Academic Editorial Judgment

---
name: academic-editorial-judgment
description: "Context-dependent editorial style rules for academic writing — APA7, Chicago, MLA judgment calls"
lastReviewed: 2026-04-30
---

# Academic Editorial Judgment

## The Problem

Complex editorial style rules require judgment, not pattern-matching:

```
Rule: "Use past tense for completed research, present for ongoing implications"

Bad (mechanical): Find all verbs, check tense
Good (judgment): Does this describe what was done (past) or what it means (present)?
```

APA7, Chicago, MLA — all have context-dependent rules.

## The Solution

Apply critical thinking to editorial decisions:

### 1. Identify the Rule's Intent

| Rule | Surface Form | Actual Intent |
|------|--------------|---------------|
| Past tense for methods | "We analyzed..." | Completed actions |
| Present for conclusions | "Results show..." | Ongoing validity |
| Active voice | Subject-verb-object | Clarity, attribution |

### 2. Check Context Before Applying

```markdown
❌ Mechanical: "Change all 'is' to 'was'"
✅ Judgment: "Is this describing what IS true, or what WAS done?"

Example:
- "The sample was collected..." ✅ Past (completed action)
- "The effect is significant..." ✅ Present (ongoing validity)
- "Figure 1 shows..." ✅ Present (the figure currently shows)
```

### 3. Preserve Author Voice

Don't "fix" intentional style choices:

- Regional spellings (behaviour/behavior)
- Disciplinary conventions
- Established terminology

## Decision Tree

```
1. Is this a hard rule (spelling, citation format)?
   → Apply mechanically

2. Is this a judgment call (tense, voice, word choice)?
   → Check context
   → Consider author intent
   → Apply if clearly wrong, query if ambiguous

3. Am I confident this improves the text?
   → No: Leave a suggestion, don't change
   → Yes: Change with explanation
```

## When to Apply

- Editing academic manuscripts
- Applying style guides (APA, MLA, Chicago)
- Any editorial work with context-dependent rules

## Tags

`academic` `editing` `style-guides` `judgment`