WHY EDITING MATTERS

Careful editing improves the clarity and accuracy of published materia l. The Journal of Southern History staff carefully checks every citati on, every quotation, every statement of fact, every mathematical expre ssion, and finds enough errors to justify its practice. Authors typica lly make a wide range of mistakes in both articles and book reviews, a nd exhortations to be accurate have little effect. The readers are the ultimate beneficiaries of intensive editing practices.