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Copy Edit and Production ChecklistsThis document contains copy editing and production review checklists. These checklists
are not comprehensive, but can be a starting point for copy and production edits.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN ........................................................................................................................................ 1
LEVEL 1 COPY EDIT CHECKLISTS .......... ........... .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ...... 2
GENERAL COPY EDIT CHECKLISTS...................................................................................................................... 2
COPY EDIT CHECKLIST FORTOC ........................................................................................................................ 3
COPY EDIT CHECKLIST FORGRAPHICS................................................................................................................ 3
COPY EDIT CHECKLIST FORTABLES ................................................................................................................... 4
COPY EDIT CHECKLIST FORINDEX...................................................................................................................... 4
COPY EDIT CHECKLIST FORHELP TOPICS ........................................................................................................... 5
LEVEL 2 COPY EDIT CHECKLIST ................................................................................................................ 5
PRODUCTION EDIT CHECKLISTS ............................................................................................................... 6
GENERAL PRODUCTION EDIT CHECKLISTS.......................................................................................................... 6
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORTABLES ................................................................................................................ 8
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORTOC .................................................................................................................... 8PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORPAGINATION ........................................................................................................ 9
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORGRAPHICS .......................................................................................................... 10
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORINDEX ................................................................................................................ 11
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORONLINE PDFFILES ............................................................................................ 12
PRODUCTION CHECKLISTS FORONLINE HELP ORHTML .................................................................................. 13
PRODUCTION CHECKLIST FORJAVADOC HTML AND PDFOUTPUT.................................................................. 14
Before You Begin
Before you begin a review, read this document and familiarize yourself with theindividual items to check during the copy or production edit.
Before you begin the review, ask the author for a list of items to check that are
specific to the product and document.
Use the checklists in this document to track each section or chapter you review.
As necessary, use the following documents as guides:
o Autodesk Style Guide
o Location Services Style Guide
o Microsoft Style Guide
o Indexing Guidelines
During a review, flag anything that isnt understandable on a quick read and notethis as a query to the writer, as there may be text missing or some other problem.
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Level 1 Copy Edi t Checkl ists
Complete below for each section or chapter reviewed:
PRODUCT: DATE:
SECTION:
General Copy Edit Checklists
FORMAT Prod. CheckOverall page or topic appearance Yes
Alignment consistent. Indents consistent Yes
CHAPTER OPENER PAGE Prod. CheckIn this chapter topics correspond to H1 heads Yes
STYLE (Copy Edit Priority Order)
Prod. Check
Conventions such as dialog box (not dialog) and click (notclick on)
Yes
General consistency (not doublemaximum; doubleThe
minimum)
Yes
Colons must always be preceded by an independent clause Yes
No colons in procedure headings (ListIntro tag in print books) Yes
Correct use of em and en dashes; no double hyphens Yes
File names and extensions italicized and lower case (.dwg, butDWG, all caps, no period, not italicized
Yes
Names of keys are all caps, no italics (ENTER) Yes
URLs, directory paths italicized and lower case, unless case
sensitive
Yes
SENTENCE LEVEL EDIT Prod. CheckCheck for correct grammar and punctuation No
Ensure clarity, reduce passive voice use, eliminate wordiness No
Subject/verb disagreements No
Pronoun/antecedent disagreements No
Parallel structure (e.g. headings consistent) No
Paragraph-level concerns: Mark paragraphs that seem
incoherent or dense for the writers attention.
No
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PUNCTUATION, SPELLING, PROOFING Prod. CheckMissing periods Yes
No space before commas or periods Yes
Serial commas Yes
Run-on wordsthemouse for the mouse Yes
Misspellings, extraneous/missing characters; spell checkmistakesdragging them mouse
Yes
Abbreviations: Release never abbreviated. Yes
Product names: Correct names, correct capitalization, namesnever hyphenated or abbreviated. (Not trademark checking).
Yes
Consistent use of symbols and terminology within document
(and between documents)
Yes
Proper capitalization Yes
BULLETED AND NUMBERED LISTS Prod. CheckCorrect usage:
- in general, at least 2 but no more than 9 items in a
numbered list (sometimes can have more than 9 steps)
- a single bullet for a single-step procedure
Yes
Correct and consistent punctuation Yes
Correct numbering sequence Yes
Copy Edit Checklist for TOC
TOC Prod. CheckContains all chapter headings as well as H1 and H2 headings Yes
Contains Introduction, Glossary, and Index headings also if thesesections exist
Yes
Same wording, punctuation as in chapter Yes
Copy Edit Checklist for Graphics
GRAPHICS Prod. CheckThe graphic is the correct one as described by the preceding stepor paragraph. In other words, if a screen shot shows the
Properties dialog box, make sure that the step immediatelybefore it is not describing a different dialog box.
