Editorial Skills for All

We all rely on the written word to communicate with clients, stakeholders, and the public. The text that we produce is our shopfront to the rest of the world. How can we ensure that the copy for our company reports, websites or marketing material is clear and well structured, or that we won’t be let down by spelling and grammar errors in our letters and emails?
This interactive course provides a practical introduction to the role of editing and proofreading digital or print content in any business. Specially created for those who generate or prepare copy for presentation or publication, but have little or no editorial background, it guides you through what needs to be done – and why. Using an active learning approach, combining individual study with group activities and discussion, it explores how best practice from the publishing industry can be adapted to your own working environment.
By the end of the course you will have gained skills and strategies that will help you to ensure that the text you produce is in the best possible shape for its intended readers. You will be more confident in your editorial judgement, more accurate in your proofreading, and more efficient in the way you work.
Who is it for?
Anyone who works with words, creating or producing text for presentation or publication, including:
- administrators who brief editorial freelancers or who are involved in quality control
- editorial staff at charities, membership organisations or any business with some publishing function
- people responsible for, or who work on, corporate communications.
What will you achieve?
On completing this course you'll be able to:
- spot errors, ambiguity and poor structure, and know how to fix them
- feel more confident in your use of the English language
- understand how editorial best practice can be applied to your own work
- use skills and strategies to edit and proofread more efficiently as well as more accurately
- communicate effectively and knowledgeably with clients, writers, designers, programmers, freelancers and other stakeholders.
Programme
Session 1: What do we mean by editing and proofreading?
- Overview of editing, proofreading and editing for the web
- How is proofreading different from editing?
- Where do we start? Strategy and approach
- How do we do it? Basic methods.
Session 2: Getting the message across and fixing the words
- Organisation and structure
- Clarity and tone
- Grammar gremlins, punctuation pitfalls and sloppy syntax
- Misused words and other common problems.
Session 3: Consistency, style and communication
- The power of consistency
- Developing and using a house style
- Style sheets and Find and Replace
- Communicating with writers and freelancers.
Session 4: Ways of working efficiently
- Taking a methodical approach
- Digital workhorse and human brain: effective use of Word and Adobe
- Layout issues and other proof-stage problems
- Concluding discussion and top tips.
Course format
- Virtual classroom
- 9.00am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 5.00pm
- 4 x 1½-hour sessions, comprising 2 half-day sessions on 2 days, 1 week apart
Date information for future sessions
November 2025
- Dates: 6 & 13 November 2025
- Times: Each session will run from 1.30pm to 5.00pm
April 2026
- Dates: 21 & 28 April 2026
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 1.00pm
November 2026
- Dates: 17 & 19 November 2026
- Times: Each session will run from 1.30pm to 5.00pm
What you will need
To join the course, you will need access to a computer or laptop with a camera and microphone. You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes 2 minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.
How the course is delivered
The course consists of 4 sessions, each a mixture of delivery and interaction using Zoom breakout rooms and other online tools. There will be 15-minute breaks between sessions with the opportunity to do exercises and take a break. The course will run on the same day across 2 weeks, split into 2 x ½-day sessions in the morning from 9.00am to 12.30pm or in the afternoon from 1.30pm to 5.00pm.
You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes 2 minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.
Any information to be completed beforehand will be sent via email.
Accessibility
Please contact us at with any accessibility or special requirements, for example having in-session captions or the learning materials sent to you in advance.
If you have any concerns about technical requirements or access please contact us on or telephone +44 (0)20 8874 2718.
In-company training
This course is also available for in-company training, either virtually or in person at your office. Course content is tailored to suit your requirements. Group sizes range from 5 to 12 attendees. To find out more, email or telephone +44 (0)20 8874 2718.
Delegate feedback
"There was a good mix of teaching styles, group work and break out rooms. I've gained a clear understanding of the editorial process, stages and main tasks." Church Urban Fund delegate
“The course was collaborative but not overly intensive. I’ve refreshed my basic grammar skills, know what errors to look out for that I have missed in the past, and have learnt to slow down!” Ellen MacArthur Foundation delegate
“The course was interactive and well led. I’ve gained editing tips for applications including MS Word and Adobe.” James Hambro & Partners delegate
“Caro was an engaging tutor. Immediate gains include proofreading/editing strategies and grammar advice.” Content and Learning Specialist
“The course was well run and I enjoyed Caro’s teaching style. I will have better processes going forwards with lots of new tips.” Co-founder and Project Lead, Good Beans
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The tasks were great and the breakout rooms really helpful to discuss our thoughts. I'm more confident doing the QA work in my role and more aware of the areas that I'm less confident about.” Content and Learning Specialist
“I loved the course! It was fun and informative. I’ve gained confidence in my proof-editing skills and good direction for further improvements.” Marketing Manager, McNeela Music
About the tutor(s)
In an in-house career that took her to Berlin, London, Oxford and Cambridge, Caroline Drake worked on a wide range of academic books, journals and illustrated trade titles. She was trained at Blackwell and Cambridge University Press, where, as senior subeditor then copy-editorial manager, she in turn trained copy-editors and proofreaders for fifteen years. She updated Butcher’s Copy-editing, with a colleague, for the fourth edition.
Now freelance, Caroline enjoys helping authors to get things right, first time. She has created and taught courses for a variety of clients, including publishers, educational organisations, the CIEP (formerly the SfEP), the reporters of the Scottish Parliament and the Parliamentary Research Service at the House of Commons.
Related courses
The PTC offers virtual classroom courses, self-study distance-learning courses, and a range of e-learning modules. See below for those that complement or build on this course.
Virtual Classroom Courses
- Building a Successful Online Content Strategy
- Copyright – the Basics
- Developing Effective Management Skills in Publishing
- Grammar and Punctuation – the Basics
- How to Mark Up PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
- Introduction to Project Management
- Negotiating for a Win-Win Outcome
- Writing for Online Audiences
e-Learning Modules
- A Comprehensive Guide to Copy-Editing
- A Copy-Editor's Guide to Working with Authors
- An Editor's Guide to Working with Typesetters
- An Editor's Guide to Author Queries
- An Editor's Guide to Editing Fiction
- An Editor's Guide to Editing Illustrations
- An Editor's Guide to Editing References
- An Editor's Guide to Editorial Style
- An Introduction to Proofreading
- An Introduction to Publishing
- Essential Copyright for Publishers
- Essential Editorial Project Management
- Proofreading PDFs: A Complete Guide for Editors