Introduction to Editorial Skills: Copy-Editing and Proofreading
Introduction to Editorial Skills offers new editors the opportunity to learn proofreading and copy-editing skills. You will be given expert editorial advice and the opportunity to practise the key skills of the proofreader and copy-editor across a range of different types of content, for both print and digital output.
The course content is regularly revised and updated, to ensure that it stays on top of current trends and systems in publishing. The three tutors are all well-respected editors in the industry with a wealth of experience.
Once you have taken this course, you will have the foundations on which to build a successful editorial career.
Who is it for?
Individuals working in book or journal publishing, in-house or freelance, wishing to develop copy-editing and proofreading skills, including editorial assistants, copy-editors, desk editors and production editors.
Students wishing to start a publishing career with formal training in editorial skills and individuals who have to proofread and copy-edit as part of their job.
What will you achieve?
On completing this course you will:
- have a clear sense of what you are trying to achieve when editing or proofreading a document
- understand your editorial responsibilities
- see how your role fits in with others involved in the publication process
- comprehend the substance of, and differences between, copy-editing and proofreading
Programme
The course promotes active learning through a blended approach of self-study and three online group sessions.
You will learn through a range of short and longer exercises, on-screen and offline completed independently or in small-groups, supported by group discussion and expert guidance and feedback from our highly experienced PTC tutors.
Copy-editing
You will learn to identify and fix:
- poor structure
- ambiguity
- repetition and redundancy
- poor grammar or punctuation
- inappropriate or non-inclusive language
You will also learn:
- why consistency is important
- what editorial conventions, house style and job-specific style are, and why they matter
- how to make and record their own style decisions
- how to approach copy-editing methodically and strategically
- how to follow a brief
- where to to turn for further help and guidance
Proofreading
You will also learn how to proofread effectively:
- layering
- slow reading
- judging how much to change
- marking proofs clearly and efficiently with BSI and PDF mark-up
- distinguishing editorial corrections, layout and queries
- where to turn for further advice on BSI and PDF mark-up
Delegate feedback
“I enjoyed the course very much. Caroline Drake was wonderful, very cooperative and engaging. The group brought a lot to the table, too, as they came from different backgrounds.” Mauzoun Writing & Publishing delegate
“The course leader was highly knowledgeable and engaging, giving all delegates equal time to ask questions and share their own insights. I have a deeper understanding of copy-editing, proofreading, formatting and marking up editorial projects.” Geographical Association delegate
“Caroline Knight was an excellent tutor. I learned a lot from her and the other delegates. I've gained so much knowledge which will help as I progress with my tasks, experience and skills and continue in my career. Learning about the relationship between the publisher and author will be beneficial moving forwards, in thinking about both sides and how we can work together. I have even more respect for editors and the job that they do.” Garnet Education delegate
“Caroline Knight is brilliant! She was engaging, fun and supportive at every stage. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and it was a privilege to be taught by someone who shared it so generously. This course was an excellent introduction to copy-editing and proofreading. It was super helpful to learn how texts are edited and typeset before they reach the production stage, and how complex the book publishing process can be. I’ve gained knowledge and skills to apply immediately in my current role.” Production Assistant, Bloomsbury Publishing
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course! Sarah was engaging and the content cemented the knowledge I've been acquiring in my new role. I now have the ability to organise proofreading tasks efficiently, an understanding of the different requirements of proofreaders and copy-editors, and confidence in PDF mark-up.” Assistant Editor, Bloomsbury Publishing
"The course was well-organised, useful and lively. The teacher was extremely competent and clear, and addressed all the questions. I gained a great overview on the main tasks of copy-editors, an understanding of consistency rules editorial conventions, and many useful aspects of Word formatting and PDF mark-up.” Federation of European Biochemical Societies delegate
“A brilliant and very engaging course. I now have a clear process for copy-editing and proofreading, a reminder of grammatical rules and knowledge of the BSI marks.” Faber delegate
“The course was informative and I learned a lot. Caroline Drake explained the concepts clearly, providing helpful examples when necessary. The exercises were useful and I especially liked that we learned both practical editorial skills and the more subtle skills, such as how to best phrase author queries." Editorial Assistant, Walker Books
“Caroline Drake was a great presenter. We covered many topics, but I did not feel left behind at any point. Though proofreading is part of my job, I gained additional tips and ideas to implement in future and clarity on stylistic practices.” Production Editor, Yale University Press
About the tutor(s)
The tutors devised and fully updated the course in 2020. One tutor will deliver all three morning sessions of a course.
