this classification. The latter often combines the functions of all traditional specialties.

Editor-in-Chief, Chief Editor and Issuer: What's the difference?

In the hierarchy, the editor-in-chief is highest, then the chief, and then the editor. The higher the “rank”, the more a person is involved in management and the less he works with texts. The table below shows what the responsibilities of each specialist are:

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief	Responsibilities of the Chief Editor	Responsibilities of the production editor
Head of the publication. Management position. Determines editorial policy. Doesn't usually work with authors.	Checks and revises editorial materials. Supervises all editors and proofreaders.	Reviews materials before publication. In online media, he places materials in the feed. Controls the materials preparation schedule.

This division is more typical for large media outlets. In small editorial offices, all duties can be performed by one specialist. Functions may vary depending on location.

Professional Responsibilities

The editor is perhaps the busiest person in any publication. Every day he must:

edit received manuscripts, working directly with the authors: suggesting ways to improve the structure of the text, clarifying the factual content, correcting errors, coordinating all changes and sometimes persuading the author to accept the edits;
participate in the preparation of contracts with authors;
review newly received materials, deciding whether they will go into work or should be rejected;
write reasonable refusals when rejecting a manuscript;
discuss the layout of the publication together with art and technical editors,
sign manuscripts for production and proofread advance copies.

Editor's job description

525 11610

We bring to your attention a typical example of an editor's job description, sample 2021. A person with a higher professional education can be appointed to this position without presenting any work experience requirements. Don’t forget, each editor’s instruction is handed out against a signature.

The hr-portal website provides typical information about the knowledge that an editor should have. About duties, rights and responsibilities.

This material is included in the huge library of job descriptions on our website, which is updated daily.

General provisions

1. A person with a higher professional education is accepted for the position of editor without presenting requirements for work experience.

3. The editor is hired and dismissed by the director of the organization.

4. The editor must know:

Editor's Responsibilities

Editor:

1. Edits scientific and methodological literature, information and regulatory materials produced by the editorial and publishing department in order to ensure a high scientific and literary level of publications.

2. Participates in the preparation of publishing contracts with authors and employment agreements with external reviewers.

3. Reviews manuscripts and reviews of them.

4. Prepares conclusions on the possibility of publishing the manuscript as presented or after revision, taking into account proposed corrections, additions, and abbreviations.

5. In cases of refusal to publish manuscripts, prepares justified written refusals within the time limits established by the contracts.

6. Edits manuscripts accepted for publication, providing the authors with the necessary assistance (to improve the structure of manuscripts, choice of terms, design of illustrations, etc.), and coordinates recommended changes with them.

7. During the editing process, checks the authors’ compliance with the reviewers’ comments and the requirements for manuscripts for their revision, the completeness of the presented material, the correspondence of the titles of sections of the manuscript with their content, as well as the extent to which the latest achievements of science, technology and advanced production experience are reflected in the works.

8. Checks from primary sources the correctness of the spelling of the cited quotations and digital data, the use and spelling of names, scientific and technical terms, units of measurement, the design of the reference apparatus of the publication, the compliance of the given symbols with the designations established by the standards or accepted in the scientific and normative literature.

9. Carries out the necessary literary editing of manuscripts.

10. Draws up an editorial passport for the manuscript, gives instructions and explanations to the technical editor, proofreader, and typesetter.

11. Prepares footnotes, duplicates, and a working table of contents.

12. Together with the authors and the technical editor, reviews illustrative materials, determines their place in the publication and transfers them to the art editor for the timely production of graphics and cliches.

13. Participates in resolving issues related to the artistic and technical design of edited publications.

14. Signs manuscripts for production, processes proof proofs and checks advance copies before publication.

15. Compiles lists of detected typos.

16. Complies with the internal labor regulations and other local regulations of the organization.

17. Complies with internal rules and regulations of labor protection, safety, industrial sanitation and fire protection.

18. Ensures cleanliness and order in his workplace.

19. Carry out, within the framework of the employment contract, the orders of the employees to whom he is subordinate in accordance with these instructions.

Editor's rights

The editor has the right:

1. Submit proposals for consideration by the director of the organization:

— to improve work related to the responsibilities provided for in this instruction,

- on encouraging distinguished employees subordinate to him,

- on bringing to material and disciplinary liability the employees subordinate to him who have violated production and labor discipline.

2. Request from structural divisions and employees of the organization the information necessary for him to perform his job duties.

3. Get acquainted with the documents defining his rights and responsibilities for his position, criteria for assessing the quality of performance of official duties.

4. Get acquainted with the draft decisions of the organization’s management relating to its activities.

5. Require the management of the organization to provide assistance, including ensuring organizational and technical conditions and execution of the established documents necessary for the performance of official duties.

6. Other rights established by current labor legislation.

Editor's Responsibility

The editor is responsible in the following cases:

1. For improper performance or failure to fulfill one’s job duties provided for in this job description - within the limits established by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation.

2. For offenses committed in the course of their activities - within the limits established by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. For causing material damage to the organization - within the limits established by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

Editor job description - sample 2021. Job responsibilities of the editor, rights of the editor, responsibility of the editor.

Who is this profession suitable for?

The profession of an editor belongs to a very specific type of activity. To become a good editor, the following qualities are required.

Excellent command of words: the editor must write well so that the author trusts him.
Communication skills: the profession requires constant communication with authors, customers, publication owners and subordinates. A good editor knows how to find an approach to everyone - this is the key to successful team work.
Organizational skills: the editor distributes responsibilities within the team. He organizes all work processes and controls their implementation.
Analytical mindset: the ability to analyze the situation and the material received is important in this job.
Broad erudition: it will allow you to assess the actual accuracy of the manuscript from the first pages.
Knowledge of business etiquette and negotiation skills: the editor works with people, he often has to point out mistakes to them. This unpleasant task must be solved correctly and on the basis of compromise.
Creativity: the profession is as creative as possible.
Responsibility: the fate of the publication depends on the punctuality of the editor and his ability to plan the work process.
Emotional stability: The editor is often offended and unfairly treated, but under no circumstances should he lose his cool.
Optimism: the editor is responsible for the emotional mood of the team. This is an indispensable employee of every publication who not only leads, but also inspires.

