: Re: When editing for a person, how much can be changed? The context is a technical document that is written by one person and then sent out for review by others. The reviewers change word tense,

@Yeniel532

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It's important to bear in mind that all changes made by an editor are suggestions meant to help you. The editor (at least, not the kind of editor we're talking about here) is not your boss. They are finding (what they perceive to be) problems with your writing and, in many cases, providing a sample way in which you might fix it. Sometimes an editor will completely misread something and find the wrong or even a non-existent problem. It happens. Editors are humans, not gods. As the writer, the final piece is always your responsibility, so it is left to your discretion how to handle each edit.

So, to answer your question, how much help would you rather an editor provide? A little? Or a lot? And why would you be offended when someone provides more help than you were expecting?

Of course, additional edits may be necessary at the publication stage (for example, to fit allotted space or to make a particular line hyphenate more nicely), and these will be made without your consent, but they will usually be quite minor.

If an editor (the other kind of editor, one who is responsible for acquiring materials for publication) won't buy your piece without certain changes, that is a somewhat different matter, assuming you want him or her to buy your piece. These will usually be a more general nature, however: more support is needed for this point; your conclusion isn't working. If you disagree, perhaps you would rather withdraw it and send it elsewhere; the final say is still yours.

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