📝The Editing Process
Last updated
Last updated
Make sure you are in the Synopses in Progress sheet, not the Archive sheet.
Claim a synopsis entry that has a "Yes" in the Ready? column and no name under the Editor column by writing your MAL username. Please only claim one synopsis at a time.
Do not forget to note the date on which you claim the synopsis for editing (MM/DD/YYYY). This may not be the date that you actually start editing.
Use the link in the Google Doc column to begin editing the synopsis. While you are editing the synopsis, set the Ready? column to "No."
Any interesting additional information about the anime/manga that adds to the synopsis goes in the Background Information section of the synopsis document. Either the writer or you can fill in this section. If you include background information yourself, remember to add an asterisk to "link" so it becomes "link*." Visit the Background Information guidelines for more information.
While it is not a requirement, you are encouraged to edit the background information along with the synopsis, if this section is populated.
In order to switch to Suggesting mode, change from Editing to Suggesting mode in the top-right corner of the synopsis document. By using this tool, you are able to show the original state, the changes you are making, and the reasoning for changes. However, you should not use the Suggesting tool if you edit background information. For that section, make your changes directly. More details can be found in the Background Information guidelines (mentioned above).
Refer to the Editing Guidelines section for how to approach editing a synopsis.
📘Editing GuidelinesIdeally, you will have read/seen the series so that it will be easier to check the content, but obviously this is not always possible. Do some cross-checking across different sources to ensure accuracy in the synopsis.
Do not forget to leave reasoning for any non-trivial changes you make in your edits. By spelling out why you have made changes, you can minimize the chances of over-editing as well as help the writer better know how they can improve. Please do not leave mean or unprofessional comments.
The instructions state where everything belongs (e.g., where to write vs. where to make edits vs. where to copy/paste the finished product). Please copy/paste over the instructions, not under the instructions (i.e., delete the instructions listed under the Phase Edit and Finished Phase Edit sections).
To copy/paste a finished edit without all the tracked changes, go to the Tools → Review suggested edits menu of Google Docs and click Preview "Accept All."
Without clicking Accept all or Reject all, highlight and copy the clean version of your edit. Exit the Review mode by clicking the X, and paste the clean version of your edit under Finished Phase Edit.
Some people prefer to skip this step and manually type out the clean version of their edit. However, human errors can and do occur this way. We recommend using the tip above.
If the synopsis content is very poor and needs to be heavily rewritten, you may request a rewrite from the writer. Refer to the Requesting a Rewrite section for details of how this should work.
✒️Requesting a RewritePlease do your best to finish editing the claimed synopsis within a timespan of two weeks. For ongoing seasonals, please complete your edits within one week after claiming the synopsis. If you do not edit the synopsis within that time, a coordinator might send you a reminder.
If the synopsis has Final Edit? marked as "Yes," mark Ready? as "Final" and message the writer on Discord or MAL to let them know that you are done and that the synopsis is ready for their final edit. Once you have done so, enter the date (MM/DD/YYYY) in the Date Pinged column. You are now free to claim another synopsis.
If Final Edit? is marked as "No," then you may simply mark Ready? as "Yes" once your edits are complete. As the editor, you may be contacted by the coordinator in case there are some non-trivial changes that need to be made before the synopsis is uploaded.
If you ever make a mistake in the tracker, press CTRL + Z on Windows / CMD + Z on Mac to undo the change immediately. Be especially careful not to flip Yes/No cells by accident. It is difficult for anyone to realize that an error has occurred, and significant time may pass before anyone notices.
Most cells are filled with certain colors via conditional formatting. Please do not manually change the colors of cells. Let a coordinator know if something is not displaying properly, or else they may notice and fix it eventually.
