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Copy-Editing Skills

The Publishing Training Centre’s flagship course, Copy-Editing Skills, was the first course ever offered (then called Editorial 1) more than 30 years ago! More delegates go through this editors’ rite of passage every year, than any other PTC course.

 

It has had many upgrades and revisions over the years, but the simple essence of the course's success – comprehensive learning through a series of paper-based exercises with a highly experienced practitioner – has remained the same. Of course, many of the copy-editor’s decisions will today be effected fully or partly on screen, but we ensure that editors are confident in ‘what’ needs to be done and ‘why’ first. The ‘how’ follows on from that. Many delegates go on to take Editing in Word or Advanced Copy-Editing once they have acquired a good copy-editor’s mindset and have become more confident editors.

 

Copy-Editing Skills focuses on 20 key activities, including a thorough explanation of how to use the BSI standard marks for copy preparation. You will be given the opportunity to practise using these symbols on a variety of texts. You will also receive detailed instruction on the correct use of many frequently misunderstood features, such as italic text and quotation marks. Advice is also offered on tricky editorial problems, such as notes, bibliographies, and figures.

 

The majority of exercises focus on one particular skill, but incorporate other incidental errors, mimicking real life copy-editing work. The final day’s consolidation exercises bring together everything you have learnt. You will be surprised to see how far you have come in a short time and how much your confidence has increased.

 

There is a pool of several very experienced editors who teach this course. Crucially, each is currently working as a copy-editor, either for a major publisher or as a freelance. They bring a wealth of experience to the course, and are up-to-date on the latest trends and issues in the industry.

 

There are no definitive answers in copy-editing, but you will come away with three exercises marked-up by an experienced editor, a full set of exercises used throughout the course, and handouts on key areas such as copyright, terminology, notes and references. You will also receive a copy of Barbara Horn's book, Copy-editing with exercises and model answers, for reference.

 

This course is a springboard onto many of The Publishing Training Centre’s well known editorial offerings, including Editing in Word, Digital Editing, Editing Scientific, Technical and Medical Texts, Editing Illustrated Books, Rewriting and Substantive Editing and Managing Editorial Freelances.

 

If you are not working in a book or journal publishing company you might like to consider Editing Skills.

 

Programme

• Proofreading
  • Ensure the difference between proofreading and copy-editing is fully understood
• Marking up copy for keyboarder or designer
  • Using BSI international symbols correctly
  • Mark up headings and code different types of material
• Checking contents
  • Focus on consistency
  • Other matter that might be expected in a particular book
• Editing prelims
• Editing tables
• Changing text to another format
  • Changing text to a list, table or other alternatives
  • Formatting and consistency
• Editing and keying in figures
  • Importance of checking visual as well as verbal material for accuracy, consistency and clarity
• Using quotation marks
• Italics
  • Different uses of italics: taxonomic classification, citation of legal cases and foreign words
  • Importance of house style
• Numbers and numerals
  • Conventions and house style
• Editing specialist texts
  • Issues about editing poetry, drama, technical instructions and specialist areas
• Copyfitting
  • Wider issues when cutting text: even workings, numbering prelims in Roman numerals, stages of production, balancing columns, overall appearance, positioning and size of illustrations, and costs and effects of different types of alteration
• Editing notes, references and bibliographies
• Editing indexes.

 

 

Free book worth £45 for every delegate

Delegates attending the Copy-Editing Skills course will each receive a copy of Barbara Horn's book Copy-editing with exercises and model answers. This comprehensive guide is both a manual for aspiring copy-editors and a useful reference for those with more experience. Each chapter includes exercises and model answers that let you practise what you are learning on material drawn from a variety of publications.

 

 

Online training

This course includes online training and support. Please note that the online area is currently being updated and will be unavailable until the update is complete.

 

Who will benefit from this course?

Editorial assistants, copy-editors, assistant editors, desk editors and production editors.

 

Your tutor

Each course is led by one of a team of seven editorial and publishing experts including, Gillian Clarke of the SfEP and Andrew Steeds, who also teaches our grammar courses.

 

 

We also offer Copy-Editing by Distance Learning.

 

 

Note that most of our short courses can also be run as in-company events.

 

 

Send details of this course to a colleague.

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Dates: LONDON 29 Sept-1 Oct, 18-20 October, 17-19 November, 13-15 December 2010; 9-11 February, 16-18 March, 18-20 April, 18-20 May, 8-10 June, 13-15 July, 17-19 August, 14-16 September, 26-28 October, 16-18 November & 7-9 December

Price: £764+VAT (a number of discounts are available).

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Copy-Editing Skills - provisional booking form