Copyediting & Proofreading Essentials
Certificate EP10
Writing, Editing & Publishing
Learning Method: Correspondence with online support

This course has been developed against industry requirements. It is packed with practical real-life copyediting and proofreading activities. In addition, you can access the online activities in the eLearning Centre to further practise and test your knowledge and skills. And you can talk with other students from all over the country in the Student Forum.

Materials: Your course includes College folder and student case, all modules (tutorials and assignment projects), textbooks, learning tools, tutor feedback and marking, College support, progressive Transcripts of Study, Graduate Awards and final Academic Transcripts, access to the eCampus, eNews, Student ID Pass, and access to educational discounts.

Please note: If you want to become an Editor or undertake electronic editing, then you would need to undertake the Professional Book Editing, Proofreading & Publishing Course or the National Editor Course.

This introduction course to copyediting and proofreading covers the basic requirements for correcting and marking up different kinds of documents. This course is ideal for those who need to undertake some copyediting and proofreading in their jobs or who want to explore the idea of getting started as a freelance copy editor and proofreader.

The editing and proofreading industry is popular. There's no doubt about it, this is an area everyone is talking about. The reason behind the national focus on the editing and proofreading arena is due to the ever-expanding base of information in this country and the need for people to proofread and check informational content for errors.

Editing and proofreading is not limited to just the book publishing industry. Many roles exist now in universities and other educational institutions, media houses, corporate establishments (particularly financial and legal where billions of accountable documents are churned out every year) and government. Then there are mixed roles like 'desktop publishing with proofreading', 'copywriting with proofreading', 'legal word processing operator with proofreading' and 'web content management with proofreading' spread across the industry. In addition, there are thousands of opportunities offered every day for freelancers to undertake contract jobs in editing and proofreading across all types of industries.

What's more, this is a growing industry. Anyone who thought that emerging technologies would mean the end of the printed page now agrees: we are producing more text-based documents than ever before—and it is increasing. What's more, the literacy rates in the country are declining. Therefore, the demand for people skilled in the tasks of reading documents and error checking, fact checking, content checking, reference checking, format checking and layout checking is on the increase. Reading and checking documents can involve things like checking for spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, grammar, consistency, structure, substance and so on, right up to technical specification checking if you want.

Remember how indispensable shorthand was to business before the arrival of the computer and the microcassette? Well proofreading is fast becoming the shorthand of the information age. Don't be surprised if you find more and more jobs begin to list proofreading as a required job skill. By learning these skills with our Copyediting & Proofreading Course (which focuses on how to copyedit and proofread documents) you are giving yourself an edge in your career.

Please note: If you want to become an Editor or undertake electronic editing, then you would need to undertake the Professional Book Editing, Proofreading & Publishing Course or the National Editor Course.