Medical Editing/Copyediting: An Overview

August 14, 2005

An E-Book Excerpt
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INTRODUCTION
At Inkwell Editorial, we believe that if you want to know how to do something, then you should ask someone who is already doing it. Following this belief, we posed questions to those currently working in editorial field as medical editors, copy editors and/or production editors.

Contributors answered the following 9 questions:

1. How long have you been a medical editor/copy editor?

Contributor Response: I’ve been an editor in the medical publishing /advertising / education industry for nearly 9 years.

2. Do you know AMA? If so, how did you learn it?

Contributor Response: I initially learned AMA when I first started out as an assistant editor, but always keep my AMA style guide close at hand, because . . .

3. How did you get into the field?

Contributor Response: I got into this field purely by accident. I was going to school in the Midwest as a pre-med major but gravitated toward English elective classes. When I told one of my English professors that I was going to transfer to an East Coast school because I was homesick — I’m from New York — he suggested I change my major to English when I transfer out. . . 

4. Describe a typical day on the job?

Contributor Response: A typical day could go from doing nothing to editing ads, editing monologues and transcribing CD’s or making correction.

5. If you’ve worked in other fields, do you think medical editing/copyediting more difficult, less difficult, or has about the same difficulty as other types of editing / copyediting? Explain your response. 

Contributor Response: Medical copyediting would probably be on the same level as legal and financial but somewhat more intense mainly because of . . .

6. In your opinion, what specific requirements are necessary to obtain employment in this field?

Contributor Response: You have to know proofreading symbols. Also, no one expects you to memorize the whole book, but it’s important that you become familiar with the AMA Manual. Brush up on spelling, grammar and punctuation . . .

7. If someone has no experience, how would you advise they break into the field?

Contributor Response: If you want to break into the field, ask other copyeditors how they got into copyediting. I recommend taking proofreading and copyediting classes . .

8. In your opinion, does medical editing/copy editing pay more/less/about the same as other types of editing/copy editing? Please give high/low, hourly/yearly wage ranges where possible.

Contributor Response: In my opinion, I think medical copyediting pays more than other types of editing. Publishing companies have an average hourly (at least what I’ve seen) . . . One publishing company I work for pays on a fee-per-project basis, or a flat fee.

9. Over the last five years, have you found it easier/harder/about the same to find employment in this field?

Contributor Response: Over the last five years, finding work in this field is about the same. A few months before September 11, 2001, finding freelance work was difficult, but not impossible…

SUMMARY
As you can see, contributor accounts are insightful because they detail specific experiences from real people who explain how they got into the field, what a typical day is like, and what you can look forward to as an editorial professional within this discipline — and much more.

This is e-pamphlet is a good place to start if you are curious about this field and want to gain a true, inside glimpse of what it would be like to be employed in this field.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE 

DEDICATION 

CONTRIBUTOR ACCOUNTS
  Account #1: Medical Editor, 9 Years Experience 
  Account #2: Production Editor, Copy Editor, Editor 10+ Years Experience
  Account #3: Medical Editor, Copy Editor, 15 Years Experience
  Account #4: Medical Copy Editor, 5 Years Experience

SUMMARIZING THE CONTRIBUTORS

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