Essential Copy-Editing: Editorial Skills Two

Student feedback

“My objectives – to learn new skills, gain more confidence in my work and a formal qualification – were met completely. With this qualification, I feel confident in proactively marketing my freelance editorial business and taking on projects, knowing the industry standard of what is required from a copy-editor.” Nicola, East Lothian, UK

“I enrolled on Essential Copy-Editing to gain a formal qualification. The course was excellent. I now understand common copy-editing terms and techniques and feel ready to apply for copy-editing jobs after completing the course.” Student, Hoddesdon, UK

“I feel better prepared to start a career as a professional editor and to apply for jobs, with a certification in my resume. I am more confident about my skills, making suggestions to clients or when in a team setting, and my role as an editor.” Student, Jamshedpur, India

“I enrolled on the course to learn new skills, gain confidence in my role, and become more marketable and competitive by having a qualification that other copy-editors may not have. I feel more informed and confident, and will add the qualification to my website and CV and will use it to apply to upgrade my membership of CIEP from intermediate to professional.” Jonathan, Ventnor, UK

“I wanted to learn new copy-editing skills and feel more confident in my work. These objectives have been achieved.” Student, Norwich, UK

“I enrolled on the course to train to work as a copy-editor. The course was thorough and comprehensive, and the exercises helpful in practising the skills taught. Tutor feedback for the assignments was excellent and the most useful part. I have learnt a great deal about copy-editing after beginning as a novice, and have also become a better proofreader. I feel my work is more professional, especially in my responses to authors and clients.” Susie, Ammanford, Wales, UK

“I wanted to gain an editing qualification to back up my editorial experience, The course helped me achieve this. I’ve gained knowledge of how to edit a variety of genres and have something to add to my CV and LinkedIn profile.” Ed, Witney, Oxfordshire, UK

“I was already doing a lot of copy-editing as part of my job, but wanted a formal course to gain a qualification and fill in gaps in my knowledge. My objectives were fully achieved and I’ve gained an all-round improvement in copy-editing skills.” Jenny, Vienna, Austria

“After being furloughed from my job, I have now left my position of 11 years and am working for a new publishing house and also as a freelance proofreader. Therefore, having a qualification in editing will help me immensely moving forward.” Student, Sanderstead, UK

What's included?

Personal tutor

Each student is assigned their own tutor, an experienced copy-editor, who provides course-related support through the duration and for up to three months after completion.

Course materials and access to online learning platform

There are seven units, each containing self-check exercises plus a longer assignment. Units one to three equip you with the necessary fundamental skills and theoretical knowledge. Units five to seven build on these skills to give you the experience to tackle more complex material and challenging editorial tasks. Each assignment tests the knowledge gained and skills you have developed in the unit that you have just completed, and reinforces what you learned in preceding units. The final assignment is thus also a consolidation exercise, testing the skills you have acquired throughout the course.

Only the assignments will count towards your final grade, but, where appropriate, your tutor will also give you feedback on the self-check exercises, ensuring that you have fully understood the learning points from each unit and can apply what you’ve learned.

Your exercises and assignments will be completed on-screen in Microsoft Word and submitted by email. Marked assignments and tutor feedback will be emailed back to you.

You’ll have full access to the PTC's online learning platform, through which all course materials are accessed. Downloadable materials mean you can practise your new skills as many times as you need, to feel confident that you have mastered them.

Please note, you will need Microsoft Word (2010 or later) in order to complete the coursework.

Certificate of completion

On completing your course, you will receive a certificate from the PQB showing whether you have achieved a pass, merit or distinction in your work.

Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) points

Passing this course is worth 10–20 points towards upgrading your CIEP membership.

You earn 10 points for a Pass, 15 for a Merit and 20 for a Distinction.

How to enrol and pay

Payment options

Essential Copy-Editing costs £498 (£415+VAT). You can pay for the course upfront or in three instalments:

• Instalment 1: £166
• Instalment 2: £166
• Instalment 3: £166

The first instalment is payable at the point of enrolment. 

The next two instalments will be collected between the 20th and the last day of the month, for the next two months.

To enrol, you need to click on the ‘Add to Cart’ button on this page. You will be asked to register (if you have not already done so) and, at that point, will be able to pay immediately by credit/debit card. 

Money-back guarantee

If, within 30 days of buying the course (and before any assignments have been sent to your tutor for marking), you decide that the course is not for you, simply let us know and we will issue a full refund. Note that access to the learning platform will cease once your refund is confirmed.

Course completion

You must complete the course within 18 months of enrolment. If you wish to continue the course beyond this period, you can study for a further 18 months following payment of a £75 re-registration fee. Any further extensions are at the discretion of The Publishing Training Centre.

For more information please see our Self-Study FAQs.

Please read our Terms & Conditions.

To purchase this course, please add it to your cart via the link at the top of the page.

About the author

Barbara Horn's career in publishing spans more than 40 years. Beginning as a copy-editor in educational publishing, she later worked in trade publishing and packaging, eventually leaving her job as Editorial Director of an illustrated books division to work freelance as an editor, project manager and consultant.

She began her work as a trainer at the London School of Publishing (LSP), which she co-founded in 1983. After selling LSP in 1986, Barbara created and tutored courses at The Publishing Training Centre, the Scottish Publishers Association (now Publishing Scotland), Clé (now Publishing Ireland), and companies and institutions throughout the UK and in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Singapore and Spain. She has also been a guest lecturer at West Herts College, Oxford Brookes, and the Centre for Publishing at Stirling University, and has run workshops at the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) conferences.

Nominated by the CIEP to the Graphic Technology Committee at the British Standards Institution, Barbara managed the revision of the British Standard of Marks for Copy Preparation and Proof Correction, BS 5261: 2005. As part of the British delegation to the ISO Technical Committee for Graphic Technology, Barbara was the convenor of the working group on terminology and initiated the revision of the International Standard for Proof Correction Marks, ISO 5776.

Barbara was made an Honorary Member of the CIEP in 2010.

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

• Copyright 

  – the Basics

• Grammar and Punctuation – the Basics
• How to Mark Up PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
• Introduction to Editorial Skills
• Line-Editing Workshop
• Progress in Editorial Skills
• Working with Authors

Distance-learning courses

• Essential Grammar
• Essential Proofreading

e-Learning modules

• 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
• Essential Editorial Project Management
• Proofreading Pdfs: A Complete Guide for Editors