The biggest news in PerfectIt 6 (at least for style manual geeks like us) is the launch of the Microsoft Writing Style Guide in PerfectIt together with the update for The Chicago Manual of Style, 18^th Edition. We have an entirely separate article about the improvements to PerfectIt styles here. But that’s just the beginning! There’s so much more packed into this new release! We’ve worked hard to add something for everyone.

We partnered with Microsoft to introduce the Microsoft Writing Style Guide in PerfectIt. It’s available to all users in Perfect 6 and PerfectIt Cloud at no additional cost. 

And that’s not the only new style manual included in our new release! PerfectIt 6 now includes The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition. CMOS Online Subscribers get access to rule changes and revisions with the upgrade to PerfectIt 6. 

PerfectIt is an add-in for Microsoft Word (and now PowerPoint). If you didn’t know that by now, what have you been doing all this time? Given this, it would make sense that we would collaborate with Microsoft to develop a PerfectIt style based on the Microsoft Writing Style Guide (MWSG). And guess what? We have!

Many people think of PowerPoint as just for boardrooms and classrooms. But stealth PowerPoint is everywhere. Here are just eight of the places you’ll see stealth PowerPoints.

I've been thinking about the future of editing. Many people have concerns about what AI might mean for the world (and I have my reservations too). But if there’s one thing that developing Draftsmith (our new AI product) has shown, it’s that AI can’t replace editors. So when it comes to the future of editing, I’m optimistic and hopeful. As we plan for our next phase of Draftsmith, I want to share that vision. Here are my eight predictions.

You know about Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, right? It’s not just a pizza; it’s an experience with its thick crust, high sides, epic amount of sauce, cheese, and pantry-full of toppings. Well, guess what: pizza isn’t the only thing that comes in Chicago style.

Love it or hate it – OK, sorta like it or truly detest it – PowerPoint is essential in the modern boardroom, and the modern lecture hall, and the modern classroom, and the modern lab, and the modern wedding, and the modern funeral, and, for all we know, probably some modern bedrooms. You are almost certainly going to have to make a PowerPoint presentation from time to time. So here, as our gift to you – and, more importantly, our gift to your audiences – are seven mistakes many people make when creating and delivering PowerPoint presentations. You should strive to avoid them.

While writers may find solace in a scenic stroll by some daffodils, or a day off, editors are often trying to improve on minutes. And, let’s face it: editors are already linguistic ninjas. How can they possibly do better? Here are a few strategies to keep the editorial juices flowing.

The ethics of AI is one of the most important questions of our time. If you’re looking for great insight into that question, you’re in the wrong place! At Intelligent Editing, we’re not AI ethicists. We don’t spend our days researching the rights and wrongs of AI. We haven’t studied how the law needs to adapt to changes in technology.

The first time you see an artificial intelligence (AI) product like ChatGPT take on an editing task, its suggestions will amaze you. Its editing is impressive. Then the fear sets in.

One of the joys of working on PerfectIt is the engagement of our users. I love the requests you send, ideas you bring, and the problems you ask us to solve. But what I think makes PerfectIt stand out and makes it so useful is that it doesn’t do everything. We design for professionals.

One of the most effective quality-control and disaster-prevention tools ever developed is also one of the simplest: the checklist. Surgeons use checklists. Astronauts use checklists. Stage managers use checklists. And editors use checklists.

Independent editors play a crucial role across nearly every industry. However, if you run your own editing business then you know how difficult it can be to find time to market your services. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you demonstrate and market your value.

Are you getting the most you can from Microsoft Word? Wildcard search is one of the most powerful features in Word. You can use it to quickly find errors and make changes throughout a document in a matter of seconds. However, wildcards can be complicated. Even advanced users can struggle to keep track of wildcard patterns and their meaning. The Wildcard Cookbook by Jack Lyon makes it all easier.

You’re in a management or leadership role, so you have to review draft documents. The question is: Do you micromanage your review? You’re a good manager, so you don’t micromanage other tasks.

Admit it: English spelling is evil and wants you to suffer.

It’s not just that the rules are weird and capricious and there’s an exception to everything. That’s the inevitable fallout of centuries of what linguists call “language contact” and most other people call “invasions and trading.”

If your goal is to get everyone in your organization or group to follow your house style—and to learn the principles behind it—there’s more to it than simply adding terms and adjusting settings in the Style Sheet Editor. The exact words you use to describe the issue make a difference.

We live in a capitalist society. Which means it’s full of businesses that are full of businesspeople who just love using Capital Letters because they seem Important.

Hyphenation can seem like the editor’s party trick. A party trick is something that few people know how to do, and while it’s not that important to most people, it’s always impressive to see someone pull it off. You know, like tying a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue.

Hyphenation can seem like the editor’s party trick. A party trick is something that few people know how to do, and while it’s not that important to most people, it’s always impressive to see someone pull it off. You know, like tying a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue.