Editing and re-writing submitted copy
There will be times when an interview is not possible and your internal communications/staff newsletter contributors will pen something themselves. Here are our tips for dealing with submitted copy:
Brief your contributor before they put pen to paper. They will need to know:
The target audience for the newsletter (for example, general cross-sector staff readership).
The topic you want them to write about, including exactly which issues you want covered and whether you want to include examples, quotes, contact points and the like.
When you want it (the deadline).
Where to send their contribution (and whether you want it on paper, e-mail or disk).
How many words you want (probably no more than 250).
Tell them to look through a couple of back issues of the newsletter to get a feel for house style. This will help them to be consistent.
Once the article is in, you should check the following:
Basics – does it contain all the necessary information, the five ‘Ws’ and an H? If there’s anything missing, you’ll need to get this from the writer.
Logic – does it make sense? If there’s any confusion or ambiguity in the article check with the writer and change it. If you don’t understand it, neither will your readers.
Accuracy – always check facts and numbers because it’s easy to make a typing mistake and often hard to spot it.
Consistency – check that the article meets your house style and deals with figures, names, job titles and details consistently.
Spelling and grammar – check for spelling and grammatical errors.
Length – cut it down if it rambles on. Check with the author if you make significant amendments.
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