One aspect of editing that I'd like to look at is editing for clarity. The most important aspect of writing and editing is making sure that the work will be understood. If the audience doesn't understand it, then the work has failed.
The best way to be understood is to keep things simple. Unless you know that your audience is familiar with a certain kind of jargon, it is best to use simple words with clear meanings. Avoid words and phrases that can be interpreted multiple ways in order to avoid confusion. Obviously, using correct grammar and spelling makes things more understandable as well.
I have an example from something I wrote. I visited a specific patch of garden at several points in the year and documented how the plants were growing. On one of these occasions, I wrote the following:
"Flat, rounded green shoots are beginning to grow around the bottom of the plant. I do not know whether they are replacements for the old stems or there to join them or something else entirely. I'll be sure to check on it in my next report so I can see its progress."
You might have noticed that I used the words shoots and stems here, both of which have multiple meanings. However, because of the context, it's still clear which one I mean. I used those words because I knew my audience knew about plants, and so would understand what I meant. If my audience didn't know the jargon, I might have chosen different words. Those parts can remain as is.
The main problem with this short paragraph is the pronoun and antecedent confusion. In the last line, I say I will "check on it," but in the previous sentence I was referring to multiple plant growths. I intended to say that I would be checking on the whole plant, but I didn't make that clear enough. The second sentence is also a run-on, which makes it harder to read.
If I were to rewrite this paragraph, I might change it to something like this:
"Flat, rounded green shoots are beginning to grow around the bottom of the plant. I do not know whether they are replacements for the old stems, or if they're there to join the old stems. Maybe they're something else entirely. I'll be sure to check on the plant in my next report so I can see its progress."
This makes the paragraph more clear and more grammatically correct. The less time the audience has to spend figuring out what you're saying, the more time they will spend focusing on the actual content of your work. That's why it's important to keep clarity in mind as you edit.
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