Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

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Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

The Publishing Training Centre
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Provider rating: starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border 2 The Publishing Training Centre has an average rating of 2 (out of 3 reviews)

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Average rating for Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning
Based on 3 reviews Read all reviewschevron_right
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Christopher Brown
Teacher
1
Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

"I signed up for the Basic Proofreading course in December 2019. The only reason I signed up for it was on the recommendation of Cambridge University Press's Consignment Editor.

In short, this course is lackluster (at best), and I am being very generous.

I did not even complete the course (I did 4/5 modules) because of the poor feedback. I even wrote the Consignment Editor to inform him of my experience with PTC.

In short, I received poor marks because I corrected things "that did not need to be corrected." Again and again, throughout modules 1-4, I took point deductions for being too critical (such as identifying non-defining relative clauses inappropriate comma usage, run-on sentences, etc.).

I contacted the developer of the course, sending my concerns "straight to the top." I received no response.

If you are looking to proofread pamphlets and tabloids, this may be appropriate. If you are a serious writer, DO NOT waste your money on this course." - 16-07-2021 02:41

"I signed up for the Basic Proofreading course in December 2019. The only reason I signed up for it was on the recommendation of Cambridge Un… read full review - 16-07-2021 02:41

Description

Proofreading is the process of checking books, magazines and journals for errors before they are published. It is an important role, which carries a high level of responsibility. Proper training through a recognised proofreading course is therefore essential.

Basic Proofreading is run by the industry training provider for book and journal publishing and was written by founder members of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). It has recently been revised to ensure that it's fully up to date. The SfEP also recommends the course to those who are planning to take its accreditation test.

Basic Proofreading begins by taking you through the proofreader's place in publishing and the diff…

Read the complete description

Frequently asked questions

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Didn't find what you were looking for? See also: Proofreading, Feedback Skills, Business Writing, Digital Publishing & Editing, and Publishing.

Proofreading is the process of checking books, magazines and journals for errors before they are published. It is an important role, which carries a high level of responsibility. Proper training through a recognised proofreading course is therefore essential.

Basic Proofreading is run by the industry training provider for book and journal publishing and was written by founder members of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). It has recently been revised to ensure that it's fully up to date. The SfEP also recommends the course to those who are planning to take its accreditation test.

Basic Proofreading begins by taking you through the proofreader's place in publishing and the differences between proofreading and editing. You'll learn the British Standards Institution symbols and, more importantly, how and when to use them. It's not just about spotting mistakes! An important aspect of the course is understanding the implications of the changes you make and knowing when it's best to leave good enough alone.

You'll cover different kinds of proofreading (e.g. 'blind' proofreading) and learn how to deal with common problems. There are five units, each containing four self-check exercises and a marked assignment. These will get harder as the course goes on, ensuring that you are always challenged and always improving.

The course includes examples from many different areas of publishing. This will give you the confidence to deal with anything from children's fiction, to promotional material, to academic and educational texts.

Basic Proofreading is designed to give you the skill, judgement and understanding of the publishing process that you'll need to succeed as a proofreader (click on the link toread a case studyabout how two of our former students got started).

On successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate, showing the level of pass you have achieved (pass, merit or distinction). If you're an SfEP member, the course is worth between 10 and 20 points (depending on your grade) towards upgrading your membership. You will also be eligible to enter your details on the Publishing Training Centre'sFreelance Directory.

  • Introduction
    • The publishing process and the proofreader's place in it
    • Differences between proofreading and copy-editing
    • Methods of proofreading
    • The British Standards Institution proof-correcting symbols
    • Which colours to use for which errors
  • Unit 1
    • The job – understanding the publisher's brief
    • Rekeyed or set from electronic file?
    • Insert or substitute
    • Making the wrong mark: stet
    • Errors that are easy to miss
    • Superscript and subscript
    • Marking up punctuation
    • Spacing – between words and between lines
    • Delete, transpose, take over and take back
  • Unit 2
    • Coding headings and other text
    • Design specification
    • Detailed mark-up of copy
    • Type faces, points and picas
    • Hyphens and em and en rules/spaces
    • Fixed, thin and hair spacing
    • Non-standard characters
    • Numbers
    • Bold, italic and underline
    • Capitals, small capitals and lower case
    • Footnotes
  • Unit 3
    • Ligatures
    • Accents and non-standard letters
    • Wrong font
    • New paragraph, new line and run on
    • The helpful typesetter
    • Proofreading blind
    • Move left, move right, centre, raise or lower
    • Types of proof: galley and page
    • References and bibliographies
  • Unit 4
    • Straight to page
    • Saving space or making a line at page proof
    • Page numbers and running headlines
    • Promotional material
    • ISBNs and ISSNs
  • Unit 5
    • Using authors' electronic files
    • Scanning and electronic mark-up
    • Illustrations and tables
    • Author's corrections
    • Keeping a duplicate marked proof
    • Passing the page proofs for press
    • Indexes
    • After page proofs
  • Conclusion
    • Your next steps
    • Getting work as a freelance

