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It is impossible to understand every intention in the original writing, so there may be cases of wondering where certain quotes or information came from (since citations were often not included). If you are ever unsure of how or how much to edit consult with the Archival Processing Manager before editing.
Remove any value judgement language, focus on facts.
Example: Herb Shoulders excelled at engineering and was the best in his class. -> Herb Shoulders majored in engineering and won the first Great Engineers award in 1903.
Retain the specific idea or intention found within the original writing. Find simpler words, create shorter sentences, or use different sentence structure to convey that core idea in a more accessible way.
Break large paragraphs into smaller ones. Divide complex sentences into several shorter ones. Try to avoid making choppy, repetitive sentences, but also keep in mind time commitments. It might be better to make short easier-to-read sentences than to spend hours rewriting.
If there is a long biographical or historical note, consider using headings. Below are some common headings (inspired by Wikipedia).
Early Life
Education
Career
MIT
Military Service
Honors and Awards
Professional Organizations
Works
History (buildings, cities, non-people)
planning
construction
List of Software
Use the following options to check your reading level. We recommend using the Hemingway App as it breaks down the reading level of each sentence. The Microsoft Word feature will only give an overall reading level.
Microsoft Word