Industry-specific knowledge is often taken for granted. Take publishing, for example. How to tell who’s who in editorial? Today I will try to explain what each editorial title means and how to tell who’s who in the world of editorial.

For people in the publishing business the difference between a copy editor and a managing one is very simple and easy to explain. Similarly, it would be a piece of cake for someone working for an engineering company to distinguish between a structural engineer and a mechanical one. For those who have nothing to do with either publishing or engineering, editor is the person who reads and writes a lot, while the engineer deals with the numbers and occasionally wears a hard hat. Which, generally speaking, is correct. However, the devil, as always, is in the details and today I will try to explain who’s who in the world of editorial.

Editors review, rewrite, and edit the work of writers, according to Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Sometimes editors do original writing but are not nor should be the sole source of the content – that’s the job of the writers or reporters. More often editors act as Socrates’ midwife: their skills and combined efforts help to give birth to the actual publication.

Who’s Who in Editorial

Editor-in-Chief – a person whose job is to be in charge of a group of editors. S/he is the voice – and a face – of the publication.

Managing editor – second in command, responsible for the day-to-day business of producing a magazine or a journal. This editor connects people and makes sure the publication is out on time.

Copy editors – review copy for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling and check the copy for readability, style, and agreement with editorial policy. They suggest revisions, such as changing words and rearranging sentences and paragraphs, to improve clarity or accuracy.

Web editors – manage content for online channels. They could research, write and check the images, text and other media published on the employer’s website. Web editors help to increase traffic to the website.

It is worth noting that the above classification is a very general and that the editor’s responsibilities vary with the employer and type and level of their editorial position. Major newspapers and magazines usually employ several types of editors, while in smaller organizations, such as community newspaper a single editor may do everything or share responsibility with only a few other people. Other interesting classifications are available at The Editor’s Blog.