Course description
This course is suitable for those who already have a good grounding in copyediting, and preferably some experience, who feel ready to advance to the next level. It is also suitable for copyeditors who are returning after a break, and wish to update, refresh or check their skills.
At a minimum, before tackling this course you should be able to answer ‘Yes’ to the following questions.
- Do you understand the basic role of a copyeditor, and what to look out for when copyediting a text?
- Can you follow a client’s brief?
- Do you know how to identify the different elements of a document (such as headings and lists)?
- Can you follow a house style, and make and record your own style decisions?
- Do you understand what is meant by the ‘author’s voice’, and know how to raise queries (tactfully!) with the author?
- Do you have a basic working knowledge of Microsoft Word and of how to mark up text on paper using the British Standard symbols for copy preparation and proof correction?
The course consolidates the concepts introduced in Copyediting 1: Introduction and Copyediting 2 Headway, and guides you through the technicalities of copyediting tables, notes and references, and preliminary and end pages. The exercises cover a variety of texts, from public information to academic books, and give a lot of scope for practice. It is a course for editors with some experience; we expect you to have a grasp of the main tasks involved in copyediting and some practical knowledge of carrying them out.
Copyediting 3: Progress is an assessed course. Two upgrade points are awarded for completing the course, and a further three for passing the final assignment.
After taking this course you should be confident in your knowledge of how to deal with material that is more complex than straightforward text – or should know where to look if something unusual crops up. You should be clear in your own mind on what sort of text best suits your copyediting skills, and you should know as a result of your tutor’s marks and comments exactly where you need to work hardest to improve.