Why do editors make so many mistakes?

[Claudia Angelucci]

Hello! I am relatively new here, and I'm incredibly grateful for having my reviews published and being compensated for them. I genuinely enjoy this site.

It's acceptable for editors to be thorough, and I appreciate criticism. However, isn't it a bit unfair when editors discover errors and violations that don't exist in the first place?
I am curious as to why my review was given a second score without my request for it. Initially, it received a perfect score of 100% as there were no errors or violations of guidelines in my content. However, upon another evaluation, a second editor found some errors and violations that were not there. In the end, I received a score of 97%.
I do not understand why 3% was deducted from my score since the first editor was indeed correct.
This has now happened again with a recent review. A second editor deducted points for errors that do not exist.

Why do editors make so many mistakes?
The first three reviews I completed were wrongly scored and sent back. On all three occasions, I had my points reinstated.
Only one of the editors was gracious enough to apologize.
Is it just me, or does anyone else experience the same thing?
Thank you for taking the time to read this!

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

I have experienced your issues on both ends. I have many reviews and get a high score, even 100, only to have a second editor give me completely different scores on everything. I really never was explained why they need two scorecards, other than some editors have no experience. On the other hand, I have been an editor and had to have disputes argued back and forth with another editor because I said that there were errors and they said something different or vice versa. There is no training course to go through as an editor, so that might be one of the problems. It is very discouraging, I know. Hopefully, a remedy for the situation will help everyone out.

[Claudia Angelucci]

Thank you, Shirley!
I had the same thought. Perhaps the editors lack experience.
To be honest, I got a high score on only one review, while the rest were considerably lower! However, the feedback mostly pointed out minor issues like capitalizing specific words, or my misunderstanding of the guidelines, such as not writing the entire sentence when finding an error! This is perfectly understandable… and I also make lots of mistakes, so I don't want to be too harsh!
It's just annoying when reviews are corrected and have to be sent back for rescoring. It feels like a pointless waste of time for everyone.
One option would be to introduce a training course specifically for individuals who aspire to become editors.

[Moddesser Elahi]

I also personally think that this point should be taken into consideration as it could be beneficial for the smoother functioning of the overall process on the website.
Thank you!

[Tommy Mayengbam]

In one of my reviews, I wrote that the content is exceptional. But I gave the book a 4-star rating because there were too many typos. The editor commented that I violated the guideline because I did not strongly state that I dislike the book.

I mean, I clearly stated that I like the book and found the content exceptional. And I also explained why I deducted one point.

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

I have three grammar apps that I run my reviews through before I submit them. They will tell me if I forgot a comma or if I need to remove a comma that didn't belong there. Usually, they all agree on the same punctuation. However, when I submit my review, almost every time, an editor will say that I needed to place a comma here and there and I get deducted points. Who is to say that the editor is correct and the apps, Grammarly, Scribbens, etc. are wrong? If you are in this for the long haul, which I am, you can't protest every review, I have done close to 50 reviews, since you are given only so many chances to challenge the editors in a lifetime! I don't think that this is fair, but I understand that the staff is overwhelmed and some reviewers will submit every review for re-consideration. Yet, when you are an editor, you are asked to overlook the commas that an author might miss, as commas are subjective and therefore, the commas are uncounted errors. Shouldn't the same guidelines be applied to the reviewers? Just wanted to vent this morning as another review got a lower score than I anticipated.

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

I have three grammar apps that I run my reviews through before I submit them. They will tell me if I forgot a comma or if I need to remove a comma that didn't belong there. Usually, they all agree on the same punctuation. However, when I submit my review, almost every time, an editor will say that I needed to place a comma here and there and I get deducted points. Who is to say that the editor is correct and the apps, Grammarly, Scribbens, etc. are wrong? If you are in this for the long haul, which I am, you can't protest every review, I have done close to 50 reviews, since you are given only so many chances to challenge the editors in a lifetime! I don't think that this is fair, but I understand that the staff is overwhelmed and some reviewers will submit every review for re-consideration. Yet, when you are an editor, you are asked to overlook the commas that an author might miss, as commas are subjective and therefore, the commas are uncounted errors. Shouldn't the same guidelines be applied to the reviewers? Just wanted to vent this morning as another review got a lower score than I anticipated.

[Amy Saunders 2]

I have had the same issues with my book reviews. I also use grammar apps to double check my reviews and am an English teacher. I do understand that I make mistakes just like everyone else, however the reviews tend to find errors and guideline violations that are there. I have had the same issues with comma placement errors and have been sighted for capitalization errors stating that words used as proper nouns in the book are not proper nouns. I have often wondered if the reviewers read the books as well. My most recent “violation” was not stating what I did not like or why I deducted a star from the review. Both of these were addressed at the end of my review. I have also had my reviews critiqued for my opinions.
I am fairly new to reviewing and also go back to reread my reviews based on the reviewer’s comments. I know I am not perfect and want to learn from my mistakes, but it is frustrating when the “mistakes” are not mistakes I have made, but mistakes of the reviewer.

