Introduction to Technical Editing

    Asynchronous Course

8 April to 19 May 2024

         REGISTRATION CLOSES ON 7 April 2024

THIS IS AN ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE. The recording for each week’s session will be opened on Monday morning. Students may view the recording at a time convenient for them. Homework assignments will be due on the day and time specified by the instructor. There will be an additional live session for students to ask the instructor questions in real time. The last session will be presented on 13 May, and the final assignment is due 19 May.  

Description:

Technical editors play a key role in the production of professional documents that are clear, organized, and useful to readers. They work with a variety of different types of writing for various audiences, purposes, and environments. Technical editors’ responsibilities cover a number of areas, including language, visual design, globalization, ethics, and fairness, with their primary responsibility being to advocate for the reader. This 6-week course will introduce the major issues facing today’s technical editors and cover important skills needed for success in technical editing.

Objectives:

In this course, we will explore the following:

• The primary job responsibilities of technical editors and the skills they need to succeed
• Tools for electronic markup of documents and proofreading symbols for print markup
• Style manuals and other essential resources for technical editors
• The basics of grammar and mechanics, including common errors
• Editing for clarity and style
• Editing for visual design
• Other issues in technical editing that require special consideration, including issues of ethics and fairness, as well as editing in a global context

Intended Audience:

This course is mainly intended for new technical editors and those considering a career in the field. Experienced technical editors looking to brush up on their skills may also find this course useful.

For current CPTC certificants: This course  provides 6 CEUs for recertification, in the Written Communication and/or Reviewing and Editing core competency areas.

Session 1: Overview of technical editing

Session 2: The editor’s tools

Session 3: Grammar and mechanics

Session 4: Editing for clarity and style

Session 5: Editing for visual design

Session 6: Special considerations in technical editing