Job Order: 5408
Staff Representative: Tim Jadwin
Position: Editor
Location: New York
Company Summary:
Our client is an advertising and marketing firm serving primarily the pharmaceutical industry. It specializes in branding and strategy.
Description:
Overview:
Evaluates and improves upon the work of copywriters, medical information specialists, and artists to ensure materials produced for our client, its clients, and its potential clients are of the highest quality to meet or exceed client expectations.
Description of Duties:
- Reviews original and all revisions to concepts, copy, layouts, final art, and printer’s proofs.
- Proofreads for grammar, spelling, punctuation, use of capitals, lowercase, and numbers as figures or spelled out, establishing compliance with editorial standards.
- Assesses copy (including that written by client), determining and performing level of edit necessary, revising, rewriting, and reorganizing for clarity, comprehension, use of language, sequence of thought, logic, flow, and consistency. Checks all team members’ edits for consistency with that level and ensures that copy contributed to by several authors carries a uniform voice.
- Decides when to make editorial changes or simply suggest them. Consults with copywriter or medical information specialist for agreement with changes and/or proposes compromise.
- Based on the target audience, assesses demographic issues, and amends suitability of language, tone, reading level, and gender/race neutrality accordingly.
- Checks and adjusts the accuracy, proper sequence, and consistency of indicator-type elements, including table of contents, tabs, indexes, folios, footnote symbols, and reference numbers and verifies any cross-referencing employed.
- Confirms accuracy of names, titles, and degrees; street, e-mail, and Web addresses; phone/fax numbers; dates and times; and abbreviations and acronyms.
- Ensures technical content, style, and accuracy of data incorporated into text are maintained, while preserving readability.
- Examines graphs, charts, and tables for correctness of N values, P values, percents, dosages, axis labels, and data represented.
- Reviews all sources of written materials, checking facts and use of unfamiliar terms, and confirming accuracy of quoted materials and copyright/trademark holders. Consults with art buyers to verify copyright infringements have not occurred and/or to gain appropriate permissions.
- Reviews layouts to see that all copy is included, follows order of copy document, and works well with overall design.
- Looks for proper and consistent letter and line spacing; text and bullet alignments; line and word breaks; avoidance of widows and floating copy; and checks major heads, subheads, and body copy for use of appropriate fonts and font sizes. Compares use of roman, italic, and boldface type, Greek letters, and underlining with specifications in copy document.
- Checks graphs, charts, and tables for uniformity of style and size and to make sure data are displayed clearly and correctly. Evaluates adequate presence and size of fair balance in relationship to claims being made.
- Assists artists by locating/providing additions to copy in layout stage; addresses layout issues, showing/recommending copy placement as appropriate; verifies replacement of FPOs and greeking with appropriate material.
- Reviews specified changes to jobs against backups and ARs, ensuring they have been made correctly and completely to appropriate files, and checks whether all questions have been answered, no omissions have occurred, and no new problems have been introduced. When changes are inappropriate, communicates reasons why and/or suggests alternative solutions.
- Writes, updates, and distributes account-specific manual of style, client preferences, and brand and mandatory guidelines; keeping track of med-legal decisions for implementation into future projects. Makes sure that each job complies with these guidelines.
- Alerts account services when concerns arise from client direction and/or need client attention, giving clear and thorough support material for effective discussion with client or communicates directly with client to resolve issues.
- Alerts team to and proactively helps resolve medical, legal, and regulatory issues, including discrepancies in data, prior to client med-legal reviews.
- Reads appropriate subject matter to gain understanding of disease state to enhance editing of technical content.
- Fields internal editorial questions/performs editing upon request over and above defined team responsibilities.
- Anticipates need for and administrates own backup as workload demands. Serves as backup to other editors, ensuring proper style and brand guidelines of other accounts are followed.
- B.A. in English or journalism or equivalent experience required
- Editing experience, number of years required dependent on team
- Scientific, medical, pharmaceutical, or technical background preferred
- Understanding of layout and design desirable
- Must be detail oriented
- Ability to work independently, as well as closely with copywriters, artists, and account executives, in team-oriented environment
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects as determined by varying/challenging deadlines
- Flexibility to work successfully in a fast-paced environment
