Certificate of Editing for Specialists and Professionals

Unit 1 – The role of an editor

• Introduction
• The role of the editor
• Language skills and application
• Text types
• Voice, tone, and style
• How to work within voice, style, and tone
• Language use
• Register
• Project management and application
• General skills
• Editors-in-charge
• Editorial teams
• Managing team
• Staff training and development
• Specialisms in editing
• Substantive or developmental editors
• More on the editorial board

Unit 2 – A brief summary of grammar

• Introduction
• The purpose of grammar
• Approaches to grammar
• Prescriptive grammar
• Descriptive grammar
• Punctuation and clarity
• Word choices
• Selecting a more specific word or term
• Jargon
• Grammar basics: refresh your learning
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Grammar
• Common mistakes
• Style errors
• Style sheets

Unit 3 – Referencing, style guides and indexing

• Introduction
• Style guides
• The difference between a style guide and a style sheet
• Purpose of a style guide
• Examples of common style guides and their uses
• Judgement calls
• Dictionaries
• The Oxford comma
• Referencing
• Bibliographies and works cited
• Appendices
• In-text citations vs. Notes
• Repeat citations
• Footnotes and endnotes
• Direct vs. Indirect use
• Quotation styles
• Multiple authors
• Sources
• Common reference styles
• Referencing changes
• Margin notes
• Cross-references
• Glossary
• Other inclusions in a text

Unit 4 – Editorial ethics and relevant legislation

• Introduction
• Editorial ethics
• Conflicts of interest
• Defining the client
• Scope of work
• Contract
• Editing or re-writing?
• Intellectual property and examination work
• When to step back
• Relevant legislation
• Defining the editor’s role
• Copyright
• Cultural sensitivity
• Defamation
• Libel and slander
• False light
• Moral rights
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Permissions and rights for reproduction
• Controversial subjects

Unit 5 – Editor – client relationships

• Introduction
• Professional vs. Personal
• Project definition
• Appraisal and suitability
• The responsibility of the author in the relationship
• Working with multiple authors
• Being aware of the creative process
• Working with authors
• Writing enough or too much – project managing the author

Unit 6 – Defining editorial queries, presenting corporate briefs, goal setting

• Editorial queries
• How to write an editorial query
• Corporate briefs
• Pitch decks
• Ad copy

Unit 7 – Developmental and substantive editing, and managing projects

• Introduction
• Ghost writing
• Discretion
• Constructive criticism
• Structure

Unit 8 – Blog and online editorial management

• Introduction
• Online consideration.
• Language considerations
• The importance of layout
• Visual style
• Indexing and subject hierarchy
• Evergreen editing
• Developmental editing
• Video production
• Multiple platforms
• Understanding engagement
• Fast editing and meeting deadlines

Unit 9 – Specialist commercial editing

• Introduction
• Corporate communications editing
• Corporate storytelling
• Problem-based learning project (PBL) – corporate editing project

Unit 10 – Specialist academic editing

• Introduction
• Identify and know the work
• Scope
• Extent of work and restrictions
• The author’s role
• Publication
• Version control
• Order of work
• Style conventions
• Language
• Text elements, including grammar and spelling
• Layout
• Non-text elements
• Types of research
• Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
• Intellectual property and ethics. Evaluating the whole work
• Expression and clarity
• Don’t be a co-author
• Defining roles
• Is it expressed well?
• Is it clear – drawing it together