This is like brushing your teeth before you go to bed: everyone knows you should do it, but few do. Then one day you have no teeth. It's the same with editing. I have gotten in the habit of manually saving every five minutes or so and saving after I complete a complicated edit. Since project files are fairly small, I also tend to periodically save new versions of my project, so I always have something to go back to if I change my mind later. This way, when the power grid goes down, you don't loose your last two hours of work and you make that looming afternoon deadline.
"Know your audience" is another seemingly simple concept, but I can't tell you how many editors miss this one. If you are making a short film about sensitive issues in hospice ward, you probably don't want to edit it in a hip-hop, MTV style. Know who your viewers will be and edit it in a way that will impact them and leave them with the emotion you are trying to communicate.
There it is: ten common editing tips. Understand these and you've carved a pretty good-looking elephant. You'll also have a happier time in the editing bay and your audience will leave the viewing with smiles, if that is the emotion you are trying to give them.
Color 
Getting Started With Free Video Editing Software 
How To Make a Slow Motion Video Clip
Digital Audio Sampling
Audio For Video: How To Mix Stereo
Introduction to Digital Video Editing: The Guide to Getting Started With Computer Video (DVD)
Sound Success (DVD)
Advanced Editing -- Guide to Advanced Computer Video Editing (DVD)
Audio Compression
Composition 201