Course description
This course is for people who have some knowledge and experience of proofreading and would like to learn more. Specifically designed to sit between Proofreading 1: Introduction and Proofreading 3: Progress, Proofreading 2: Headway builds on the basic skills you already have to improve your concentration, focus and judgement.
We strongly recommend that you take Proofreading 1: Introduction before you tackle this course.
The course guides you through common editorial conventions, house styles, layout issues and the basics of dealing with texts involving illustrations, tables, notes and references. The exercises cover a variety of texts ranging from public information to academic books. They provide you with plenty of practice in spotting and marking errors both on screen and on paper and are designed to help you develop strategies for dealing with increasingly demanding texts.
Proofreading 2: Headway is an assessed course, with three assignments marked by your tutor. In addition, you have one hour of tutor support as part of your course.
After taking this course you will:
- be better at spotting errors
- have strategies for dealing with common proofreading problems
- be more confident in your ability to judge what must be changed and what is ‘good enough’ to leave
- have a basic understanding of how to deal with more complex elements such as illustrations, tables, notes and references.
As a result of your tutor’s marks and comments, you should also know what you need to work on to improve your proofreading skills.
At the end of the course, you will have sufficient knowledge to work professionally on shorter, uncomplicated texts. However, to acquire the full range of skills that a professional proofreader needs to enable them to work in a variety of professional settings, we strongly advise you to study further with Proofreading 3: Progress.
This course requires you to understand the basics of proofreading as taught in Proofreading 1: Introduction, including:
- the types of error a proofreader is expected to spot and correct
- how to mark those errors on paper and on screen using BSI symbols, PDF markup tools and Word Track Changes
- some of the common editorial conventions in the UK and how to apply them
- an understanding of how to exercise judgement in how much to change
- the difference between proofreading and proof-editing
- the importance of obtaining sufficient guidance from the client regarding the work they expect
- where proofreading fits into a variety of publication processes.
If you are unsure about any of these aspects, then you are strongly advised to take course Proofreading 1: Introduction before attempting this course.
You will also need:
- Fluency in English
- Good general knowledge of English grammar
- Wide general knowledge
- Familiarity with the functions of word processing programs; this course assumes use of MS Word (Office 365)
- Familiarity with basic markup tools for PDFs (this course assumes knowledge of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC)
While the course provides helpful links to information on these requirements, it does not teach the rules of grammar or spelling, or how to use the software.