Copy/Proof Lead

Updated July 2020. NOTE: this role has not been formalized, so if you're volunteering to be CP lead, you can make this role your own :)

The copy/proof (CP) lead is in charge of making sure the copy-editing process runs smoothly, maintaining the CP team and onboarding any new members. They are also in charge of maintaining the style guide and making sure that all the CP volunteers are appropriately trained to follow it. A majority of the work comes in the last three weeks of magazine production, and involves mostly marshaling the copy/proof volunteers and making sure they are turning their edits around on time.

Spreadsheet

The copy-proof lead works in the proofreading tab of the master spreadsheet. This spreadsheet should contain the article links, names of copy editors and proof readers and spaces for them to initial after each round of reviews. See an example here.

Timeline

The ME alerts the CP lead when articles are going into fact checking, and the CP lead makes sure that all CP volunteers are ready to receive the articles in 1-2 weeks. When an article is finished with the fact-checking process, a link is placed in the proofreading spreadsheet by the ME. Copy-editing involves reading the article for clarity and making suggested changes in the Google Doc.

After the copy editor makes their suggestions, they sign off on the CP spreadsheet and alert the assigned proofreader that they have finished. The proofreader accepts the suggestions if they make sense, and makes direct edits to the document for the formatting of references, grammar, and punctuation. The proofreader then signs off on the CP spreadsheet. If both the copy editor and proofreader want to check that the meaning hasn't been changed, then the proofreader alerts the original editors of the piece to have them weigh in.

During this process, the CP lead should be keeping tabs on how the article is progressing. Copy editing and proofreading should each take about 72 hours, and the whole process should ideally be done in a week. If CP volunteers are unresponsive, the CP makes a call about whether or not to assign new CP volunteers to the pitch, especially if the deadline for design is approaching.

Once the article is finalized, the CP lead gives it a look over, signs off in the spreadsheet and places the link to the article in the TOC document so that the designers know the article is ready to be formatted.

Once the articles have been turned into a PDF, there is another round of proofreading and checking that references are formatted correctly. The CP lead can assign proofreaders different articles to proofread for these rounds. The proofreader sends the article to be proofed to the author and editor and compiles their corrections. The proofreader then adds any necessary corrections from their part and from authors/editors to a final copy of the Google doc. They then alert the CP lead, who signs off again, and alerts the designer that the changes have been made. This should also take around 72 hours.

The designers then make all their changes. There are usually another one or two rounds of proofing (not author/editor review) to make sure nothing got missed.