Andrew F. Rosbury, Editor
Kate Zielke, Editor
1401 W Hickory St
Denton, TX 76201
October, 15, 2020
Cameron Neal
Associate Provost, Instruction
Collin Higher Education Center
3452 Spur 399
Suite 120
McKinney, Texas 75069
Mr. Cameron Neal:
Thank you for contracting us to evaluate and offer editorial feedback on the Collin College Handbook for Faculty and Adjunct Faculty. This letter outlines our understanding of copy editing services to be performed and provides an overview of our editing recommendations.
The Editor agree to perform the following editing services on the document:
· Structural evaluation of the overall structure and content of the document.
· Line editing with proposed revisions.
· Copy editing of the full manuscript with proposed revisions.
The structural editing part of the process examined the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript relevant to engaging the intended audience. The line editing part of the process sought to make the writing consistent, smooth, and informative so your reader moves effortlessly through your material. The copy editing part of the process is designed to correct the mechanics, grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.
Document design was not addressed, and the table of contents and index were not proofread. Additionally, tables (which typically included contact information) were not edited.
An overview of editing suggestions is included below. More detailed suggestions are included in the attached handbook.
Tone and Look of Handbook
The handbook frequently uses an imperative tone, telling the reader what to do. This is appropriate, given that the handbook is provided to faculty by the College administration. Because the objective of the handbook is to inform new faculty members, the handbook should provide a high degree of context. The handbook clearly accomplishes this in most cases. In some cases, we have suggested more details be provided to define terms. For example, the Center for Advanced Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences looks like a great program. We think if faculty knew more about the research conducted for this program, the faculty would be more interested in getting students involved.
The organization of the document could improve with the use of styles to create consistent headings and subheadings. We think if you created levels of subheadings that varied more greatly from each other, the faculty would better understand the hierarchy of the handbook.
Formatting changes, such as using consistent margins throughout the handbook, removing section breaks that create mostly empty pages, and creating consistent headers and footers, could improve the look of the handbook.
Structure of Handbook
Some modifications to the structure of the document were suggested to improve flow or reduce duplication. In the Introduction, suggested text was added to explain the concepts of vision, mission, philosophy, and core values. Additionally, the accreditation content seemed to fit better if moved to the following section, College District and Degrees, rather than being included in the aspirational Introduction.
A larger restructuring of the Auxiliary/Support Programs and Services is worth considering. The section includes some content most relevant to faculty members, and some content most relevant to students (although faculty have a role in connecting students to appropriate programs). We suggest breaking Auxiliary/Support Programs into two sections: one focused on faculty needs and one focused on student needs. Additionally, content focused on student needs should lead off with what role faculty can play in these programs. An example is Tutoring Program, where the text asks faculty to make students aware of the tutoring program.
Structure of Sections, Paragraphs, and Sentences
Many sections within the handbook are alphabetized to create a logical flow. However, some were not, such as the Emergency Procedures section. We suggest maintaining the alphabetical structure unless there is a compelling reason not to do so.
Some paragraphs were revised to ensure new terminology is provided in the second half of a paragraph or sentence, not in the beginning. This helps the reader best navigate the new information. For example, the Library section was restructured with a topic sentence and subsequent paragraphs that supported the concepts in the topic sentence.
Some paragraphs or sections were modified to ensure the information the faculty member would be most interested in was included early in the section. An example of this is the Copy Center Services section.
Using parallel structure within a sentence, paragraph, or list also can help the reader navigate the information in the handbook. One example where we restructured a list is Professional Leave and Travel, where the list was edited to include lead-in terms for all bulleted items.
In some cases, sentences were modified to be more concise and use stronger verbs. For example, under Information Technology/Classroom Podiums and Peripherals, a sentence was modified from “There is also limited availability of webcams with microphones” to read “A limited number of webcams with microphones are provided.”
Copy Editing of Text
Many hyperlinks in the handbook were broken or could not be opened unless the faculty member was logged in to CougarWeb or another portal. Because hyperlinks often change over time, it is a challenge to maintain a document with many hyperlinks. This challenge can be overcome by including navigational aids to help faculty members find the right information, as was done in the Zoom section.
Some numbered lists could be converted to bulleted lists when the chronology of the content was not relevant.
Acronym and abbreviation uses are worth a review. We recommend you decide whether an item will be spelled out only at its first reference in the handbook, or whether the item will be spelled out at its first reference in every section. An example where an abbreviation is used inconsistently is the Council on Excellence.
Additional copy editing was conducted for grammar and punctuation and to ensure consistency with the proposed style sheet, which is attached to this communication. Addressing grammar and punctuation can remove any confusion about the meaning of the text. We also recommend that the margins and tab spacing of the document be reviewed and revised as there were inconsistencies in the alignment of the text with the header.
Finally, while we did not review the tables containing contact information, College staff should ensure that names, phone numbers, and email addresses are updated.
Thank you for the opportunity to review the Collin College Handbook for Faculty and Adjunct Faculty. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Our email addresses may be found below.
Regards,
Andrew F. Rosbury, Editor (andrew.f.rosbury@gmail.com)
Kate Zielke, Editor
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Google Docs link for Comprehensive Edit Project:
Comprehensive Edit with Tracked Changes in Microsoft Word
Comprehensive Edit Style Guide
Copy Edit and Structural Notes for Collin College 2020 Faculty Handbook
Andrew F. Rosbury 
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