Science editing

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The science editing is a special form of Lectureship . In science editing, texts are optimized for both formal and stylistic aspects. The focus of the activity is on scientific precision in relation to the research situation and terminology , since the scientific editing department also supervises diploma and doctoral theses , in which compliance with scientific standards must be guaranteed. The areas of responsibility for academic editing are mainly to be found in the organizational forms of editing in a publishing house or a private service provider. Science lecturers can work both as salaried employees and as self-employed.

Differentiation from other forms of editing

Science editing requires a higher qualification than general editing. "Scientific works are [...] mostly edited by specialist editors who are at least fundamentally familiar with the research situation, problem areas and terminology of the subject." Additional qualifications and a higher degree of specialization of the editors are the rule in scientific editing. Therefore, science lecturers should have a degree.

qualification

Science editing is not a teaching profession . The required prerequisites for working in academic editing are usually a degree in German studies or a faculty that belongs to the field of activity. Additional qualifications lie in the fields of text formatting and are mostly acquired during a traineeship . Science lecturers usually have a very high formal qualification.

Areas of responsibility / fields of activity

publishing company

In the scientific editing department of the publishing industry, non-fiction books and texts for the publishers' journals are edited. The focus is equally on factual and formal criteria. Aspects of typography are just as much a part of the task as researching sources. Editors in academic publishers also check manuscripts to determine to what extent the manuscript contains new findings or particularly interesting facts for the specialist audience. This is an essential aspect in deciding whether the text will be published in the publisher's program. "Furthermore, being able to use the German language confidently is just as important as the ability to make contacts and to build and maintain networks with national print media and the specialist press." The scientific editing of the publishers is mostly carried out as part of the salaried employment relationship, but also hired solo self-employed.

Academic science editing

Academic science editing mostly deals with academic theses. Here, too, the main focus is on technical and formal aspects. Therefore, the tasks include stylistic revision, with the focus on terminology, syntax and the structure of the text. In the case of specialist editing, missing contextual connections must also be established.

In the case of proofreading of Bachelor's or Master's theses, which can be seen as part of the training, the scientific proofreading can be supplemented by teaching aspects. In addition to suggestions on how to improve formal aspects, the student also receives tips, for example on the central theme and on his research approach. The student is informed about errors and receives suggestions from the lecturer. The didactic goal is that the student learn from his mistakes and avoid them in the future. With the help of suggestions from outside, the student should reflect, deepen and improve his work. The approximately 100 science lecturers of the network studi-coach eV work according to this method

Theses are also certificates of achievement within a degree. The form and content are assessed by the examiner as part of an assessment from which the grade is derived. Corrections by the editor improve the work. However, the student's own performance should be graded. It is therefore necessary that a science lecturer only gives suggestions that invite learning, but does not offer ready-made solutions or even parts of text, otherwise he would be a ghostwriter. The principles of good scientific practice can serve as a guideline for the work of science lecturers. These have been developed by the German Society for Research and other researchers and teachers.

criticism

The often missing clear demarcation from ghostwriting primarily affects academic science editing if content-related modifications have been made.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The editor: job description, salary and paths into the job. Retrieved April 24, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Günther Fetzner: Professional objective of editing: Activities-basic knowledge-profession . Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8252-4220-6 .
  3. ^ Ernst Fischer: History of the German Book Trade in the 19th and 20th Centuries: The Weimar Republic 1918-1933 . Ed .: Stephan Füssel. 1st edition. Part 2. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-598-24809-2 .
  4. ^ Association of Independent Lecturers (VFLL): Wissenschaftslektorat. Association of Independent Lecturers, accessed on April 24, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Jobs in publishing houses | Science shop Bonn. Retrieved April 24, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Marcel Kopper: Science Editing - What am I allowed and what am I not allowed to? In: JE Juraexamen.info. May 30, 2015, accessed April 24, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Science editing . In: Lektorat Stolarz. Retrieved February 6, 2019 .

literature

  • Fetzner, Günther: Professional objective of editing: Activities-basic knowledge-profession , Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, Tübingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8252-4220-6 .
  • Fischer, Ernst; Füssel, Stephan (ed.): History of the German book trade in the 19th and 20th centuries: The Weimar Republic 1918–1933 , part 2. 1st edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-598-24809-2
  • Guideline for free editing , 10th, completely revised and expanded edition. Association of Independent Lecturers e. V., Frankfurt am Main 2014, ISBN 978-3-9808876-3-2