How Do You Decide When NOT To Make an Edit?

By Kate Harold | July 27, 2026

How Do You Decide When NOT To Make an Edit?

I was once asked this question during an interview with a new client. It’s an excellent question. Because when you’re editing, you can make crucial edits, and you can make changes just for the sake of change. How to know the difference between the two?

Sometimes people have editing pet peeves — like the VP I worked with once who didn’t like to see the word “impact” used as a verb. In many cases, “impact” can be used to mean “affect.” But this person just didn’t like it, even if it made sense in the sentence.

She would edit out “impact,” then the piece would have to go back to the designer to update it, then it would need to be proofed again. What a bunch of unnecessary time and effort for an edit that really wouldn’t have made a difference to the reader.

Set Aside Your Pet Peeves

As an editor, hard as it is, you often have to put aside your own editorial pet peeves. Let’s say I learned in my college journalism class that you should use “more than” instead of “over” in relation to numbers. (In fact, I did.) However, in 2014, AP deemed that it’s now fine to use “over” to mean “more than.”

That means, even though I still have an instinct to make this edit when I see it, I don’t need to. It’s not grammatically incorrect. It’s not against AP style, which most of my clients follow. I don’t need to waste anyone’s time with this edit.

When Edits Make Sense

So when is a good time to make an edit? Here are some guidelines:

Is it for clarity? Will it make the sentence or paragraph easier to understand?
Is it to correct an error — such as in punctuation, grammar, mechanics or editorial style?
Is it for accuracy?
Will it make it easier for the reader to digest the information? Splitting a long sentence into two would fit under this category. Sometimes longer text needs to be broken up to give the reader a chance to take in what they’re reading, especially for long or complex topics.
Is it for consistency? (Yes, I’m talking about you, serial comma.)
Does it reduce repetition?

These are not the only reasons for editing, but they’re a good reminder to think about the why behind the edits you make. Is it personal preference, or will it really aid the material? And most of all, what’s the benefit to the reader?

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Check It Out: The Over vs. More Than Debate

For an in-depth look at the over vs. more than debate, this article from Grammar Girl does a great job explaining the details.

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Something You Might Not Know About Me…

I recently discovered Flower Alley, a lovely bit of neighborhood wonderfulness in Indianapolis. This is just a few blocks from where I grew up, but it didn’t exist when I lived there.

Over the past seven years, neighbors have come together to have beautiful flower murals painted on their garages that line an alley behind their homes. The result? Gorgeous imagery, and a really fun place to take a walk. I highly recommend it if you’re ever in the Broad Ripple area of Indy!

A garage with a colorful flower mural painted on it. A garage with a morning glory mural painted on it. A garage with colorful flowers painted on its doors.