Advanced Proofreading
Proofreading is a far more demanding job than simply reading the words on the page. The proofreader needs a practical knowledge of typographic design and layout, a keen understanding of how readers navigate the page spread, the ability to manipulate text, and the skill to function as the ‘safety net’ for the copy-editor. This advanced workshop explores reading and interpreting words and images in print to produce a finished book that serves the author’s message, meets the reader’s needs and pleases the eye.
Who is it for?
Editorial staff working in-house in academic, education, special interest or trade non-fiction publishing, whether proofreading themselves or briefing and managing freelancers. You will have at least a year’s experience of copy-editing and proofreading, and will already have a good grounding in editorial decision-making. The skills are transferable to all working practices, print and digital.
What will you achieve?
On completing the course you will know how to:
- plan a book-length proofread and carry it out thoroughly
- decide what to change and what to leave alone
- carry out effective checking and cross-checking
- interrogate the design and layout, and improve the interplay of images and text
- work with the indexer and other publishing colleagues to finish the book to a high standard
Programme
Day 1
- What proofreaders do
- What to look for in a proof
- From typescript to page proof
- Copy-fitting
Day 2
- Checking and cross checking
- Editing on proof
- Collation
- The index
About the tutor
Heather Rawlin began her career in publishing by training with the PTC to become a proofreader and copy-editor. She worked for six years as an editorial project manager for a firm of typesetters, taking academic publications from manuscript through to print-ready and digital formats, and liaising closely with freelance copy editors, proofreaders and indexers, as well as with the in-house production team of typesetters and quality-assurance readers. Heather started her editorial freelance business in 2015 and began tutoring the PTC distance-learning courses Essential Copy Editing and Essential Proofreading in 2018. She has degrees in the History of Art and experience of editorial work in medical and scientific publishing, as well as the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
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Please read our Terms & ConditionsDates
Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Date information for future sessions
June 2025
- Dates: 4 & 11 June
- Times: Each session will run from 9.30am to 1.00pm
Course format
- Virtual classroom
- 9.30am to 1.00pm
- Four x 90-minute sessions plus breaks, comprising two half-day sessions on two days, one week apart
A number of discounts are available
What you will need
To join the course, you will need access to a computer, tablet or laptop with a camera and microphone. You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes two minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.