Yes
Screen shots do not use project code names or strange directory
names (c:\foobar).
Yes
Check all text below graphics to see that neither overlaps theother
Yes
Object identified in the caption or in callouts conforms to whats
shown in the graphic
Yes
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GRAPHICS Prod. CheckIn general, spelling and case in the caption should conform towhats shown in the graphic. However, Initial Caps must be used
to refer to dialog box options even if they are in Sentence case in
a dialog box.
Yes
Diagrams: - Text should be legible and sharp Yes
Copy Edit Checklist for Tables
TABLES Prod. CheckThe table contains the content that is introduced in the previous
step or paragraph.
No
Correct punctuation and capitalization. No periods with theseexceptions: After complete sentences. & Periods in cells ofcolumns where there is a period
Yes
Copy Edit Checklist for Index
INDEX Prod. CheckSpot-check to see that nothing important is omitted. Suggestadditional synonyms if possible.
No
Carefully review See and See Also that they dont refer to
non-existent entries
Yes
No double entries Yes
Entries aligned correctly Yes
No more than three levels (main entry, subentry, subsubentry).
Third level entries (subsubentries) should be used sparingly, forclarification of complex subjects
Yes
If an entry has only one subentry, the primary keyword and its
subentry should appear on one level, with a comma if necessary,and not be split into two levels
Yes
Formatting for See and See Also entries:
data. See external data
Coordinate systemsLatitude/longitude, 32
State plane coordinates, 167See also global coordinate systems
Yes
Ranges used appropriately. The general guideline is: When 4 or
fewer subentries are on consecutive pages or within one or two
pages, you should collapse them.
Correct
community strings 11-13
adding 11deleting 13
Incorrect
Yes
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INDEX Prod. Checkcommunity strings
adding 12deleting 13
Copy Edit Checklist for Help Topics
Same copy edit guidelines as for other material. The only additional check might be forthe TOC. Have the writer make a printout of relevant material.
TOC Prod. CheckTOC heading must have same wording or parallel wording astopic opened
Yes
Level 2 Copy Edi t Checkl ist
Level 1 plus the following level of checks:
STYLE Prod.Check
Ensure compliance with corporate style guidelines (Autodesk HouseStyle, Location Services Style Guide)
No
Errors in acronym usage (missing definition at first use, inconsistent
usage, repeated definition when not required)
No
Words hyphenated correctlyonline, pull-down or other errors inhyphenation (inconsistent, missing, inappropriate)
Yes
Inconsistent or inappropriate abbreviations No
Nonstandard word use, punctuation, or spelling No
Dangling construction/misplaced modifiers No
SENTENCE LEVEL Prod.Check
Overly complex, incomplete comparisons, faulty parallelism No
Run-on sentences (comma splices, clauses joined with no coordinatingconjunction or appropriate punctuation)
No
At paragraph level, ensure coherence, explicitness, and logic; break up
dense writing
No
TABLES, ETC. Prod.Check
Ensure table design presents information advantageously No
Ensure sections, tables, figures, references, and appendixes mentioned
in text are included in document
No
Mark unclear figures for redesign and unclear tables for revision No
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Product ion Edi t Checkl is ts
Complete below for each section or chapter reviewed:
PRODUCT: DATE:
SECTION:
General Production Edit Checklists
FORMAT Copy EditOverall page or topic appearance Yes
Alignment consistent. Indents consistent Yes
Sentence and character spacing consistent (watch for extra widespaces)
No
Consistent spacing between paragraphs and/or lists No
Correct and consistent formatting for Notes, Warnings, etc. No
CHAPTER OPENER PAGE Copy EditIn this chapter topics correspond to H1 heads Yes
Artwork included No
Check legibility of In this chapter topics over artwork No
No dates No
STYLE (Production Edit Priority Order) Copy EditCorrect paragraph tag usage, correct definitions in style sheet (if
applicable)
No
Correct fonts, point sizes, styles No
Quotation marks: curly in text; straight for dimensions No
No double spaces No
File names and extensions italicized and lower case (.dwg, butDWG, all caps, no period, not italicized
Yes
Names of keys are all caps, no italics (ENTER) Yes
URLs, directory paths italicized and lower case, unless case
sensitive
Yes
Colons must always be preceded by an independent clause Yes
No colons in procedure headings (ListIntro tag in print books) Yes
Correct use of em and en dashes; no double hyphens Yes
