The bigger the business, the bigger the budget. So when it comes to finding the resources you need visually and functionally, where do you go?
Here are some of the resources that our contributors utilize to help them in their daily endeavors.
Editing/Quality Assurance
Many of today’s essential editing and quality assurance resources can be found online for free or at a reasonable price, leaving your office less cluttered and dust prone! Here are some top resources.
www.onelook.com
This website allows you to type in a word and get the definition from a variety of dictionaries. So if one client prefers Webster’s Dictionary and another client prefers American Heritage, it’s no problem; they’re both available here! This is also a great resource if you’re reviewing an interactive lesson or an audio file and need to confirm the correct pronunciation of a word. Several of the dictionaries, including Webster’s, include links to audio pronunciations so you’re not left guessing if you’re reading the pronunciation symbols correctly.
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org
The favored style bible of educational publications is even better in this streamlined, searchable web format. Instead of a bicep-building book with a confusing and dizzying arrangement, you can get your style and grammar questions answered quickly and easily using the search box feature. You can even choose whether you want answers from the 15th or the 16th edition. You can sign up for a free trial; annual subscriptions range from $23.70 to $35.00 per year.
www.thesaurus.com
Trying to reword something but nothing comes to mind? In a pinch, this website allows you to explore different options so that you can find exactly the right word.
www.mantisbt.org
If you’re developing a website or app and need a central place where developers, editors, designers, audio technicians, writers, and even clients can log bugs and quirks that need to be fixed, this free system is extremely useful. It color codes and visually clusters bugs so it’s easy to see what’s new, pending, has been fixed, and is closed. So instead of feeling overwhelmed at all the glitches that need to be corrected, you can see there’s real progress being made.
www.google.com
Who can survive these days without a good search engine? If you’re reviewing unfamiliar material and need to fact check a geographic location, name spelling, or historic photograph, Google is the place to go. It’s fairly easy to find and click on a useful link for a quick verification instead of wading for long minutes through questionable material. I’ve used Google Images many times to distinguish various aircraft, for instance. It’s a godsend for the editor who’s rushing to meet her 5 o’clock deadline.