# Editorial Review Checklist: [article, post or publication title]

> Copyedit and proofread record for one piece of editorial content
> (article, blog post, newsletter, report or book chapter): review passes
> and roles, house style, facts and sources, links, accessibility against
> WCAG 2.2 (W3C Recommendation, 12 December 2024), legal and ethics
> questions, final proofread, a query log and sign-off. House style comes
> from your own style guide; The Chicago Manual of Style (18th edition,
> 2024) is named as an example fallback reference and is not reproduced.
> Replace every `[bracketed]` value and every row marked *Example*. The
> legal section is a list of questions, not legal advice.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Copy this file once per piece. Fill section 1 when the draft arrives,
  so everyone knows the deadline, the audience and which passes apply.
- Work in the order of section 2: structure before sentences, sentences
  before proofreading. Proofreading text that will be rewritten is
  wasted time.
- Mark each check Pass, Fail or N/A. Every Fail and every question to
  the author becomes a row in the query log (section 9).
- Keep house rules in the Editorial Style Guide (`writing/style-guide`)
  and claim-level checks in the Fact-Check Log
  (`writing/fact-check-log`). This checklist points at them; it does
  not restate them.
- For product and developer documentation, use the Documentation Review
  Checklist (`docs/docs-review-checklist`) instead.
- The worked example (fictional "Tidewater Gardens" magazine feature) is
  marked *Example*; replace it.
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Record the draft version that was reviewed. If the author sends a new draft, note it in the revision history and re-run the affected passes. -->

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Review ID | [ER-NNN] |
| Piece | [title, slug or file name] |
| Format and length | [feature, 1,800 words] |
| Author | [name] |
| Commissioning editor | [@owner] |
| Copyeditor | [@reviewer] |
| Proofreader | [@reviewer] |
| House style | [`writing/style-guide` version N.N] |
| Fallback reference | [*Example:* The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition] |
| Publication date and embargo | YYYY-MM-DD [time zone] |
| Status | [In edit / With author / Ready to publish / Published] |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---------|------|--------|----|
| Draft 1 | YYYY-MM-DD | Received from author | [@owner] |
| Draft 2 | YYYY-MM-DD | Author answered queries Q-001 to Q-00N | [author] |
| Final | YYYY-MM-DD | Proofread and approved | [@owner] |

## 1. Scope and passes

<!-- Guidance: Decide which passes this piece needs. A short news post may skip structural edit; a sponsored piece always needs the disclosure check in section 7. -->

| Pass | Needed? | Reviewer | Due |
|------|---------|----------|-----|
| Structural edit | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Copyedit (house style) | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Fact check | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Accessibility check | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Legal and ethics review | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Final proofread | [Yes / No] | [name] | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 2. Review order

<!-- Guidance: Each pass hands a cleaner draft to the next. Queries go back to the author between passes, not at the end. -->