What do you need to know and be able to do to work as an editor?

Some of the basic knowledge and skills required by an editor include the following:

Basic knowledge in the field of journalism: main genres of texts, their features.
Ability to quickly and competently write, check and revise texts.
People skills: ability to organize, motivate, supervise employees.
Be able to analyze large volumes of information. Use analytical systems (Yandex.Metrica, Google Analytics).
Knowledge of the specifics of the employer (work of a book publishing house, television company, online media, etc.)

It is important for the editor-in-chief to know how to correctly analyze the target audience of a publication and determine the format in which it will work. Ability to draw up editorial policies and other documents for the editorial office. It is important to know how to work with people: organize, motivate, control.

The profession of an editor imposes certain requirements on personal qualities. You must be attentive, responsible, organized, able to work under pressure, and not lose your head in stressful situations.

Demand

The editor's profession is considered to be in high demand. Printed publications and online resources are constantly evolving. This stimulates the emergence of new projects that require competent editing.

Build editors are becoming very popular in these conditions: they save online publications, first of all, from problems with law enforcement agencies. Checking the image for compliance with copyrights and model rights, for compliance with the law on countering extremist activities is a necessary condition that saves the resource from the threat of closure and from large fines.

Editor Training

Courses

SkillBox

You will learn how to write, edit and design texts. You will learn how to define a content marketing strategy, evaluate the effectiveness of information products, build editorial processes and manage authors. Master an in-demand profession under the guidance of industry leaders, expand your portfolio, and be able to work as an editor in a company, agency, or freelance.

Universities

Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov

Journalism (Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov)

Russian State Social University

Journalism (Faculty of Communication Management RSSU)

National Research University Higher School of Economics

Journalism (Faculty of Communications, Media and Design, National Research University Higher School of Economics)

Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) MFA of Russia

International journalism (Faculty of International Journalism at MGIMO)

Moscow Pedagogical State University

Journalism (Institute of Journalism, Communications and Media Education, Moscow State Pedagogical University)

Is it easy to get a job?

In order to get a job on the staff of a well-known publishing house, you need to wait for a corresponding vacancy, but this may not happen: they have a large staff of employees who already have work experience and know its specifics. Much more often, editors are required in Internet projects. Therefore, it is more rational to start looking for a place from freelance exchanges.

It is advisable to have an example of successful editing in your portfolio. But this does not exclude the possibility that during the interview they may be asked to complete a test task necessary to test literacy and compliance of qualifications with the stated requirements.

As a rule, the editor’s work in this case is remote, and this allows him to manage several projects. However, even printed publications are increasingly accepting applicants from other regions.

Types of editors

Depending on the work site and the specifics of the activity, there are several types of editors:

Editor in a magazine - large magazines have many junior editors, they prepare the text for publication, check for errors and can change the text according to the censorship policy of the publication.
The editor-in-chief manages the entire process, and may not even work directly with texts. He forms an editorial portfolio (a set of materials that will be used to publish a magazine or newspaper), forms a concept and editorial policy, manages authors and junior editors, and decides whether the material is suitable for publication. This is no longer about proofreading, but about organizational work.
Editor in the media - distributes the topics of articles among journalists, selects material and heroes for publication, finds experts for interviews.
Editor of scientific works - engaged in editing dissertations, diplomas and term papers. Corrects errors in the text, formats the text according to GOST, correctly formats headings, tables of contents, tables, and bibliography.
Book (literary) editor – helps the writer prepare a book (manuscript) for release or submission to a publication. Corrects lexical, syntactic and stylistic errors, points out gaps in the plot, tracks the logic of the narrative, checks the meaning of complex terms. He can also help the author publish a book or decide on a publisher.
Editor in a publishing house - issues an editorial opinion after reading manuscripts, designs the appearance of the text before publication.
Technical editor - checks the layout of the publication, interacts with the printing house and is responsible for the output of printed publications.
Website editor - manages copywriters, distributes topics among them, finds informational leads, and deals with the layout of articles.

Sometimes a specialist combines two professions at once. This is how proofreading editors, journalist editors and copy editors are made.

Main fight

As I already said, the editor works with the authors. This is not an easy task and often turns into a real fight. On the one hand, there is the editor with his own aesthetic principles and the concept of the publishing house, on the other, the author. The author has every right to defend his artistic style, his plan or main idea.

But the most difficult thing for an editor is not when the author is stubborn, but when he doesn’t know how to write at all. But why does the publishing house work with him? And there are different reasons for this.

We were taught at the institute that the editor should not write for the author. But it is not always possible to observe this principle. The author may be a good specialist in his field. A treasure trove of information. And we need to help him share this information.

But it’s absolutely terrible when an author who doesn’t know how to write fights for every comma. Even contrary to the laws of the Russian language.

Is there such a thing as an easy author? Yes! Happens! A thoughtful, talented, intelligent author without delusions of grandeur. It’s easy to work with such people – and not only for the editor. It’s generally easy with such people.

Still, I very well understand authors who are suspicious of every editorial correction. Because even editors can be bad. Not everyone can be trusted with their text without loss. And not for every publishing house. Not every magazine or website. On the other hand, each publication has its own characteristics and requirements. The word “format” didn’t fall from the sky – it’s reality. Those. mutual understanding between the parties is a difficult thing.