Virtual Classroom

Progress in Editorial Skills

Take your copy-editing and proofreading skills to the next level and learn how to deal with the trickiest editorial challenges.
DATES

  • 19.10, 21.10 & 23.10.2026
  • 30.11, 2.12 & 4.12.2026

TIME

9.30am–2.00pm

FORMAT

Virtual classroom via Zoom

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • 3 training sessions
  • Completion certificate
  • CIEP upgrade points

PRICE

£720 + VAT
£620 + 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?

Following on from Introduction to Editorial Skills, this intermediate-level course takes print and digital copy-editing and proofreading knowledge to the next level, instilling confidence in dealing with the trickiest of editorial challenges. 
Anyone who already has some publishing experience, knowledge of proofreading and copy-editing, or has completed the introductory course, will find this an invaluable way to develop their skills further.

Building on the basics, the course offers guidance on more technical editorial tasks, such as working with tables, illustrations, references and bibliographies.

Regularly revised and updated, Progress in Editorial Skills is up-to-date with the latest editorial developments. The three tutors are all well-respected editors in the industry, with a wealth of experience.
Benefits

Control how you learn and progress

Who is it for?

Anyone who has some experience of working in book or journal publishing and wishes to build on their existing copy-editing and proofreading skills, including:

Learning outcomes

After completing this course you will be able to:
  • apply copy-editing and proofreading skills to a variety of publishing contexts confidently and methodically
  • understand the editorial process from cover to cover
  • tackle tables, illustrations, notes, references and indexes efficiently
  • liaise effectively and knowledgeably with authors, freelancers and others involved in the publication process
  • develop sound editorial judgement
  • understand how editorial decisions have an impact on project budgets and schedules.

Programme

The course promotes active learning through a blended approach of self-study and three online group sessions. You will learn through a range of short and longer exercises, on-screen and offline, completed independently or in small groups. These will be complemented by group discussion, expert guidance and feedback from our highly experienced IoP tutors. 

What you will cover:

  • Approaching complex editorial tasks
  • Finer points of consistency and house style
  • The parts of a book
  • Thorny problems of grammar and syntax
  • Tables and illustrations
  • Notes, references and bibliographies
  • Indexes
  • Preliminary pages


  • Permissions, copyright and other legal issues
  • What’s new at proof stage?
  • Finer points of layout and design
  • Effective mark-up on PDF or paper
  • Honing your judgement
  • Copyfitting
  • Effective communication with authors and colleagues

Is Progress in Editorial Skills the right course for me?

  • Do you understand the basic role of a copy-editor and a proofreader and the differences between them?
  • Do you know what to look out for when copy-editing or proofreading?
  • Do you have a basic knowledge of consistency, house style and editorial conventions?
  • Do you have a working knowledge of Word and Adobe Acrobat and some familiarity with correcting proofs on PDF or paper?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to these questions, you are ready for Progress in Editorial Skills. If not, we recommend you consider Introduction to Editorial Skills first. Those not working in book or journal publishing might find Editorial Skills for All more suitable.
Details

What you need to know

Delivery

The course consists of 6 x 2¼-hour sessions including breaks, each a mixture of delivery and interaction using Zoom breakout rooms and other online tools. There will be a 45-minute exercise set to complete between the sessions, and a 45-minute break. The course will run on from 9.30am to 2.00pm on each day. Any information to be completed beforehand will be sent via email.

Software requirements

You will need access to a computer or laptop with a camera and microphone and with Microsoft Word and either Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (free version) or Adobe Acrobat Professional installed. 

Zoom

To join the course, you will need to activate a Zoom account. This takes 2 minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.

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.

CIEP points

Completing this course is worth 6 points towards upgrading your CIEP membership.

Certificate

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

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

I really enjoyed the course and how easy it was to ask questions and collaborate with other students. I have a greater understanding of the editorial process and specific knowledge of complex areas such as figures, tables and calculating extent. My editorial judgement and confidence have improved and I can apply this to my current role immediately.

Delegate, Hymns Ancient and Modern

I enjoyed the course immensely and found it fascinating and helpful. The conversational and interactive teaching style was brilliant, and the content challenging – which is exactly what I had hoped for. I feel more assured in my judgement and decisions, due to the expert feedback. I also have a reinforced understanding of the benefits of a meticulous, methodical approach to editorial work.

Freelance Editor, Badger Learning

What our students say 

Caroline Knight is a wonderful instructor – clear and concise in her approach, and she encouraged all of us to participate with answers and productive discussion. I have a much clearer grasp of certain tricky grammar issues and how to construct and format references, bibliographies and tables.

Delegate, Pan Macmillan

Caroline was excellent at explaining, happy to share her extensive knowledge and presented a really interesting and informative course. Enjoyed the discussions and breakout rooms, and the mix of examples given and how they were presented. Learnt lots from Caroline and my colleagues.

Delegate, The Open University

What our students say

There was a nice blend of different teaching methods and the tutor was excellent, with an engaging teaching style and attentive to each delegate's context, adapting the course where possible. This was an interesting and productive course. It refreshed my existing editorial knowledge and skills and introduced me to new elements of the publishing process that I wasn't familiar with.

Content Editor, The Chartered College of Teaching

Sarah was excellent. She explained things clearly and I felt comfortable asking questions. I enjoyed the group activities, with the chance to work with the other participants. I now have knowledge of more specialist areas of copyediting and proofreading, and feel confident in checking illustrated layouts and design, and marking up illustrated PDFs.

Delegate, Bonnier Books UK 

One tutor will deliver all three sessions of a course

About the trainers

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 the for Institute of Publishing (formerly the Publishing Training Centre).
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Caroline Drake

Trainer
ABOUT CAROLINE DRAKE
Caroline was trained at Blackwell and Cambridge University Press, where she in turn trained copy-editors and proofreaders for 15 years. She updated Butcher’s Copy-editing, with a colleague, for the 4th edition.

Now freelance, Caroline has created and taught courses for a variety of clients, including publishers, educational organisations and the Parliamentary Research Service at the House of Commons.
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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.

In her first role, Sarah produced medical textbooks, journals and a bi-monthly magazine. She worked for an adult education charity and the education sector, editing and managing digital and print resources for primary, secondary and adult education publishers.