Curriculum

This course gives participants a working knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style, the most comprehensive and widely used style guide. The course covers the role and ethics of a copy editor, the editorial process, strategies for editing and using the CMOS, and CMOS topics such as spelling, punctuation, usage, numbers, foreign titles, tables and graphs, documentation, and more.

Deploy the skills you learned in Basic Manuscript Editing in longer and more complex assignments. You will be introduced to working with style sheets and formulating author queries. The class will also address the challenges inherent in ensuring consistency in a changing manuscript.

Mastery of book manuscript editing requires a thorough knowledge of style and editorial judgment. This course will discuss the decisions an experienced editor will make in preparing a book-length manuscript for publication, including assessing the organization of information, author-editor relations, and sending files to design.

Editing Electronically is a required course for students enrolled in the Editing Certificate. This course teaches students how to use Microsoft Word to make the editing process more efficient. Students will learn how to use common tools, such as redlining, more effectively. They will explore ways to customize the keyboard, the toolbar, and the ribbon to suit the way they work. They will gain experience with wildcard searches and macros designed to increase accuracy and reduce tedium. They will also learn how to work with authors who are reviewing electronically edited files and how to format files for production. Along the way, they will become adept at overcoming technological challenges that can arise when editing electronically.

Students must have a working knowledge of computers, operating systems, Microsoft Word, and basic editing tasks. Please see individual sections for important information on the version of Word students should use in this class.

This comprehensive overview provides a window into the day-to-day responsibilities of an acquisitions editor, a role key to the architecture of every publishing program. You will learn about assessing a manuscript's potential; calculating profit-and-loss statements; championing projects to the editorial board; negotiating publishing agreements with authors and literary agents; shaping manuscripts into books; ushering books through the production process; and working with sales, marketing, and publicity teams to boost unit sales pre- and post-publication. You will practice evaluating book proposals, novel synopses, and manuscripts; addressing common points of negotiation; and reviewing agreements. Although largely focused on trade publishing, the curriculum delivers practical skills and knowledge useful to acquisitions work at university presses, associations, and educational publishers.

Developmental editors help mold an author’s work before a publisher’s review board decides whether to publish it. This course will focus on what it means to be a developmental editor by taking you through all aspects of the process: scheduling, reviewer selection, competitive books, cost analysis, and author relations. You will work on practical, hands-on exercises with real-world manuscripts and reviews.

Even high-performing professionals sometimes pause over the rules and structure of grammar. Grammar for Professionals is an ideal course for those who have forgotten the grammar taught in school or want to revisit and refresh their knowledge of specific topics.

A thorough and practical overview of copyright focusing on the needs of professionals in editorial roles, this course covers the nature of copyright protection, what goes into a license agreement, developing trends in copyright and licensing, and differences between the United States and international markets. You will gain a solid understanding of how copyright forms the foundation of publishing in the traditional environment and in the new world of e-book publishing.

This course, only available as the second elective for the specialization track in Developmental Editing, introduces the elements of fiction that inform every work, regardless of genre, and the work developmental editors do with authors to strengthen a manuscript. You will explore plot and storyline, conflict and tension, character development, dialogue, point of view, voice and tone, pacing and readability, and consistency.

In this overview of medical copyediting, you will examine the mechanics of language and usage as well as editing concepts specific to medical manuscripts. Using the American Medical Association Manual of Style and its online resources, students gain hands-on experience editing general medical materials.

Topics covered include:

• The role of a copy editor
• Correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and usage
• An introduction to medical nomenclature

This course is designed to give you the foundation you need to create effective and accurate tables, graphs, and figures. Students will learn their general structure, how to choose among them, and the guidelines for choosing what graphing format to use.

Freelance writing and editing can be lucrative, high-demand careers. This course will help you discover whether freelancing is the right choice for you and learn how to launch and run a successful freelance business. The course covers best practices for freelancers and gives you the knowledge and tools to avoid common mistakes. You will create a vision for your business, determine what success means to you, and develop detailed plans for running the business and marketing your services to clients.

This course is for students pursuing both the Medical Writing and Editing and the Editing certificates. The course is applicable to all freelance writers and editors, but examples and some content focus on freelance medical writing and editing.