This seminar is delivered on two consecutive Fridays in November between 9:00am and noon EST.

“Superb copyeditors need good judgment as much as language skills, and they must vary their decisions depending on the author they are working with and the conventions of his particular subject area.” (Rosemary Shipton in Darcy Cullen, ed., Editors, Scholars, and the Social Text)

Copy editors constantly need to make editorial and process decisions. Not only does the English language allow a variety of ways to edit most texts, but also clients’ needs vary from project to project. Copy editors can also offer value through their wide knowledge of language and content, as well as their skill with electronic editing tools.

In this seminar, you’ll practice on a variety of documents and learn tips and tricks from an experienced copy editor. You’ll leave with the confidence to tune your edit appropriately and sensitively, customizing each document to its genre and situation. You’ll also leave with a detailed handbook that covers the seminar content and more:

• Where copy editing fits in the editorial process.
• When and how to make decisions on grammar, punctuation, tone, length, language level, etc.
• What value add-ons you can offer, such as creating a style sheet, checking facts, correcting usage, and formatting documents.
• How to work efficiently using checklists, consistency-checking software, and Word’s editorial tools.
• Apply plain language techniques.
• Hone your technique for spotting errors.
• Learn more about stylistic considerations.
• Determine how much to edit.

About the Instructor

Moira Rayner White is an Ottawa-based editor, writer, and trainer. She has decades of experience in plain language editing, writing, and teaching for government and corporate clients. She has a Master’s degree in Social Policy and extensive experience editing documents so that they can be clearly understood by their intended audience.

Moira has specific training in plain language communication, copy editing, structural editing, stylistic editing, and proofreading. She has managed onsite production of reports in Canada, the United States, and Europe; has travelled across Canada with public consultations writing, editing, and producing reports; and has synthesized the work of multiple authors.

Moira is an honorary life member and past president of Editors’ Association of Canada (www.editors.ca). She is also a member of PLAIN (http://plainlanguagenetwork.org/).

Schedule: November 12 and November 19

Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Looking for more professional development opportunities? See what other seminars are coming up and register today, before it’s too late! Our online seminars are live events and will not be recorded as webinar courses.