Copyediting is a dialogue, not an effort to correct or impose solutions. Other conventions are less obvious. The HAHR generally requires that footnote numbers be placed at the end of a sentence, that extracts and quotations neither begin nor end with ellipsis points, and that quotes of less than eight manuscript lines be run into the text. The journal also prefers to use the original language name of institutions, but personal titles are generally rendered in English. We generally prefer to use that for restrictive clauses and which for nonrestrictive ones.
Policies ensure a consistent appearance and tone throughout the journal.
To avoid such use of italics and quotes, we generally edit the syntax to communicate the same message through a different means. Our overall approach to copyediting is to stress clarity and naturalness of language use above strict adherence to rigid stylistic and grammatical conventions, many of which are either no longer in use or have been erroneously understood. We also tend to split infinitives when an uncompromising adherence to the alternative results in either ambiguity or stilted constructions. Preferences occasion most of the copyediting work and are of most concern to authors. Great care is placed on removing unintended ambiguities, and in general we prefer to err on the side of specificity.