Conventions such as dialog box (not dialog) and click (notclick on)
Yes
General consistency (not doublemaximum; doubleThe
minimum)
Yes
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PUNCTUATION, SPELLING, PROOFING Copy EditMissing periods Yes
No space before commas or periods Yes
Serial commas Yes
Run-on wordsthemouse for the mouse Yes
Misspellings, extraneous/missing characters; spell check
mistakesdragging them mouse
Yes
Words hyphenated correctlyonline, pull-down Yes
Abbreviations: Release never abbreviated. Yes
Proper capitalization Yes
BULLETED AND NUMBERED LISTS Copy Edit
Correct usage:- in general, at least 2 but no more than 9 items in a
numbered list (sometimes can have more than 9 steps)
- a single bullet for a single-step procedure
Yes
Correct and consistent punctuation Yes
Correct numbering sequence Yes
If a list of options or alternatives is documented as a bulleted listwith inline headings, each inline heading should be bold, followed
by an em-dash (also bold), and then the text (not bold).
No
Consistent indents within the same document or Help file (for
example, bullets should line up with the left margin of thepreceding paragraph)
No
Consistent use or absence of hyphens in introductory sentences No
TRADEMARKS Copy EditCopyright page included No
R or TM used correctly and superscripted No
Products trademarked in the first instance each chapter only. No
Autodesk and Microsoft products must be trademarked as above;
others are optional.
No
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Production Checklist for Tables
TABLES Copy EditCorrect punctuation and capitalization. No periods with theseexceptions: After complete sentences. & Periods in cells ofcolumns where there is a period
Yes
There is no extra white space in the columns NoColumns spaced proportionately
No borderlines missing (only horizontal borderlines) No
Alignment: Table headers and columns No
Alignment: Table to text (With one exception: sometimes we use
a table that spans the full width of the page, even if it doesntline up with the preceding text).
No
Line spacing in table headers and columns No
Vertical spacing between table and text No
The table is using the correct tag to align with the text thatprecedes it
No
If the table spills onto the next page, the title should be repeatedon the second page and the text (continued) should appear.
If it doesnt, add the variable Table Continuation to the end ofthe table title.
Note that some of our tables dont use titles. If a table spillsacross to a second page, a title must be added. (In exceptional
cases, it may be acceptable to add the table continuation variable
to the column headings rather than on a title.)
No
Production Checklist for TOC TOC Copy EditContains all chapter headings as well as H1 and H2 headings Yes
Contains Introduction, Glossary, and Index headings also if thesesections exist
Yes
Same wording, punctuation as in chapter Yes
Spot-check page references No
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Production Checklist for Pagination
PAGINATION Copy EditRelated material on one page No
Page breaks are not confusing about what follows on the next page No
Headings do not start near or at the bottom of the page. Headings
should appear no lower than 2/3 of the way down the page.
No
Procedure headings (List intro paragraph tag) do not end with
colons and have at least 2 steps following them on the same page
(unless there is only one step).
If there are multiple steps, and step 2 ends up on the next page,move the whole section to the next page by applying the Start at
Top of Page option to the procedure heading.
No
Paragraphs dont break across pages, unless absolutely necessary.This is particularly important in the case of recto/verso pages.
No
Graphics and tables do not start at the top of the pagetheyshould always be with the step or paragraph that describes them.
No
No hyphenation across page breaks. Avoid excessive hyphenation
in a paragraph; if needed, suppress hyphenation with Esc + n + s.
No
Last word in a paragraph not hyphenated No
No more than three hyphens in a row No
Page doesnt end with a colon No
Programming code does not break. . If you must break it acrosspages, try to find a logical breaking point, for example, at end of
statements. Never break a statement thats more than one line.Words at end of a sentence not hyphenated.
No
Odd-numbered pages do not have too much white space (1/2 or1/3 of a page) at the bottom, which could possibly mislead thereader into believing that the chapter has ended.
No
Theres sufficient text on the last page of the chapter. If theres just
a sentence or two spilling over to the last page, try to rewrite orchange spacing to get it all onto the previous page.
DO NOT ADJUST TEMPLATE TEXT FRAME OR TAG SETTINGS.
No
The chapter ends on an even page, even if the last page is blank.
The second to last page (an odd page) should not be blank.
No
If the last page is blank, only the page number appears, not thechapter title.
No
* All non-breaking phrases use the non-breaking space command(Control+space). For example, if you are referencing another
document and dont want the title of a document to break, youwould use Control+space to create the spaces between each word
in the title.
No
There are no hard returns. If you want to move a heading or other
paragraph to the next page, alter the tag of that paragraph to use
the Start at Top of Page option.
No
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Production Checklist for Graphics
To get info about a graphic, right-click it, and choose Object Properties.
GRAPHICS Copy Edit* All graphics are imported by reference, not pasted in thedocument.
No
Screenshots: Consistent spacing above and below graphics based
on the graphics procedure.
Border around: Should be 0.5 weight
There should be 0.5 offset from the top of the anchored frame.
There should be 0.5 offset from the left of the anchored frame.
Anchoring Position: At Insertion Point
Distance Above Baseline: 0.0 pt
Width: Width of the graphic plus at least one point
Height: Height of the graphic plus exactly one point
Width and height of the anchored frame can be different if youneed room for callouts. Use best judgment.
DPI: Usually 150
No
Toolbar buttons: Consistent spacing:
* - Anchoring Position: Outside Column
* - Side: Left
* - Distance Above Baseline: -11.0pt
* - Distance From Text Column: 40.0pt
* - Width: Exact width of toolbar button @100 dpi
* - Height: Exact height of toolbar button @ 100 dpi
No
Diagrams:
- Text should be legible and sharp
- Text and boxes should be aligned with each other as much aspossible, e.g. text centered in its box, boxes aligned bottom or top,same size if possible, etc.
No
No dithering in scrollbars No
* Leaders should have a weight of .5 pt. No
* Leaders must be set with the Set Overprint button on the
Graphics toolbar
No
For 2-color manuals only (currently, there are none in this division):
Callouts must be the second color (Cyan in the source files)
No
Aligned correctly (Left edge of graphic should line up with left edgeof text above. In numbered steps, the graphic should line up with
the left edge of the text, not with the number.)
No
Correctly displayed and aligned callouts (.5 pt. lines). Calloutscentered on leaders; leaders centered on graphic element.
No
The graphic is the correct one as described by the preceding step orparagraph. In other words, if a screen shot shows the Properties
dialog box, make sure that the step immediately before it is not
Yes
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GRAPHICS Copy Editdescribing a different dialog box.
Screen shots do not use project code names or strange directory
names (c:\foobar).
Yes
Check all text below graphics to see that neither overlaps the other Yes
Object identified in the caption or in callouts conforms to whats
shown in the graphic
Yes
In general, spelling and case in the caption should conform to
whats shown in the graphic. However, Initial Caps must be used to
refer to dialog box options even if they are in Sentence case in adialog box.
Yes
Production Checklist for Index
Note Final review of the index should be done after final pagination of the book.
INDEX Copy EditSpot-check index page numbers No
No more than three levels (main entry, subentry, subsubentry).Third level entries (subsubentries) should be used sparingly, for
clarification of complex subjects
Yes
If an entry has only one subentry, the primary keyword and itssubentry should appear on one level, with a comma if necessary,
and not be split into two levels
(Production editor can mark up, writer can fix.)
Yes
Formatting for See and See Also entries:
data. See external data
Coordinate systems
Latitude/longitude, 32State plane coordinates, 167
See also global coordinate systems
Yes
Ranges used appropriately. The general guideline is: When 4 or
fewer subentries are on consecutive pages or within one or twopages, you should collapse them.
Correctcommunity strings 11-13
adding 11deleting 13
Incorrectcommunity strings
adding 12deleting 13
Yes
Pagination of index:
If a main entry is followed by subentries, do not leave the
No
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INDEX Copy Editmain entry as a widow at the bottom of a column.
Dont start a new letter of the alphabet at the bottom of a
column; instead, force it to the top of the next column.
Balance the two column lengths.
Also, if a list of subentries runs over to the next page orcolumn, main entry should be repeated at the top of the new
column, followed by "(continued)", which is lowercase, inparentheses, and italic (including parentheses).
