All ten editorial desks
Desk IV of X

Writers Desk

It writes from the evidence in your publication's voice.

  • Every researched article
  • One role
  • Live
Where it sits
  1. IEditorial Director
  2. IISource Desk
  3. IIIPlanning Desk
  4. IVWriters Desk
  5. VFact Desk
  6. VIQA Desk
  7. VIIEditor-in-Chief
  8. VIIIStandards Desk
  9. IXArt Desk
  10. XProduction Desk

The Writers Desk receives the plan from the Planning Desk. It sends the article to the Fact, QA, Editor-in-Chief and Standards desks, while the Art Desk begins the picture.

What it does

The Writers Desk turns a settled plan and research record into one coherent article. The Writer keeps the reader, promise, angle and whole piece in view from opening to close.

It solves the problem of writing supported facts in the voice set by your choices without losing the plan behind them. Without that full view, openings, attributions and sections could repeat, the voice could become formulaic, or claims could drift beyond the research.

One role works here: the Writer, which writes the whole article from the plan and the research record. A Revise Editor is built and switched off in production.

What it takes in

The Writer receives the planned sections, the facts each may use, the claims they may not make and the full research record. Your choices for tone, reading level, brand, format and section direction travel with that material, along with where citations should appear. The Writer drafts the article as a whole. It chooses the opening, close, tone and shape for the individual article while avoiding repeated openings, duplicated attributions and sections that echo one another.

What it hands on

It hands on the complete article and standfirst, with links placed on the claims they support. It names the person or organisation behind a claim, and only fetched pages can appear as source links. Figures keep their unit, currency and period. A figure that does not trace to the record, or a quotation that does not match its published page, is marked for review. A section set to carry no links carries none. If a section set to always cite has no citation, the desk brings it to your attention. It also sends a short note about anything else that needs a person's attention before publication.

What it guarantees

7 things it holds to, on every piece it touches.

  • Every line comes from research.

    The Writer uses recorded facts, not memory or unexamined source pages.

  • Sources are credited where they speak.

    The person or organisation behind a claim is named, and the claim links to its page.

  • Only fetched pages become source links.

    The published article can link as a source only to a page that was fetched.

  • Figures keep their full meaning.

    Each figure retains its unit, currency and period and is checked against the record. Anything that does not trace is marked for review.

  • Quotations preserve published words.

    Anything that does not match the published page is marked for review.

  • The article reads as reporting.

    Thin evidence produces a focused section, not padding. Working notes and reference labels stay out of the copy.

  • Your citation choices hold.

    A section set to carry no links carries none. If a section set to always cite has no citation, the desk brings it to your attention.

One example

A section must explain what a new rule costs, but the research contains only the rule and its start date. The Writer explains those supported facts and moves on. It invents no price and adds no empty disclaimer. If an unsupported figure enters the draft, it is identified before publication.

On your article

The finished draft carries source links on the claims they support and credits the person or organisation behind each claim. Working notes and reference labels stay out of the copy, while anything needing a person's attention appears in a short note before publication.

Live. It works on every researched article, which is the default.

Questions

What people ask about the Writers Desk.

How are inline citations placed in the article?
Links sit on the claims they support. Your section choices still apply, so a section set to carry no links has none, while a missing citation in a section set to always cite is brought to your attention.
How does the Writer cite sources?
The person or organisation behind a claim is named, and the claim links to its page. Only pages that were fetched can appear as source links.
How does the Writer keep the chosen voice?
It receives your choices for tone, reading level, brand, format and section direction. It chooses the opening, close, tone and shape for the individual article.
What happens when the research is too thin for a section?
The Writer makes the section focused rather than padding it. It uses recorded facts and does not invent missing details.
What does the Writers Desk mark for review?
It marks a figure that does not trace to the record and a quotation that does not match the published page. It also notes anything else that needs a person's attention before publication.
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