Writing – Editorial Department

Job Description
The writing editor is responsible for the content of the Wisconsin Engineer magazine.  Without a writing editor, there are no stories to publish. The writing editor brings the stories from their start as an idea through a specific process and submits the finished copy to the production department for layout in the magazine.

This position has been shared by two people from time to time.  If one of the two is closer to graduation the other may wish to start training a replacement.  Co-editors must develop a good relationship and have excellent communication skills.  

The writing editor must be extremely interested in details as well as being creative.  It is necessary to examine details so that the rules of proper language and grammar are followed.  Punctuation, capitalization, and writing style must all be consistent throughout each issue of the magazine.  The writing editor must ensure this consistency and quality while being creative with respect to content.

The writing editor must be able to foster an environment that can find new viewpoints or discover new areas previously untouched by other magazines or writers.  The head of this department must also maintain and coordinate the efforts of those individuals designated as writers with brainstorming, editing, and teaching.  The writing editor meets with writers to discuss ideas for stories and to help focus their ideas.

The writing editor is one of the first people to initiate a new issue of the magazine through the development of story ideas.  Once the stories have been determined for a single issue of the publication, the editor must coordinate the efforts of the photography department, production department, and advertising department, to have each story published.

AUDIENCE  Wisconsin Engineer stories are written for:
•    College of engineering students: undergrads and grads
•    Science majors
•    Alumni
•    Faculty and Staff

TOPICS          Some areas of story ideas:
•    New information about technical or science-oriented events on campus, student organizations
•    Current topics of interest to engineering students and faculty
•    Technology and industry developments
•    Personalities: faculty, staff, administration, alumni, of interest

 
Specific Duties—Writing Editor
The following are important tasks the writing editor must do for the completion of the magazine:
•    Run the writing staff meetings
•    Brainstorm, evaluate, and help writers complete story assignments
•    Meet one-on-one with writers for editing and discussion of 1st drafts
•    Coordination with the production department and photo department for story composition
•    Proofread, edit, and review the content of completed stories
•    Hand stories off to the production department
•    Train writers about journalism basics and magazine style

Communication—Writing Editor
The writing editor must be in continual communication with the photography and production editors, as well as the writers themselves. This interaction is necessary to ensure that the stories are published as envisioned by the writer or originator of the story idea.  The writing editor must also be in communication with the editor-in-chief so that the content of each magazine is acceptable and that the development of each issue is on schedule.

In addition, this editor is placed as the head of the writing department and communicates regularly with the members of that section.  This involves communicating the style, content, and other guidelines of the magazine to the members of the staff.

The style guide that is initially provided at the beginning of each semester must constantly be reviewed and updated, as it serves as the first instruction that writers receive.  The writing editor is also in charge of quality and production of the department.  Lastly, any improvements to these areas should be communicated between the editor and the writing staff.

Training and Transfer of Knowledge—Writing Editor
There are several areas where the writing editor is involved in training and education.  There must be a transfer of knowledge internally from each writing editor to the next.  Likewise, the editor-in-chief, production and photography editors, and their respective staff, need to be educated on different needs and objectives of the writing department.  Overall there must be continuous education on improving the quality and proper use of the English language as assisted by the advisor of the magazine and other resources.

Training Writers— Writing Editor
The training of the writing department staff is the most time consuming and necessary duty of the writing editor.  All other quality improvement efforts and communications will mean little if the stories produced by the writing department are not high quality.

Most writing improvements develop while being coached in the rough draft stage of the writing process.  This has been most effective in the past, because they not only learn how to become better writers, but they develop team attitudes as well.  After the writers have submitted the final version and the writing editor submits the story to the production department, the editor should then sit down with the staff member and explain the changes that have been made.  This continuous feedback and education will train the writers of the Wisconsin Engineer to write better in a short period of time.  It is also necessary for the continuous improvement and consistency of the magazine.  Each semester the aptitude and experience level of the writing staff should be evaluated and individual training plans should be developed to meet the needs of each staff member.

The transfer of knowledge from different writing editors must be ensured.  Most often this occurs with a mentoring arrangement whereby the future writing editor gradually earns greater responsibility and leadership of the writing department over one semester.

The writing editor must also work with the other department heads.  Photography and production need to be alerted to what the writing department wants in terms of layout and pictures.  This will improve the visual appeal of the magazine.  All photos and layout options should be specifically related to the story written, and only through training can each department determine what is needed and where improvements can occur.  Each semester, the editor-in-chief must be made aware of what the writing staff is capable of.  This way feedback about the stories from the remainder of the magazine staff and the audience can work to improve the magazine’s quality.

The writing editor must also constantly be learning.  This person must be a competent user of the English language in addition to understanding the rules of writing.  The writing editor should have done coursework in technical writing, English, or journalism, and he/she should be aware of contemporary writing standards, rules, styles, and techniques.

Writers and Writing Assignments
Writers are responsible for researching, drafting, writing, and editing articles for the magazine.  Most writers will produce two articles per semester.  There has not been a length limit on articles, but most are 800-1000 words long.  Writers are also asked for illustration ideas, and they sometimes write sidebars with additional information.  If editors determine that a story does not meet magazine standards, it will not be published – this happens only rarely.

The sequence for story production is as follows:
1.    Brainstorming
2.    Evaluation of story ideas (basic research)
3.    Selling the story idea to the editor
4.    Writing rough drafts (research and interviews)
5.    Critique and analysis of rough drafts (peer review and one-on-one meeting with editors)
6.    Final copy produced
7.    Edit of final draft by writing editor
8.    Delivery to production department editor
9.    Working with production and photography to develop illustrations and page design

Sources and Interviews
Writers are responsible for exercising the utmost care in researching their articles.  They have a duty to check and double-check facts so that their stories are as accurate as possible.  When using information or ideas from outside sources, writers must indicate the sources of the material.  Interviews should be tape-recorded whenever possible so that quotes are accurate.  Writers are the final proofreaders of their work and are ultimately responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of the magazine.

Copyrights and Permissions
Writers must request permission to use copyrighted material in their stories.  The magazine copyrights every article and picture that appears in the Wisconsin Engineer.  The faculty advisor, the editor-in-chief, or the writing editor may give someone permission to reprint material that has appeared in the magazine.  The Wisconsin Engineer does not charge for permission to reprint, but we always request a credit line.  Student writers who want to re-use articles that appeared in the magazine (such as for a writing competition) should request permission from the writing editor before doing so.