About the authors

Gillian Clarke has been a freelance proofreader and editor since 1975. A founder member and honorary member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), she was also responsible for setting up its training programme. Gillian also teaches on the one-dayProofreading for Editorscourse.

Margaret Aherne has worked as a freelance editor, proofreader and project manager since 1986, specialising in academic books and journals in the arts and humanities. She is a founder member and advanced member of theSfEPand is also a tutor on its mentoring scheme.

Your tutor

When you begin the course, a tutor will be assigned to you. All tutors forBasic Proofreading either are or have been working proofreaders and / or editors. They have all been carefully selected according to their experience and ability.

Support from your tutor will continue to be available for up to three months after you complete the course. You may want to use this to help you with any points you need to revise or to get some additional guidance on finding work.

Online training and support

During the course, you'll also have the option of accessing additionaltraining and support online(although it is not necessary in order to complete the course).

Free copy of theOxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation

If you're thinking about enrolling onBasic Proofreading, you almost certainly already have a sound understanding of English grammar and punctuation. However, it's always useful to have a reference work to hand and theOxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation is ideal for this purpose. A copy will be sent to you free of charge when you enrol onBasic Proofreading.

Course fees

Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning is £395, which can be paid in instalments. This covers all course materials, marking of modules and professional tutor support. It does not cover your postage costs or the cost of telephone calls to your tutor.

Money back guarantee

If, within 30 days of receiving your course materials (and before any assignments have been marked), you decide that the course is not for you, simply return the materials to us, in perfect condition, to receive a full refund.

2
Average rating for Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning
Based on 3 reviews
star_halfstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Christopher Brown
Teacher
1
Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

"I signed up for the Basic Proofreading course in December 2019. The only reason I signed up for it was on the recommendation of Cambridge University Press's Consignment Editor.

In short, this course is lackluster (at best), and I am being very generous.

I did not even complete the course (I did 4/5 modules) because of the poor feedback. I even wrote the Consignment Editor to inform him of my experience with PTC.

In short, I received poor marks because I corrected things "that did not need to be corrected." Again and again, throughout modules 1-4, I took point deductions for being too critical (such as identifying non-defining relative clauses inappropriate comma usage, run-on sentences, etc.).

I contacted the developer of the course, sending my concerns "straight to the top." I received no response.

If you are looking to proofread pamphlets and tabloids, this may be appropriate. If you are a serious writer, DO NOT waste your money on this course." - 16-07-2021 02:41

"I signed up for the Basic Proofreading course in December 2019. The only reason I signed up for it was on the recommendation of Cambridge Un… read full review - 16-07-2021 02:41

star_halfstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border
Claire Finn
Teacher
1
Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

"There are 5 modules in this course and each assignment at the end of a module can take up to one month to mark by a tutor- a ridiculous amount of time considering you have paid money for this and tasks are systematic for the most part.
No tutor contacts you until after you have completed the first module assignment and several exercises. At this point you may be really struggling with no tutor help or advice, only the arbitrary exemplar sheets available online. The commentary on these is unclear and unhelpful.
I was only contacted by staff to renew my enrollment and pay up again. I never had any contact with a tutor throughout the entire first module and would not have had the 5 months marking time to complete this course as I refused to re-enrol and pay more money for such a poor service. " - 15-02-2021 20:23

"There are 5 modules in this course and each assignment at the end of a module can take up to one month to mark by a tutor- a ridiculous amou… read full review - 15-02-2021 20:23

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Jones
4
Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning

"The Basic Proofreading course does not contain much material; it mainly consists of exercises with model answers. The model answers are inconsistent and arbitrary in places, which makes it difficult to learn what is expected. The tutor discussion time goes very quickly too, and they can't explain all the inconsistencies. The price of buying the printed material, rather than using what's online, also seems quite excessive, given how little there is and how much it cost for them to post it. " - 24-05-2017 09:02

"The Basic Proofreading course does not contain much material; it mainly consists of exercises with model answers. The model answers are inco… read full review - 24-05-2017 09:02

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.