Editing your colleagues’ writing: from big picture to small details
Last week, we addressed a mindset shift and 6 practical strategies to help you edit your own writing, including finding trusted colleagues to look over your work. Asking your colleagues to review your work then provides you with a natural opportunity to offer reciprocal support. But how do you edit someone else’s work when you feel like you can barely put two sentences together for yourself? You want to add value and be a supportive colleague, but you may be feeling insecure about the quality or the depth of feedback you can provide.
First, set aside any imposter syndrome or lack of self-worth. When a colleague is asking you for help, it is because they value your opinion. They might be feeling stuck and like they just can’t get the words right. Or maybe they feel pretty good about what they’ve written, but they want a second pair of eyes on the work to really bring it over the finish line. They’re asking you to edit their work in order get a fresh perspective. Your perspective! And isn’t that part of the fun of science? To share ideas and perspectives?
When you embrace the value of your perspective, you’ll find that editing someone else’s writing can be deeply rewarding—here are 5 tips to help you make a real impact:
1. Give it a read-through first. Don’t just dive in changing words and fixing grammar. Read the whole document once to see what the ‘big picture’ message is. Is there one? Is the logic flow clear or would the document benefit from re-ordering some paragraphs or sentences within a paragraph? Are the arguments consistent with the evidence? Are some conclusions more compelling than others? Start big before working your way down to the smaller details. If there are multiple, broader issues with the document (e.g., unclear take-home message, awkward logic flow, inconsistent arguments), give your colleague this feedback first, and then offer to do the more detailed (e.g., grammar, sentence structure/wording for clarity) editing with the next draft. This will save both of you time and effort.
2. Reach out to have a conversation. If there’s something you just don’t understand in the document—such as a section that doesn’t seem to fit but still has a lot of real estate devoted to it—reach out to have a conversation and get clarification. There may be a reason why the section is there that is actually quite critical to the overall argument, but it’s not coming through in the way your colleague intended. Or maybe your colleague has a blind spot for this section and having a conversation about it will clarify for them why it’s not relevant or even detrimental to the overall message. Talking it through will get you and your colleague on the same page of what the main goal of the document is, and what the critical pieces of evidence are. It will help you both find solutions that strengthen the arguments and structure a more compelling flow. A five-minute chat now can save five hours of back-and-forth later.
3. Remember that if you don’t get it, someone else won’t either. If you don’t understand something, it’s probably not you, it’s the writing. Don’t be reluctant to say a section is unclear simply because you don’t want your colleague to think you’re not that smart. You should feel empowered to say “I’m not sure what you mean here, can you explain?” You can even give your colleague options for how to structure the section based on what your understanding is; e.g., if you’re trying to say X, then add a line such as…or if you’re trying to say Y, delete these two sentences and bring the next paragraph up. Your colleague may disagree with your sentiment, and they may not necessarily take your advice, but odds are a reviewer is going to give them similar feedback later on.
4. Unearth the gold. Highlight the sentences that make you nod your head yes while reading. These are the ones that give the key messaging and are brilliantly and compellingly crafted. This lets the author know what resonated with you, and shows them the messaging, logic, or the style of writing that should be woven throughout the rest of the piece. Sometimes a writer doesn’t recognize the patterns of thought they are revealing. Sometimes they might just need the encouragement. When editing someone else’s work, don’t be afraid to sprinkle in a little praise. If you like something, let them know!
5. Brush up on your grammar rules. It’s important to understand how sentences are structured. I’ve got my own pet-peeves about how and where to add modifying clauses. Perhaps you are triggered when a sentence ends with a prepositional object. Of course, nobody is expecting you to memorize The Elements of Style, but having a basic understanding of how grammar works can help you diagnose problems. If you find yourself slowing down while you’re reading, or having to jump back to an earlier part of a sentence in order to disambiguate something later on, then that sentence needs to be re-worked. Even if you don’t know the precise way to fix the sentence, flag it for your colleague to fix.
Offering to edit someone else’s work is a powerful way to support your community—and a great way to sharpen your own writing skills. I help early-career researchers build simple systems for giving and receiving feedback that actually moves papers forward. What’s your biggest hurdle when editing someone else’s work—time, confidence, or knowing where to start? Message me, or let’s set up a call!
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Next week: How to validate yourself
