Freelance writing, in particular journalism, is a highly competitive field. Successful journalists and freelance writers not only have good writing skills, they have the ‘nose’ for a good story, the ability to write quickly and succinctly, and are experts in their chosen area of writing. This course is ideal for writers who are keen to build on their current skills and experience in order to enhance their career prospects, including being published!
The Certificate of Journalism is an online program that will teach you about different writing techniques, help you access new contacts, sharpen your skills, fine-tune your writing skills in the areas of sentence structure and theme development, including using deductive, inductive, chronological, descriptive, analogy, flashback and cause and effect concepts.
The Certificate of Journalism is an online professional development course that will provide you with the skills and knowledge required to prepare for a career in journalism, as a freelance writing, editor or publisher. This comprehensive journalism course will develop your writing skills, help you discover work opportunities and learn how to network with professionals for success.
On completion of this course, you will have improved your existing writing skills, discovered potential writing specialisations, and gained insights into how to achieve your ultimate career aspirations!
Course Structure
Unit 1: Freelance Writing
- Introduction
- Categories of freelance writing
- Steps to getting started
- Necessary resources (including equipment)
- Researching the market
- Sources of information
- How to develop yourself as a freelance writer
- Publishing options
- Industry terminology
- Basic writing skills
- How to improve a piece of writing
- Essential writing skills
- Informative language
- Persuasive language
- Imaginative language
- Connotation and denotation
- Literal and figurative language
- Formal and Informal language
- Clear communication
- Making meanings clear
- Causes of confusion
- Ambiguity
- Concise wording
- Condensing your writing
- In-concise writing
- Phrases linked in a wordy fashion
- Tautologies
- Abstract nouns
- Using too many words
- Ellipsis
- Active and passive language
- Grammatical rules
- Grammatical errors
- Rules of speech
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Sentence structure
- Types of sentences
- Composing sentences
- Building a paragraph
- Planning what you write
- Conceptualisation
- Developing a concept
- Writing an outline synopsis
- Planning your writing
- Word budget
- Writing structure
- Research
- The writing process
- Feature writing conventions
- Feature article structure
- Introduction, billboard paragraph, body, ending and closer
- References
- A writing routine
- The publishing world
- Contacting publishers
- Periodicals
- Books
- Sample publishers contract
- Protecting the writers work
- Copyright
- Income from writing
- Lending rights
- Manuscripts
- Preparing and presenting your manuscript
- Editing
- The editing process
- Self-editing
- Editing articles and manuscripts
- Writing a sales package
- Target reader synopsis
- The title
- Statement of objectives
- The publishing process
- Presentation requirements
- Submitting your work
- Publishing processes for ebooks
- Self-publishing online
- Newspaper writing
- News articles
- Short features
- Investigative article
- Regular columns
- Fillers
- Human interest article
- Local newspaper articles
- Interviews
- Conducting an interview
- Planning the questions
- Drawing out answers
- Accuracy of notes
- Magazine writing
- Magazine articles
- What does a publisher or editor consider
- Feature articles
- Types of articles
- Service articles
- Travel writing
- Interviews
- Writing books
- Fiction books
- Writing fiction –plot, viewpoint, characterisation. setting, dialogue, conflict, structure.
- Target audience
- Believability
- Non fiction books
- Text books
- Fact finding
- Getting book contracts
- Books in print
- Writing advertising
- Writing for public relations
- Media releases
- Writing promotional campaigns
- Messages
- Selling
- Effectiveness
- Writing online advertising copy
Unit 2: Advanced Freelance Writing
- Introduction.
- Writing Themes
- Sentence Structure
- Summary Skills
- Theme Development (eg. Deductive, Inductive, Classic, Chronological, Descriptive, Analogy, Cause & Effect, Classification, Definition Analysis, Comparison & Contrast, Flashback etc)
- Writing a Regular Column
- Newsletters
- News Columns
- Criticism Journalism (eg Theatre Critics, Book Reviews, Film Reviews, etc)
- Educational Writing
- Interviewing Skills
- Illustrating an article
- Putting it all together
- Scientific Writing
- Technical Writing
- Statistics
- Writing a Biographical Story
- Developing a draft plan
- Research
- Writing the final manuscript
- Writing a News Article
- Analysing a news article
- Wwriting and illustrating a sporting event
- Fiction Writing
- Category Writing
- Mainstream Writing
- Characteristics of good fiction (ie. A strong plot;. A hero or heroine; Obvious motivation; Plenty of action; A colourful background), Forming and developing an idea.
- Other Writing
- TV & Radio Scripts
- Science Fiction
- Conducting a Survey;
- Developing a Story
Unit 3: Journalism Practice
- Working to Specification: Problem Based Learning Project
- Writing specifications (Specs)
- Consistency
- A sustainable career
- How fast do you write?
- The PBL project
- PBL project stages
- Publishing online: Electronic Publications
- How material is published online
- Change in the new normal
- Management systems
- Writing and submitting article
- Digital online writing
- Digital writing skills
- Legal changes
- Styling an article
- Chapter header
- Main header
- Revised submitted work
- Set task project
Assessment
Assessment Information
When you study with Australian Online Courses, you will be assessed using a competency-based training method.
Competency-based training focuses on the achievement of skills and knowledge against set criteria to meet industry-standard and is not benchmarked against other students’ work.
In this course, the assessment will be comprised of written assignments and exercises, which may include short answer questions, reports, essays, research projects and reflective tasks.
If you do not achieve a competency result on your first attempt, you have two more attempts to pass your assessment. So, you have three attempts in total to obtain a competency result.
In this way, you can complete your course in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- No entry requirements;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support;
- Easy to understand course content;
- Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Certificate of Attainment/Completion issued for your CV (hard copy provided); and
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
How long will it take to complete this course?
The approximate study hours for this course is 400 hours. Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply).
Can I purchase optional printed materials?
While printed materials are not available for purchase, PDF copies are available for download and self-printing for this program.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion of this course?
Yes! You will receive a Certificate of Attainment upon successful completion of your assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our e-learning system and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
