Course Overview 

As you'll discover on this course, proofreaders are the people who check articles and books to identify and correct mistakes. You'll learn all the tricks of the trade – specialist marks and symbols, spelling and grammar, the editing process. It's a highly-skilled job – and one you can even do from home.

Pre-requisites 

The great news is that you don't need any previous experience to take this course.

Qualification

ICS Professional Proofreader Diploma

Support  

As an ICS student you will have your own personal tutor helping you with your coursework and with any questions you may have. Plus you can contact our Student Advisors by email or phone for all the practical advice you may need – so we really are with you 100%.

What's more, you'll have access to the ICS online Student Community, where you can interact with other students, browse our resource library and manage your account.

Key topics

• Introduction

Examine the qualities that make a good proofreader. Explore the process of proofreading and learn how the role of the professional proofreader relates to other roles, such as that of the copy-editor or sub-editor. Discover how the role of the professional proofreader fits into the print production process as a whole. Study comparison proofreading and direct proofreading, as well as partner proofreading.

• Marks, Symbols and Terms

Learn the common proof-correction marks and explore the differences between these and copy-editing (or subbing) marks.

• Using Marks and Terms

Learn the remaining proof-correction marks. Examine old symbols that are still used by some people in the publishing and printing industries and so may be encountered by a proofreader. Discover how to keep correction costs down.

• Spelling and Grammar

Acquire a high standard of spelling and grammar. Examine words that can be spelt in more than one way. Learn how American spellings differ from British spellings.

• Capitals and House Styles

Learn when to use capital letters and explore their use in trade names and headings. Examine style sheets and discover how to adhere to a house style. Consider when and how to create your own style sheet.

• Layout and Design

Explore typefaces and layout and learn how to check that the typesetting instructions have been carried out correctly and that the layout of the pages is consistent. Discover proofreaders’ responsibilities in relation to illustrations and captions. Learn about editing on-screen and consider its advantages and disadvantages.

• The Professional Approach

Explore job opportunities for proofreaders and examine other related careers, such as copy-editing or sub-editing. Learn proper professional practice.

• Reference

Learn what reference materials all proofreaders require, and consider what materials are needed by proofreaders working in specialist fields. This unit also contains an extensive glossary of technical terms and a quick reference chart of proof-correction marks.

• The World of the Freelance

Learn how to set yourself up to work from home and how to run a successful freelance business. Consider various advantages and disadvantages of working freelance. Gain the skills to market yourself and to control financial matters.

Course Code

D20

Outline

You’ll complete six assessments during your course. These assessments can be submitted to ICS online via the Student Community, or they can be posted to ICS. It is recommended that you submit your assessments online as you will receive your results more quickly this way.

Assessment Breakdown

• Assessments 1-6: 1 proofreading exercise (per assessment)

Notes

By completing all six assessments you will demonstrate that you are able to perform all aspects of proofreading, from spotting basic spelling and grammatical errors to ensuring that a document adheres to a house style.