[Claudia Angelucci]

I have had the same issues with my book reviews. I also use grammar apps to double check my reviews and am an English teacher. I do understand that I make mistakes just like everyone else, however the reviews tend to find errors and guideline violations that are there. I have had the same issues with comma placement errors and have been sighted for capitalization errors stating that words used as proper nouns in the book are not proper nouns. I have often wondered if the reviewers read the books as well. My most recent “violation” was not stating what I did not like or why I deducted a star from the review. Both of these were addressed at the end of my review. I have also had my reviews critiqued for my opinions.
I am fairly new to reviewing and also go back to reread my reviews based on the reviewer’s comments. I know I am not perfect and want to learn from my mistakes, but it is frustrating when the “mistakes” are not mistakes I have made, but mistakes of the reviewer.

I recognize the difficulty of the job, and personally, I couldn't handle it as Sherrie did. Yet, at times, it becomes frustrating, just as you said, especially when what's considered a mistake is more of a subjective opinion than an actual grammatical error. I also wonder if the editor has read the book that has been reviewed.

[Claudia Angelucci]

I have three grammar apps that I run my reviews through before I submit them. They will tell me if I forgot a comma or if I need to remove a comma that didn't belong there. Usually, they all agree on the same punctuation. However, when I submit my review, almost every time, an editor will say that I needed to place a comma here and there and I get deducted points. Who is to say that the editor is correct and the apps, Grammarly, Scribbens, etc. are wrong? If you are in this for the long haul, which I am, you can't protest every review, I have done close to 50 reviews, since you are given only so many chances to challenge the editors in a lifetime! I don't think that this is fair, but I understand that the staff is overwhelmed and some reviewers will submit every review for re-consideration. Yet, when you are an editor, you are asked to overlook the commas that an author might miss, as commas are subjective and therefore, the commas are uncounted errors. Shouldn't the same guidelines be applied to the reviewers? Just wanted to vent this morning as another review got a lower score than I anticipated.

Exactly! Who can say who is wrong— is it the editor or the app? I think most of the time, no one is wrong, and it is just a question of style and preference. That's the problem; many grammatical rules are not unbreakable after all. I ask for reconsideration all the time if I think the editor is wrong. I have also asked the administrators too, more than once.

[Claudia Angelucci]

In one of my reviews, I wrote that the content is exceptional. But I gave the book a 4-star rating because there were too many typos. The editor commented that I violated the guideline because I did not strongly state that I dislike the book.

I mean, I clearly stated that I like the book and found the content exceptional. And I also explained why I deducted one point.

Yes, I've had that happen to me too! I didn't justify my rating strongly enough, even though the review is practically the rating justification . And I'm always left a bit confused.

[Alissa Nesson]

What are the qualifications necessary to be an editor? Does anybody know? Is this site looking for more editors?

The problem with the system, in my opinion, is that a whole ten points is taken off for a disagreement over a comma. It has made me extremely anxious about turning in my reviews and I end up agonizing over them for too long. I’ve only asked for a recheck once so far, when I was absolutely sure the editor was wrong, and my score was fixed. They were very kind. I’ve learned a lot since being here. It is true, however, that different grammar apps and AI will disagree over certain things. That makes it confusing.

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

I have been an editor, so I know that you must be a level six. They can make exceptions to the rule, but only Scott can make those, I think. You must have any disputes solved on any reviews that are outstanding. Let me warn you that it is not an easy job. First of all, when there are two editors rating the review, they must match exactly or you have to go back and forth to prove that you are right and the other editor is wrong. Then there is the reviewer. Some get extremely upset if you rate their review with a low score. It is a lot of work and I took notes on each review, so that if there was a dispute, I could go back and look at why and what happened. It is a volunteer position, so you do not get any compensation. If you want to do it, send in a request to Scott or administration. I am not sure if they need editors right now or not, but there is no harm in asking.

[Alissa Nesson]

Thanks for your reply. That’s a lot of work for a volunteer position. Can you tell me why there would be two score cards unless the review was sent back to be fixed? That confuses me.

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

There was a time, only a few months ago, that almost every review received two scores which was the difference between the two editors. No two editors score the same. I don't know why they did it this way as it caused a lot of confusion and disputes. I have noticed that lately, my reviews have only been given to one editor. Now, whether they have changed their policy, I don't know. Let's hope that they keep with one editor.