In an in-house career that took her to Berlin, London, Oxford and Cambridge, Caroline Drake worked on a wide range of academic books, journals and illustrated trade titles. She was trained at Blackwell and Cambridge University Press, where, as senior subeditor then copy-editorial manager, she in turn trained copy-editors and proofreaders for fifteen years. She updated Butcher’s Copy-editing, with a colleague, for the fourth edition.
Now freelance, Caroline enjoys helping authors to get things right, first time. She has created and taught courses for a variety of clients, including publishers, educational organisations, the CIEP (formerly the SfEP), the reporters of the Scottish Parliament and the Parliamentary Research Service at the House of Commons.
Since 1999, Sarah Sodhi has proofed, tagged, bound, corrected, edited, managed, commissioned, subbed, scheduled, estimated and produced a great deal of content – from interactive, multi-media resources to marketing leaflets, from monthly magazines to 900-page medical tomes.
Starting her career at a small medical publisher in Oxford, Sarah produced medical textbooks, journals and a bi-monthly magazine. She then moved into the public sector to work for an adult education charity, introducing formal scheduling procedures, progress-chasing systems and detailed budgets. After this, she immersed herself in the education sector, editing and managing digital and print resources for primary, secondary and adult education publishers.
Caroline Knight began her career in publishing at Penguin Books in 1989, when she joined Editorial 2, the department dedicated to copy-editing. She has been a PTC tutor since 1996 and a freelancer since 2010.
Caroline became managing editor of Allen Lane The Penguin Press in 1995 before moving to Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrated in 1997. She lived in Greece, working freelance and tutoring at the PTC, from 2000 to 2003, when she became managing editorial director at William Heinemann, an imprint of the Random House group. Five years later, she moved to Atlantic Books, where she stayed until 2010 when she moved to rural Kent and rejoined the freelance community.
She has worked with Alastair Campbell, Vince Cable, David Willetts, Margaret Drabble and the late Herman Leonard, as well as a wide variety of others less famous. She enjoys editing both fiction and non-fiction, with a leaning towards history and politics. She lives on the edge of the North Downs with her husband, three children, a dog, six hens and tens of thousands of bees.
Dates
Monday, 25 November 2024
Monday, 13 January 2025
Monday, 03 March 2025
Monday, 07 April 2025
Monday, 19 May 2025
Monday, 16 June 2025
Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Monday, 08 September 2025
Monday, 06 October 2025
Monday, 24 November 2025
Date information for future sessions
November 2024
- Dates: 25, 27 & 29 November 2024
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Sarah Sodhi
January 2025
- Dates: 13, 15 & 17 January 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Knight
March 2025
- Dates: 3, 5 & 7 March 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Knight
April 2025
- Dates: 7, 9 & 11 April 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Sarah Sodhi
May 2025
- Dates: 19, 21 & 23 May 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Knight
June 2025
- Dates: 16, 18 & 20 June 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Drake
July 2025
- Dates: 8, 9 & 11 July 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Drake
September 2025
- Dates: 8, 10 & 12 September 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Caroline Drake
October 2025
- Dates: 6, 8, & 10 October 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Sarah Sodhi
November 2025
- Dates: 24, 26, & 28 November 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 2.00pm
- Tutor: Sarah Sodhi
Course format
- Virtual classroom
- 9.30am to 2.00pm
-
Six x 2.25-hour sessions including breaks, comprising three long half-day sessions on three days
A number of discounts are available
What you will need
You will need access to a computer or laptop with a camera and microphone and with Microsoft Word and either Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (which is free) or Adobe Acrobat Professional installed. Please check that you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To join the course, you will need to activate a Zoom account. This takes two minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.