Welcome to our course on professional editing! You’re likely here because you have an interest in entering this field, and we applaud you for your interest. The opportunities for editing are massive, so you’re in the right place to launch an exciting editing career. Editing and Proofing can be summarised as:

• EDITING: To prepare material for publication through condensing, correcting, or otherwise modifying the material. Editing is usually focused on sentence construction, language clarity, and smooth transitions. If this stresses you out, don’t worry! That’s why you’re here, and we’ll get you ready! Editing is typically performed on a first draft, and editors usually make several editing passes in one document. The goals of editing include:
• • Working closely with the author
  • Enhancing the language
  • Making changes for readability and clarity
  • Reducing the word count, if needed
  • Improving the overall quality of writing

Common types of editing include:

• Developmental editing, which considers the big picture and involves reading through an entire piece
• Structural editing, which considers the structure of a piece
• Line editing, which examines the work from a flow and content perspective
• Copy editing, which looks closely at inconsistencies, errors, and correctness

We’ll talk more about these in the next section as we delve into the different types of editors.

• PROOFREADING: A surface-level reading that involves marking errors, usually the final step before publication. The outcomes of proofreading include:
• • Working independently with limited input from the author
  • Taking already strong writing and making it error-free
  • Eliminating grammatical and punctuation errors
  • Correcting misspellings and inconsistencies
  • Adjusting the formatting throughout
  • Keeping the existing word count

What Will You Learn?

There are 5 modules in this course:

1. Introduction to the World of Editing

• • Important Terms in the Editing World
  • Types of Editors
  • Beta Readers
  • Proofreaders
  • Online Editors
  • Developmental Editors
  • Content Editors
  • Copy Editors
  • Fact-Checkers
  • Associate Editors
  • Contributing Editors
  • Editors in Chief
  • What is Writing, Anyway?
  • Define Good Writing, Please
  • Good Writing Needs

2. All About English

• • Challenges of English Charts:
  • Pronunciation
  • Grammar
  • Idioms
  • Spelling Rules—and Exceptions
  • You’re Smarter Than a Sixth Grader: English Language Edition
  • Parts of Speech
  • Subjects
  • Subject Complements
  • Appositives
  • Verbs
  • Infinitives
  • Gerunds
  • Participles
  • Modal Verbs
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs
  • Prepositions
  • Conjunctions
  • Interjections
  • Articles/Determiners
  • Determiners
  • Predicates

3. All About Sentences, Agreement, and Transitions

• • What’s a Clause?
  • Independent Clauses
  • Dependent Clauses
  • Sentences and Stuff
  • Open-Ended Interrogative Questions
  • Yes/No Interrogative Questions
  • Request
  • Invitation
  • Instruction
  • Command
  • Subject/Verb Agreement
  • Shifts in Verb Tense
  • Shifting Verb Tense: Good and Bad Table
  • Tips for Avoiding Shifts in Verb Tense
  • Transitions

4. All About Editing

• • Soft Skills
  • Editing Checklists
  • General Editing Tips Table
  • About Style Guides
  • Types of Editing Checklists
  • Substantive Edit Table
  • Production Edit Table
  • Index Edit Table
  • Editing for Different Specialities
  • Legal Editing
  • Medical Editing
  • Medical Editor Traits Table
  • Scientific Editing
  • Academic Editing
  • Fiction Editing
  • Fiction Editing Genres Table

5. All About Professional Practice

• • Copyrighting
  • What Can Be Copyrighted
  • Fair Use
  • Public Domain
  • Editors and Copyrights
  • Plagiarism
  • Contracts
  • Libel

Sounds good? This course is offered at the low price of $199! Start today and get started on your career.

Note: these short courses are self-guided online courses and are not to be confused with tutor-supported online courses.