Technical Documentation Copy and Paste Kit

Developer’s Description

No, this kit will not write your next user manual or your next online help system for you. However, this kit will help you to write your technical documentation with less effort, and it will help you to produce user-friendly, high-quality documents. The kit provides you with exactly those things that your text editor, help authoring tool, or content management system doesn’t provide: the know-how and guidance to create high-quality user assistance. However, unlike many textbooks on technical writing, the kit doesn’t give lengthy theoretical elaborations. It gives practical recommendations and examples that you can easily remember and adapt to your own work.

The kit covers: * the visual design (the layout) of your documents * the structure of your documents * how to write plain instructions that every user understands

You don’t have to be a designer to implement the design recommendations, and you don’t have to be a linguist to understand the writing rules. All recommendations come with catchy examples. The kit is written in plain, simple English that you can easily understand even if you speak English as a second language. Almost all rules are universal, so you can also use the kit if you write in languages other than English. In the Plus Edition of the kit, you and your team can add your own company-specific conventions and regulations. Getting a professional yet custom interactive writing style guide has never been easier. You are free to control who can edit the rules: just you, only selected team members, or everybody.

Copy and Paste

Android provides a powerful clipboard-based framework for copying and pasting. It supports both simple and complex data types, including text strings, complex data structures, text and binary stream data, and even application assets. Simple text data is stored directly in the clipboard, while complex data is stored as a reference that the pasting application resolves with a content provider. Copying and pasting works both within an application and between applications that implement the framework.

Since a part of the framework uses content providers, this topic assumes some familiarity with the Android Content Provider API, which is described in the topic Content Providers.

How to Copy Edit: A Guide to Copy Editing Everything

Copy editing is a process applicable to a multitude of writing fields within the publishing industry. Whether the text is a book, a magazine, a news article, or an advertisement, chances are a copy editor looked at it somewhere along the way. A good copy editor has an expansive skill set, involving strong attention to detail, knowledge about a variety of subject matters, and an ability to communicate their edits clearly and efficiently.

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Jump To Section

• What Is Copy Editing?
• When Do You Need a Copy Editor?
• What Does a Copy Editor Do?
• How to Copy Edit in 6 Steps
• What Is the Difference Between Copy Editors and Proofreaders?

What Is Copy Editing?

Copy editing is the stage in which a piece of writing, the “copy,” is reviewed and edited to improve its readability. Copy editors ensure the style of writing is consistent, and that the text flows organically from one sentence to the next. They also check the work for grammar, punctuation, and continuity, providing suggestions on how to best convey the message of the writer. In addition to content editing, copy editors can act as fact-checkers, which is especially necessary if the writing is nonfiction and involves vetting of real information.

Copy editors can be found in publishing houses, at copy desks for news organizations, or are often freelancers. The job description for a copy editor varies depending on where they may work. For instance, a copy editor for a small newspaper helps design page layouts, organize newspaper copy for print or online publications, and decides which news stories should run. However, a freelancer hired by a fiction author may only have the job of checking sentence structure and diction.

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When Do You Need a Copy Editor?

Copy editing services are often enlisted by writers or publications before the proofreading stage, but the level of service may vary. Some copy edits are light, which means a writer will only receive the most basic level of editing, like grammar and syntax. Heavy copy edits, or ‘substantive editing,’ is a deeper involvement with the text that can involve reorganization of passages, tweaking of style and voice, and rewrites. Learn more about substantive and developmental editing in our guide here.

What Does a Copy Editor Do?

As a copy editor, you’ll look for a number of technical issues within a piece of writing:

• Formats errors. The number one priority for a copy editor is to highlight and suggest corrections to grammatical errors, spelling errors, punctuation errors, and syntax. Although these areas may be tackled by a separate proofreader, a copy editor still needs to address them as they see them, as they may affect the content of the work itself.
• Enforces flow. Too many words can bog down a text and confuse the reader. A good copy editor will be able to eliminate superfluous sentences and tighten phrasing in order to help streamline the writer’s story or message.
• Checks for consistency. Copy editor jobs require you to be detail-oriented. One of the main responsibilities of a copy editor is to comb through a given work and check to make sure details are kept consistent, such as descriptions of settings and characters. If a house is white in one chapter, then suddenly brown in the next, it is the copy editor’s job to notice and change that detail.
• Fact checks. The copy editing process can also involve research, especially when editing nonfiction works. If there is no specialized fact checker working on a publication, the copy editor may need to verify dates and events to maintain factual accuracy.