Carefully review See and See Also that they dont refer to non-
existent entries
Yes
No double entries Yes
Entries aligned correctly Yes
Only commands, features, and products capitalized No
No comma after entries with subentries No
No widows at page bottom: alphabet letter, or main entry with
sub-entry at top
No
Single space between entry and page numbers No
If an entry has only one subentry, the primary keyword and itssubentry should appear on one level, with a comma if necessary,
and not be split into two levels.
No
Generally, no more than two levels (one main entry, one subentry). No
When subentry list goes to the next column, at least two entries at
the end and at the beginning of a column. At the beginning of thenext column, continued has been added.
No
Carefully review See and See Also that they dont refer to non-
existent entries
Yes
No double entries Yes
Entries aligned correctly Yes
Only commands, features, and products capitalized No
No comma after entries with subentries No
No widows at page bottom: alphabet letter, or main entry withsub-entry at top
No
Single space between entry and page numbers No
Production Checklist for Online PDF FilesThese items need to be checked specifically in the online PDF file.
TOC & INDEX (BOOKMARKS)Contains all chapter headings as well as H1, H2, and H3 headings
Headings must have same wording, punctuation as in chapter
Contains Introduction, Glossary, and Index headings also if these sections exist
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TOC & INDEX (BOOKMARKS)Index bookmark must contain links to relevant letter headings (A, B, C, D, E,etc.)
This is accomplished by including GroupTitles IX tag at same level as H1s
when the PDF is generated.
Spot-check links
PAGE NUMBERSAcrobat page numbers in status bar correspond to page number on page
GRAPHICSLeaders can display incorrectly in online PDF files. Leader lines specifically needto be reviewed in a printout of the PDF file.
Production Checklists for Online Help or HTML
These items must be checked while viewing the Help in its intended format, e.g. HTML
Help in a browser, or Help for a hand-held device must be viewed on the intended
device.
Print out topics that contain long lists of jumps; then, check off each topic reviewed soyou can track what you have reviewed
Print out topics that need corrections and mark them up.
Access the help through index.htm or whichever file is the entry point to the help
system. Donot launch each file individually, as you will not see the appropriate frames,
titles, etc. If the entry point is available from the Start menu, access the help fromthere.
TOC Copy Edit
Open all TOC levels and review for consistency, duplications, anderrors
No
Spot-check links No
TOC heading must have same wording or parallel wording as topicopened
Yes
TOPIC LINKS Copy EditConsistent appearance of jumps or links (the same color,underlined)
No
Go to the correct topic NoUnderlines under topic names only, not under surrounding spaces
or punctuation
No
INDEX Copy EditSpot-check that index entries open correct topics No
If an entry has only one subentry, the primary keyword and its No
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INDEX Copy Editsubentry should appear on one level, with a comma if necessary,
and not be split into two levels
Generally, no more than two levels (one main entry, onesubentry).
No
Formatting for See and See Also entries:
maps. See drawings
Coordinate systems(see also global coordinate systems)
Latitude/longitudeState plane coordinates
No
Production Checklist for Javadoc HTML and PDF Output
HTML Copy EditRead through the Interface Summary. Descriptions are generated
from the first sentence in the comments sections:
Check that text matches, nothing has been dropped.
Check to see that the sentence defines the interface clearly.
If the second sentence is more defining, note for the author to
rewrite.
No?
Each class should have a comment; no empty comment sections.(Name and signature, title, header are all generated
automatically.)
No?
Plural ofdatum is datums not data, when referring to geographiccoordinate systems.
No?
FORMATTING Copy Edit
Ignore formatting with the following exceptions:
File names and path names are italicized.
X and Y ordinates are cap, roman, ital, when preceding theterm ordinate.
If something in comments shouldn't be bulleted, note this.
Italics in All Classes is okay
No
LINKS
Copy Edit
Check links outside the Java doc, links that are not generated byJava; for example, links to post office web sites. Automatic linksare: LBS, () after, in a table, See also, constants (anything in all
caps).
No
PDF Copy Edit
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PDF Copy Edit
Online, check that page numbers in the status bar correspond tothose on the page.
No
Java Issues
What style for phrases following Returns sections: sentence cap and period, or lower
case first word and no period? Use em dashes instead of hyphens? In PDF only? In both HTML and PDF?
Page breaks in the PDF file?
The automatic PDF index is simply alphabeticalis it necessary? If so, the formattingis problematic.
Block text produces poor spacing in the printout.