Winner of second Iles Award for Research in Editing announced

The Bremner Editing Center at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications is pleased to announce that the project “Rendered obsolete? Media consumers’ perceptions of human editors vs. AI” is the winner of the second annual Iles Award for Research in Editing. This award of $1,000 is intended to support research pertaining to the teaching or practice of editing written language.

The project, by Associate Professor Alyssa Appelman and Assistant Professor Steve Bien-Aimé of the University of Kansas, will explore readers’ attitudes toward the use of AI in editing, particularly in terms of the perceived value of human vs. AI editing, and audiences’ expectations of the quality of AI and human editing work.

“Generative AI is perhaps the most critical issue facing editors today,” one judge said. “This research will contribute significantly to what we understand about reader attitudes about AI and the value of human editors.”

The judges said they look forward to learning the project’s findings, which will be of interest to editors and educators alike.

The Bremner Editing Center thanks everyone who applied. The field of applicants was strong, and it is gratifying to see research into important aspects of editing. Entries are judged anonymously, and this year’s judges were Kirstie Hettinga of California Lutheran University, one of last year’s winners; Laura Davis, founder and CEO of Stylebot; and Andy Bechtel of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Iles Award is made possible by a generous gift from an alumna to the Bremner Fund at the University of Kansas and honors the legacy of John Bremner, editing professor and author of “Words on Words” and “HTK.” Faculty, graduate students, independent scholars and corporate/professional researchers are welcome to apply for the annual award. For more information, contact Lisa McLendon, Bremner Center director, at lisamclendon@ku.edu.