What you'll learn...
In the Scribbr Academy, we test your knowledge of grammar and style and your ability to apply that knowledge while editing. However, we don’t address the other side of freelance editing: how to craft an effective workflow, manage your time and edit profitably. Most of us develop these skills on our own, over time.
With this course, we want to break down the silos and pool the knowledge and experience of our editors. You’ll gain insight into different ways to approach editing and hear plenty of tips and strategies from the QM team and your fellow Scribbr editors. Gaining exposure to how other editors do their work can help us each discover ways to be more effective in our own.
The tricky aspect of these discussions on workflow is that what works for one editor doesn’t always work for another. That’s why there’s a heavy emphasis on best practice sharing in this course. To get the most out of this course, it’s up to you to do the work of experimenting with these strategies and determining which ones work best for you.
Preview the curriculum
Course includes videos, presentations & text-based lessons
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1
Welcome to the course!
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Course overview
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Meet your instructors
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Pre-course survey
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2
Core editing & workflow strategies
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Core editing & workflow strategies
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Two editors, two strategies
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How to structure your editing passes
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A 4-point framework for prioritizing your edits & editing profitably
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Best practices for editing consistently
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Dealing with difficult passages: how to add value, satisfy the customer & keep your time in check
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How to add value to well-written papers through your edits, comments & feedback
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How to provide effective feedback while performing the Structure & Clarity Checks
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4 easy ways to gain confidence & trust from your clients
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Core editing strategies: Chapter quiz
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BONUS: Scribbr editors share their approach to editing thoroughly and consistently
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3
Productivity & time management
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Chapter introduction
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How to manage your time and avoid (the bad kind of) stress as a freelance editor
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Our favorite productivity hacks: how to beat procrastination, stay focused & avoid brain fog
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Working strategies for editors: Chapter quiz
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4
Advanced editing skills
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Chapter introduction
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Turn your experience into expertise over time
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Overcome factors that limit your speed: typing speed, reading speed & the mouse
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Double your editing speed with macros & autocorrect comments
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The secret to becoming a great editor
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Advanced editing skills: Chapter quiz
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5
Next steps
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Congratulations! What's next?
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Before you go...
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Course FAQs
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How do I enroll for free?
We offer these courses free to qualified Scribbr editors. You should be able to enroll without a payment.
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What is the benefit of the course? Will I edit faster?
This course is packed full of tips and strategies used by some of Scribbr’s most experienced editors, and we’ve specifically designed it to be as applicable to real-life editing as possible.
We’re willing to bet that if you complete this course and make an effort to implement the tools we provide, you’ll find yourself editing more quickly, more confidently and ultimately more happily.
Depending on your starting point, integrating tools such as macros and autocorrect comments into your editing practice could even allow you to double your editing speed. -
How long does the course take?
The course includes 90 minutes of video lessons. We've also included links to outside resources, tools, articles and downloads, so exploring all the content will likely take several hours.
It's up to you how you want to approach the course, and anything from tackling one chapter per week to binge-watching the whole course straight through is possible.
That said, we highly recommend giving yourself some time to absorb the material as you go and to integrate it into real edits. After all, practice makes perfect. -
Do I need to complete any assignments?
You do not need to submit assignments to complete the course. However, you will get the most out of this course if you take the time to experiment with the different strategies presented in the course in your day-to-day editing and consciously consider how you can improve your editing practice. And, we've included a couple of no-stress quizzes to help you retain the course content.
It may be handy to keep a notepad on hand to jot down key points you want to remember, especially if you're the kind of person who learns best through actively taking notes. That said, we’ve put together downloadable resources – available throughout the course – that cover the key points. So, if note-taking isn’t your thing, feel free to just curl up with a big bowl of popcorn instead. -
Can I watch the videos in high-resolution?
Yes! For the best experience, set the video resolution to 1080p using the video navigation bar.
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How can I apply the course material?
Each section of the course is designed to stand alone and covers a particular editing topic.
Regardless of whether you watch the whole course straight through or tackle individual sections one by one, we recommend applying the material over time, as relevant. For example, if you've just been assigned a lengthy PhD order, you might want to revisit the sections on editing consistently and adding value to well-written papers.
Every section is designed to be relevant to real-life editing. We've included plenty of practical tips, downloadable resources and useful tools, so finding opportunities to put the material into practice should be easy! -
When can I expect to see results?
You can expect to see results right away as soon as you start putting the course strategies into practice.
On that note, keep in mind that both elements – watching the videos and making an effort to apply the material – are necessary to produce changes in your editing practice. Gaining new knowledge is only part of the equation: putting that knowledge into practice is essential to produce lasting changes.
As for what the results will look like, expect to see changes in three key areas: (1) editing skills and confidence, (2) editing speed and (3) general productivity and well-being.
If you want to measure how the course changes your editing practice in concrete terms, gather some key stats, such as your current editing speed, before getting started, so you have a baseline. -
How can I have the best experience navigating the course?
We have a few tips for maximizing your experience of the course:
(1) You can navigate the various lessons using the left-hand menu.
(2) To have the best experience, expand the window to full-screen mode.
(3) The font size and course view will automatically adjust based on the size of your browser window. For example, if you decrease the browser size to be only half of your screen, the navigation pane will disappear. To restore it, simply make the browser window bigger again.
What participants are saying...
“I was blown away. I feel a lot more enthusiastic about my job now, and I'll be going back over the course and attachments in more detail to make sure I get the most out of it.”
“I was looking for tips on how to improve the quality of my work, how to work faster, and how to manage my time better. Got them all :)”
“I loved the videos. It helped me realize that there are real people on the other end of this electronic medium, people who care about my work and me.”
“I found the course friendly, enjoyable and packed with content! I’m going to go back through it again if possible...I feel more confident that I’ll get there in the end (‘there’ = being a competent editor earning a good wage)!”
“It was useful to hear about different editing strategies; it highlighted for me that there are many ways to approach edits. Shane’s style really resonated with me because I’m very detail-oriented, so I tried incorporating some tips in a longer order and found that doing ‘systemic work’ really helped speed up my editing.”
