An essential one-day introduction to proofreading publications in a business context.

You may not be a ‘publisher’, but your organisation will constantly be creating many and varied documents. And whether it’s newsletters, leaflets, reports, letters, briefing papers, brochures, mailshots, or other material, they all need to be error-free.

This fast-paced course will help you develop vital skills for proofreading all kinds of material. You’ll be shown how to:

• understand the role and importance of the proofreader
• develop basic techniques and avoid common pitfalls
• save time and money
• prevent mistakes.

The day is firmly grounded in the needs of organisations of all kinds, such as large corporations, SMEs, government bodies, charities and academic institutions. The content and practical examples are to the point, and all from a business environment.

Programme

• Why proofread?
  • The impact on time, cost and reputation
• Who else is in the team?
  • The key differences between editing and proofreading
  • Where has the document come from; where is it going next?
• Basic techniques
  • Working conditions and methods (space, time, distractions)
  • Blind or against copy
• A systematic approach
  • Checklists
  • Big things and little things (page nos, para nos, headings etc)
  • Layout considerations
  • Dealing with tables, pictures and graphs
  • Check your facts. How important is it that this is correct?
• Some common problems
  • Punctuation
  • Some grammatical tips
  • Tracking changes on screen
  • The danger of spellcheckers
  • Where to find further information
• Final checks
  • Dealing with authors
  • The problems of multiple sign-offs
  • Introducing new errors

Online training
This course includes online training and support.

Who will benefit from this course?
Staff with an editorial or publications role in companies, SMEs, government departments, charities, and other organisations; people with little or no formal training and whose main job may not necessarily be reading proofs.

Your tutor
Melanie McRae has worked in publishing for over 12 years. Previously a Geography Editor at Maskew Miller Longman (South Africa) and Thomas Nelson and Sons (UK), she is now a freelance Editorial Consultant and runs her own limited company, EDT (Editorial, Design and Training services). She has been Project Manager, Editor and Proofreader on a number of leading educational titles and her clients have included Oxford University Press, Heinemann International, and HarperCollins.

We also offer Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning, Proofreading Promotional Material, Proofreading for Editors and Editing Skills for Non-Publishers.

Note that most of our open courses can also be run as in company events.

Send details of this course to a colleague.

Dates: 30 September 2008

Price: £349+VAT (a number of discounts are available).

Venue: The Publishing Training Centre in Wandsworth, London (see a map and a list of local hotels).

Make a provisional booking on Proofreading for Non-Publishers