5 Tips for Giving (Good) Editing Feedback

Let’s face it: giving and receiving feedback is scary.

Growing up, English class was always my favorite (shocking). I loved delving into stories, participating in group discussions, and writing essays. But I always dreaded one thing: peer reviews. What if someone didn’t like my work? What if they didn’t recognize all the time and effort I put into my writing? What if they called out an embarrassing mistake?

Having your work torn apart is no fun. Based on the feedback you receive, it’s easy to get frustrated with yourself or with the reviewer. At a minimum, feedback can leave you feeling vulnerable. In their introduction to Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen put it well:

I’ve been graded, rated, and ranked. Coached, screened, and scored. I’ve been picked first, picked last, and not picked at all. And that was just kindergarten.

We constantly give and receive feedback, but that doesn’t make it any less scary.

So, when I started editing, one of the first things I considered was not just what feedback I wanted to give but how I wanted to give it. I wanted to be an asset to the writers that I work with, rather than being a source of anxiety or frustration. I wanted to give feedback that invited collaboration, rather than feedback that shot down ideas or dictated the “right” way to write.

Sometimes feedback looks like short paragraph explanations of my thought process, complete with links to external resources for the curious writer. Sometimes it’s using a fire emoji to tell someone when their paragraph rocks (🔥). Regardless of what the specific feedback looks like, there are five tips that I always keep in mind to make it helpful, detailed, and considerate:

1. Be specific.

“This sounds weird.” “Rewrite this.” “I don’t know what this means.”

This type of vague feedback is often unhelpful and can leave writers with more questions than solutions. What about it sounds weird? What part should I rewrite? What exactly doesn’t make sense? Remember that even if something makes sense in your head, it’s not the writer’s job to read your mind.

Instead, make sure that your feedback is specific. If something is missing for you as a reader, pinpoint what that “something” is. Is it a specific word choice? Is the sentence structure hard to follow? Is there jargon that may confuse non-technical audiences?

Don’t treat editing like a vibe check — your feedback should go beyond “good,” “bad,” or “weird.”

2. Provide solutions.

Good editors spot errors, but great editors provide solutions. While spotting errors is an important part of what we do, it’s definitely not everything.

Take the time to brainstorm alternatives. The choice should ultimately be up to the writer on how they’d like to use your feedback, but you can help by showing them examples of your thought process. If a sentence is hard to follow, take the time to propose a few alternative sentences. If a term is difficult to localize, take a second to research other similar terms. Not only does this save the writer time, but it also gives them insight that they can use for future writing.

3. Ask questions.

One of the first misconceptions that I had as a new editor was assuming that my job was all about having answers. Yes, we use the Oxford comma. No, we don’t use all capital letters for emphasis. Sometimes we capitalize “up” in title case, but it depends on whether it’s being used as a preposition or not.

However, giving good feedback isn’t just about having answers. It’s about putting yourself into the user’s shoes to ask questions. Try to take a step back and imagine that you’re a new user. Can I find the information I need? Do I know what these terms mean? When I try out the steps myself, is there anything that’s missing?

Before you make a single mark on the page, take the time to thoroughly read it and think of questions. Be a curious reader first and an editor second.

4. Don’t over edit.

This one’s simple: don’t edit just for the sake of editing. Not only is it unnecessary and time consuming, but it can also make you look like a jerk. If the writing is great, your job is done! Put down the pen.

5. Give the feedback you would like to receive.

Most of us are familiar with the Golden Rule: treat people the way you want to be treated. The same goes for editing. When you get in the zone, it can be easy to fall into a rhythm: period here, comma there, occasional questions sprinkled throughout. However, it’s important to take a step back and really ask yourself if your feedback has been constructive and helpful. Simply put: Is it feedback that you would want for your own work? If not, adjust your approach.

However, there’s a caveat to this tip: every writer is different. Some writers may like short, straightforward feedback with no fluff or extra details. Other writers may prefer more detailed explanations of your thought process and appreciate shoutouts along the way. That’s why it’s important to make sure you take the time to know your writers and what’s most helpful for them personally. But generally speaking, it’s probably a fair assumption that most people want feedback that is helpful, thoughtful, and respectful. Give feedback with these qualities, while still meeting your writers’ specific needs.

While giving feedback can be scary, it can also be a fun process where you and the writer learn from each other and create great content together. Even if your editing style is unique (as it should be!), following these tips can help you give good feedback during any review.