Copyedit and fact-check queries return to the author, and the answers
come back to the copyeditor before the piece moves on to legal review.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A["Draft received"] --> B["Structural edit"]
  B --> C["Copyedit"]
  C --> D["Fact check"]
  D --> E["Legal and ethics review"]
  E --> F["Layout and accessibility"]
  F --> G["Final proofread"]
  G --> H["Sign-off and publish"]
  C -->|"Queries"| Q["Author answers"]
  D -->|"Queries"| Q
  Q --> C
```

## 3. Structural edit

<!-- Guidance: Read the whole piece once without marking anything. Then check whether the piece delivers what was commissioned. -->

| ID | Check | Result | Note |
|----|-------|--------|------|
| ED-S-01 | The piece matches the brief (angle, audience, length) | [Pass / Fail / N/A] | |
| ED-S-02 | The opening states why the reader should keep reading | | |
| ED-S-03 | Sections follow a logical order; no repetition | | |
| ED-S-04 | Headline and standfirst are accurate, not overstated | | |
| ED-S-05 | The ending gives a conclusion or a next step | | |

## 4. Copyedit: house style

<!-- Guidance: Apply the house style guide first and the fallback reference only where the house guide is silent. Do not impose personal preferences; if a rule is missing, propose it to the style guide owner. -->

| ID | Check | Result | Note |
|----|-------|--------|------|
| ED-C-01 | Spelling variety and dictionary follow house style | | |
| ED-C-02 | Grammar, agreement and punctuation are correct | | |
| ED-C-03 | Numbers, dates, times and units follow house style | | |
| ED-C-04 | Names, titles and terms are spelled consistently (termbase checked) | | |
| ED-C-05 | Headings use house capitalisation and are in order | | |
| ED-C-06 | Quotations match the source and are attributed | | |
| ED-C-07 | Inclusive language rules applied | | |
| ED-C-08 | Plain language: sentences and words suit the reader (see `writing/plain-language-review` for public-facing notices) | | |
| ED-C-09 | Lists are parallel; abbreviations are spelled out on first use | | |

## 5. Facts, sources and links

<!-- Guidance: Every checkable claim (names, numbers, dates, quotes, superlatives) goes into the Fact-Check Log. Here you record that the log is complete and the links work. -->

| ID | Check | Result | Note |
|----|-------|--------|------|
| ED-F-01 | All checkable claims logged and verified in `writing/fact-check-log` | | |
| ED-F-02 | Statistics give a source and a date | | |
| ED-F-03 | Every link opens and points to the intended page | | |
| ED-F-04 | Links go to primary or authoritative sources where possible | | |
| ED-F-05 | Citations or references follow the house citation style | | |
| ED-F-06 | Time-sensitive statements are dated ("as of October 2026") | | |

## 6. Accessibility

<!-- Guidance: Check the published form, not only the manuscript. The criteria below are WCAG 2.2 success criteria named by number and title; read the W3C text for the full requirement. -->

| ID | Check | WCAG 2.2 reference | Result |
|----|-------|--------------------|--------|
| ED-A-01 | Every informative image has alt text that conveys its purpose; decorative images are marked as such | SC 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A) | |
| ED-A-02 | Headings, lists and tables use real structure | SC 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) | |
| ED-A-03 | Text in images and charts meets contrast, or the information is also in text | SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (AA) | |
| ED-A-04 | Link text describes the destination | SC 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A) | |
| ED-A-05 | Headings describe the topic of their section | SC 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (AA) | |
| ED-A-06 | Embedded video has captions; audio has a transcript | SC 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (A), SC 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (A) | |
| ED-A-07 | Charts have a text summary or data table | SC 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A) | |

## 7. Legal and ethics review

<!-- Guidance: These are questions to escalate, not answers. If any answer is "yes" or "unsure", send the piece to your legal adviser before publication. Laws differ between countries; check the current official text and a qualified professional. This is not legal advice. -->

| ID | Question | Answer | Escalated to |
|----|----------|--------|--------------|
| ED-L-01 | Does the piece say anything that could harm the reputation of an identifiable person or organisation? | [Yes / No / Unsure] | |
| ED-L-02 | Does it use text, images, music or data owned by someone else? Is permission or a licence recorded? | | |
| ED-L-03 | Does it reveal personal data, health information or a private individual's identity? Is consent recorded? | | |
| ED-L-04 | Is any content sponsored, affiliate-linked or paid for? Is it disclosed clearly? | | |
| ED-L-05 | Does any interviewee have an agreed embargo, anonymity or approval condition? | | |
| ED-L-06 | Does the piece give advice (health, legal, financial) that needs a disclaimer or expert review? | | |
| ED-L-07 | Do any conflicts of interest of the author need disclosure? | | |

## 8. Final proofread

<!-- Guidance: Proofread the laid-out version on the device or page where readers will see it. Read headlines, captions and pull quotes separately: errors hide there. -->

| ID | Check | Result | Note |
|----|-------|--------|------|
| ED-P-01 | All author queries resolved and changes applied | | |
| ED-P-02 | Headline, standfirst, captions and pull quotes proofread | | |
| ED-P-03 | Byline, credits and image credits correct | | |
| ED-P-04 | Page title, meta description and social preview text correct | | |
| ED-P-05 | Layout checked on mobile and desktop; no broken lines or orphans in headings | | |
| ED-P-06 | Publication date, time zone and embargo set correctly | | |

## 9. Query and findings log

<!-- Guidance: One row per question or fix that needs the author or another reviewer. Severity: High blocks publication, Medium must be fixed before publication unless the editor accepts it, Low is optional. -->

| ID | Location | Check | Query or finding | Severity | Owner | Resolution |
|----|----------|-------|------------------|----------|-------|------------|
| [Q-NNN] | [para N] | [ED-x-NN] | [question] | [High / Medium / Low] | [name] | [answer, date] |
| Q-001 *(Example)* | Para 3 | ED-F-02 | "Tomato yields rose by a third": source and year? | High | Author | Logged as CL-001 in the fact-check log: corrected to "about a quarter in 2025", source added |
| Q-002 *(Example)* | Image 2 | ED-A-01 | Alt text missing on the raised-bed diagram | Medium | Picture editor | Alt text written, data also in caption |
| Q-003 *(Example)* | Para 7 | ED-L-04 | Seed supplier link is an affiliate link: disclosure needed | High | Editor | Disclosure line added under standfirst |
| Q-004 *(Example)* | Headline | ED-C-05 | Title case used; house style is sentence case | Low | Copyeditor | Fixed |

*Example:* summary for the feature: 4 findings, of which 2 High, 1
Medium and 1 Low, all resolved before sign-off.

## 10. Sign-off

<!-- Guidance: Publication needs zero open High findings. Record who accepted any open Medium finding and why. -->

| Role | Name | Decision | Date |
|------|------|----------|------|
| Copyeditor | [name] | [Approved / Changes needed] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Fact checker | [name] | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Legal reviewer (if escalated) | [name] | | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Commissioning editor | [name] | [Publish / Hold] | YYYY-MM-DD |

## References

- The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (University of Chicago
  Press, 2024), named as an example fallback reference. Official text:
  University of Chicago Press, purchase or licensed access:
  https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, W3C
  Recommendation, 12 December 2024: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
- Related templates: `writing/style-guide`, `writing/fact-check-log`,
  `writing/plain-language-review`, `docs/termbase`,
  `docs/docs-review-checklist`, `marketing/content-calendar`.

## Standard and licence note

Based on common editorial practice and on the success criteria of WCAG
2.2 (W3C Recommendation, 12 December 2024), named by number and title.
The Chicago Manual of Style is named as a reference only; no rules or
wording are reproduced. All checklist wording is original. Check the
current editions before relying on them. The legal section lists
questions and is not legal advice. Template licence: MIT.