Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an interactive, computer implemented and networked system and method for editing highly structured XML-based documents adapted for online journal publication. The present invention is capable of handling multimedia rich content while enforcing protection of highly structured elements to maintain document integrity through the proofing process. Embodiments of the present invention thus provide a graphical user interface (“GUI”) to facilitate the proof/editing process, which not only enforces the highly structured element protection, but also provides author-users with a familiar, word processor-like experience while eliminating the need for annotated PDF documents to preserve the structured content.