How to Copy Edit in 6 Steps

If you’re interested in the job title of professional copy editor, here are some basic steps to get you started:

1. Clarify your role. First, determine what level of copy editing you’re providing. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to stick to the more basic responsibilities like looking for spelling and syntax only. If you’ve got some experience and are already familiar with the style guides, a more substantive editing role may be appropriate.
2. Give the text an initial read-through. The first time you read should be about getting the big picture and should be free of any editing suggestions. Reading the entire work as a whole before providing your own notes will help familiarize you with the text and better understand the writer.
3. Read it again and make a plan. After you’ve completed your initial reading of the text, go back and read it again with a few questions in mind: Is the writing properly conveying the author’s intent? Do the sentences work logically in the order they are presented? Does the piece maintain its voice and style throughout? Are there any factual or detail inconsistencies? Do the ideas flow smoothly from one paragraph to the next? Keep a list of notes you plan to address.
4. Go line-by-line. Once you’ve analyzed the writing and formulated your plan for how you’ll edit, start at the beginning again. This time, work your way through each sentence, implementing any line edits or suggestions as you see fit.
5. Format the text. After you’ve made your edits, ensure they comply with whichever formatting standards are required. For instance, if you’re editing a novel or magazine, you’ll likely need to consult The Chicago Manual of Style. If it’s a news story, The Associated Press Stylebook may be needed. You may also receive a style sheet, which is a handy template outlining the house style of the publication you’re editing for (if applicable). There may not be any formatting standards to follow, in which case it is key to make sure the author’s own style is kept consistent.
6. Do a final read. Be sure to check your own work. It is important that your editing services have improved the readability of the writing, not complicated it. Although there will most likely be a proofing stage, try to ensure the text is as error-free as possible.

What Is the Difference Between Copy Editors and Proofreaders?

Copy editors and proofreaders have many overlapping responsibilities, but the purpose and intent of their jobs are different:

• Copy editors make sure the organization and word usage stay as clear and understandable as possible. A copy editor works to ensure the reader will not get lost in extraneous detail, or bogged down by poorly-structured phrases. A copy editing job may also involve research of a written topic, and the vetting of sources.
• Proofreaders have a slightly more basic role. They’re the real spell checkers, combing for typos and any other aesthetic issues, like misplaced word breaks or missing pages. Proofreading is the final step of a text where any remaining fine-tuning is given before publishing.

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Though there are many reasons for long-winded documentation, Roe pointed a finger at two seemingly small computer commands that he felt had complicated his time as a doctor: Control-C and Control-V.

Copy-and-paste, two simple computer shortcuts, might not seem like a major concern for healthcare organizations, but in practice they can lead to loads of employee frustration and possible clinical errors.

To copy, or not to copy?

In many EHRs, there’s a way for health systems to disable the copy-and-paste function. But that’s not the answer, said UC San Diego Health’s Longhurst. “There’s no question that copy-and-paste can be misused or overused, but it’s also a helpful function for reducing burden when it’s appropriately used,” Longhurst said. “There’s a place for it, and turning it off completely is not helpful.”

Setting policies to delineate that line—where it’s OK to copy-and-paste, and where it’s not—and figuring out how to monitor physician adherence is imperative, according to AHIMA’s Combs.

FIVE STEPS TO LIMIT THE RISK OF USING COPY-AND-PASTE IN PATIENT NOTES

1. Develop a policy for appropriate use of the copy-and-paste functions when documenting in the EHR, such as requiring users to review copied material for accuracy and outlining how to reference previous notes
2. Differentiate text that’s been copied and that which has been manually entered by a user. For text that’s been replicated, indicate where the content originally appeared
3. Track use of copy-and-paste across the organization to identify outliers and conduct annual audits to pinpoint improper use of the function
4. Train clinicians on what information is—and is not—necessary to document for compliance and reimbursement reasons, as well as on EHR features that could improve usability
5. Consider broader EHR improvement efforts, so that users are less tempted to employ risky workarounds

Source: Modern Healthcare reporting

“Have detailed policies and procedures,” Combs said. “What are the scenarios in which it would be OK to copy-and-paste? What are the expectations for the provider?”

Two core components of the data-replication policy at UW Health in Wisconsin are requiring physicians to review any copied information for accuracy and prohibiting copying information from one patient’s record into a separate patient’s record, said Dr. Shannon M. Dean, chief medical information officer and associate professor of pediatrics at UW Health.

“Copy-and-paste is reasonable, as long as the provider is adequately editing the information to ensure it’s still up-to-date information and relevant for that day’s care,” she said.

Ensuring that those reading a patient note understand the data’s provenance, or where the information originated, is also a key part of keeping tabs on inappropriate use of copy-and-paste.

In a set of recommendations for safe use of copy-and-paste, ECRI’s Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety suggested making it easier to identify what information had been replicated and providing attributions for where the content originated. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has also released recommendations emphasizing the importance of knowing the source of copied content.

That’s something UC San Diego Health has tackled by using functions in the EHR system that allow readers of a note to see what information was manually entered by the physician writing the note, and what was pulled from another system. For content that’s been copied or imported from elsewhere, it also displays the source where the information was pulled from.

“That’s a very useful feature in terms of understanding what’s the new information in the note,” Longhurst said.

Beyond ensuring physicians can review the provenance of information in individual patient notes, hospital leadership should establish a way to monitor how copy-and-paste is being used across the organization. Some EHRs offer a way to automatically measure the amount of information being copied across units, so leadership can conduct audits and look for outliers.

Health systems should be conducting annual audits of their documentation, coding and billing practices as part of their compliance programs, said Damaris Medina, another attorney with Buchalter’s healthcare practice group and co-chair of the law firm’s life sciences practice.