Virtual Classroom

Advanced
Copy-Editing

Develop your advanced copy-editing skills and learn how to approach complex editorial issues and challenging texts with greater confidence.
DATES

  • 19.11 & 26.11.2026
  • 21.01 & 28.01.2027
  • 29.04 & 06.05.2027
  • 18.11 & 25.11.2027

TIME

9.30am–12.30pm

FORMAT

Virtual classroom via Zoom

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • 2 training sessions
  • Completion certificate
  • CIEP membership upgrade

PRICE

£375 + VAT

See available discounts
Looking for training for your team?
This course is also offered as Team Training for organisations.

Why should I take this course?

This open course is designed for experienced editors working in non-fiction. Its focus is on the more complex issues of the copy-editing craft, with attendees’ own experience and approach playing a major part in determining its shape.

The course is delivered over two half days. It includes exercises, and direction and presentation from the tutor. Delegates will also be expected to listen to, and to learn from, each other’s contributions.

Attendees may have already attended either of the Institute of Publishing’s courses, Introduction to Editorial Skills or Progress in Editorial Skills.
Benefits

Control how you learn and progress

Who is it for?

  • Editors working at an intermediate level in Academic, Educational, Professional, Special Interest or STM publishing on print and/or e-books
  • commissioning editors
  • desk editors
  • production editors
  • publishers
  • anyone for whom copy-editing is a key part of their role.

Learning outcomes

On completing this course you will be able to:
  • feel more confident about managing and monitoring the editorial process
  • gauge the complexity of an editorial task and develop a strategy for working on it
  • find means of dealing with areas of linguistic and cultural sensitivity, and legality
  • adjust an author’s style and structure without antagonising them
  • apply the techniques learnt to any text to make it clearer and more accessible.

Programme

Day 1

  • How we deal with the challenges and pitfalls of editing a book
  • The importance of analysing and planning before starting editing
  • Adjusting structure and patterns to ensure clarity of argument
  • Resolving discrepancies and checking for accuracy and consistency of content

Day 2

  • Issues of language, culture and legality
  • Achieving clarity and economy, and engagement with the author
  • Working towards consistency of style
  • Working with others in the publishing process
Details

What you need to know

Delivery

The course consists of 4 sessions, each a mixture of delivery and interaction using Zoom breakout rooms and other online tools. 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. 

Zoom

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.

Bookings

Please note that bookings for this course must be made at least 10 working days before it runs. 

Accessibility

Please contact us with any accessibility or special requirements, for example having in-session captions or the learning materials sent to you in advance.

Certificate

Upon completing the course you will receive a certificate from the Institute of Publishing.

Chartered Institute of Editing & Proofreading (CIEP) membership upgrade

Completing this course counts towards the continuing professional development (CPD) requirement of a CIEP membership upgrade. For more information about upgrade criteria, visit the CIEP Membership Upgrade Hub.

Team Training

This course is available for in-house training, delivered either virtually or at your offices. The content can be tailored to meet your organisation's requirements.

What our students say 

The tutor was generous with her advice and we had a lovely group. I'm now able to better organise my editing projects and plan my time.

Freelance Copy-Editor and Translator

The course was engaging and helpful. I can already apply the skills I learnt in my day-to-day work and it was great to hear from other people's experiences.

Delegate, Cambridge University Press and Assessment

What our students say

I very much enjoyed the course, particularly the focus on sharing our approaches to each piece. It’s really interesting to see how my most talented colleagues tackle challenging texts!

Delegate, Imagine Learning

There were some very helpful bitesized takeaways … it was great to have the opportunity to work with fellow delegates, especially in a small group.

Editor, Class Publishing

What our students say

I enjoyed the course. The group size was ideal and the handouts have been useful in planning improvements to how I and my colleagues work. The course will enable me to set about report editing in a much more methodical way.

Delegate, Sustainable Food Trust

This course was well-planned and expertly presented. We explored analysing and planning, style sheets, how to collaborate with writers, and more. This course has significantly influenced how I approach web copy and has informed my editorial process.

Toby, Business Owner

One tutor will deliver both sessions of a course

About the trainers

Sarah Sodhi

Trainer
ABOUT SARAH SODHI
For over 25 years, Sarah Sodhi has proofed, tagged, bound, corrected, edited, managed, commissioned, subbed, scheduled, estimated and produced a great deal of content – from interactive, multi-media resources to marketing leaflets, from monthly magazines to 900-page medical tomes. 

Starting her career at a small medical publisher in Oxford, Sarah produced medical textbooks, journals and a bi-monthly magazine. She then worked for an adult education charity, followed by working in the education sector, editing and managing digital and print resources for primary, secondary and adult education publishers.
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Caroline Knight 

Trainer
ABOUT CAROLINE KNIGHT
Caroline Knight has spent her career in publishing, working both in-house and freelance. She held senior editorial roles at Penguin Books, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrated, William Heinemann (an imprint of Random House) and Atlantic Books.

Since 2010, she has been a freelance structural and copy-editor alongside tutoring for the Institute of Publishing (formerly the Publishing Training Centre).
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