Resources
We invite members to contribute resources of interest to publishing professionals for this section of our Web site. Besides contributing to the "The Publishing Specialist's Toolbox" — annotated links to members' favorite online resources — members are encouraged to submit articles of potential interest to other communications specialists, such as those that give how-to advice, provide tips, evaluate tools, review books, discuss industry trends, and so on. To be included here, your article can have been published on your own Web site, but not on other Web sites. To contribute or for more information, contact .
RMPPG BLOG
RMPPG has a brand new blog! Check it out at http://www.rmppg.blogspot.com/ and stay connected with fellow colleagues.
THE PUBLISHING SPECIALIST'S TOOLBOX
STYLE AND USAGE RESOURCES
The American Heritage Book of English Usage
One of several resources available, this is for grammar rules, style, diction, word formation, gender, and scientific forms. This online version is based on the 1996 edition.
www.bartleby.com/64/
The AP (Associated Press) Style Guide — The Basics
This five-page quick reference guide is taken from The Associated Press Stylebook (6th edition). A handy tool for writers and editors who work with newspapers and magazines that require AP style.
www.scribd.com/doc/2664713/
APA (American Psychological Association) OWL Formatting & Style Guide
APA is most commonly used to cite sources within publications in the social sciences, and the OWL website at Purdue University offers easy-to-use examples for formatting APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Bryan Garner's English Language Usage Tips
Sign up for free daily usage tips via e-mail from Bryan Garner, author of Garner's Modern American Usage and A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. He's readable, interesting, witty, and lively. Anyone who wants to use words wisely and well needs to get to know Bryan Garner. When you're at the site, under "Daily & Weekly Newsletters," check "Garner's Usage Tip of the Day."
www.oup.com/us/subscriptions/subscribe/?view=usa/
The Chicago Manual of Style Online Free Q&A
Go online and browse or search for questions and answers from Chicago Manual of Style. You can also sign up for free monthly e-mail Q&A alerts with new questions that are answered on this site.
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/new/new_questions01.html
Citation Style for Research Papers
A handy color-coded guide to the most common citation styles used in academic work (APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago, and AMA).
www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htmCommon Errors in English
Paul Brians' list includes a huge, amusing compilation of commonly — and not so commonly — mangled expressions, confusing terms, faux pas, and mispronounced words.
www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
The Elements of Style by Strunk & White
This classic reference book was first written in 1918, but its principles of plain English style and rules of usage and composition are still relevant today.
www.bartleby.com/141
MLA Formatting and Style Guide — The OWL at Purdue University
Based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition) and MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd edition), the folks at the OWL at Purdue have once again provided easy-to-use examples for the MLA (Modern Language Association) style, which is the most common style used to write academic papers and to cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/#resourcenav
U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual
This entire style manual of the U.S. government, or specific chapters, can be viewed or printed by selecting "Browse" and then choosing either HTML or PDF file format.
www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/index.html
ONLINE DICTIONARIES
Merriam-Webster Online
This site offers both a dictionary and thesaurus. Many publishers list Merriam-Webster as their preferred dictionary.
www.merriam-webster.com
OneLook Dictionary
OneLook searches many online dictionaries at once and even acronym databases, and it enables you to do wildcard searches without having to memorize those pesky codes. OneLook even includes a Reverse Dictionary function that allows you to describe a concept and get back a list of words related to that concept.
www.onelook.com/index.html
Webopedia
This is a dictionary/search engine for computer and Internet technology definitions.
www.webopedia.com
OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES FOR FREELANCERS
Copyediting newsletter and Copyeditor.com
Copyeditor.com is the companion site to the newsletter, and it includes a searchable jobs board, postings of audio conferences, and other online trainings available to newsletter subscribers.
www04.mcmurry.com/product/CE
Editing for the Web
This is a good site to visit if you're considering embarking on this specialty realm of editing or design.
http://pages.towson.edu/lieb/editing/Welcome.html
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
EFA includes a variety of resources for freelancers. Particularly useful is a rate chart of industry standard hourly and flat-rate fees for editors, proofreaders, indexers, project managers, and writers (see Resources | Rate Chart).
http://www.the-efa.org/
Freelance Editorial Agreement Template
Created by the Editors' Association of Canada (EAC) and made available in downloadable formats (Word, WPD, PDF), this template spells out the nature of an agreement between an editor and a client, detailing editorial responsibilities, fees, deadlines, and other terms. The agreement may be used as is or customized to suit the job.
www.editors.ca/hire/sfea/index.html
Proofreader's Marks Printable Pdf
Here's a complete one-page printable pdf with columns showing: "Correction," "Text mark," and "Mark in Margin."
www.espressographics.com/files/proofread.pdf
The New York Times Newsroom Navigator
This is an unbelievably complete list of every imaginable online resource . . . really!
www.nytimes.com/navigator
RESOURCES FOR INDEXERS . . . AND FOR PEOPLE CONSIDERING THE FIELD OF INDEXING
Biographical Dictionary
Indexers have to know how to research names — the correct spelling of names, whether a "last name" really is a family name or is a given name, and what to do when conflicting name information appears in a book. Here's one resource.
www.s9.com
Frequently Asked Questions about Indexing
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) offers some useful FAQs. The site also has such statements as: "Indexing work is not recommended to those who lack an orderly mind and a capacity for taking pains. A good index is a minor work of art but it is also the product of clear thought and meticulous care."
www.asindexing.org/site/indfaq.shtml#FAQ1003
Library of Congress Authorities Website
For people who are working as indexers, this is a useful site when you're trying to figure out how a foreign name (or any name, for that matter) should appear in your index.
http://authorities.loc.gov
TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
Alice Levine Editorial Services
Whether you want to hone your editing or writing skills or make a career transition into the publishing field, Alice Levine's entertaining, yet professional, classes cover a wide range of topics and levels.
www.alicelevine-editorial.com
Training In Indexing Course — ASI
Available only to American Society for Indexing (ASI) members, this is a distance-learning course.
www.asindexing.org/site/certfaq.shtml
USDA Indexing Course
For information about this independent study paper-based course in which you submit assignments to an instructor who grades them and gives you feedback, see this website.
http://grad.usda.gov/course_details.php?cid=EDIT3360C
