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Unit of study_
MECO6916: Editing and Proofreading
2024 unit information
Students will learn about the roles of the editor and proofreader in the broader publishing context and how these roles have been affected by technological change. They will develop theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the areas of structural editing, copyediting and proofreading, and learn how to apply these skills across a diverse range of content types, including editing for the web. They will be introduced to editorial best practice; the importance of maintaining the author’s voice, intent and style; current ethical and legal considerations; basic principles for managing artwork; editing references; the use of style guides; and the use of macros and other editing tools.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Media and Communications |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. describe the editorial workflow and the role of editors and proofreaders in the contemporary publishing process
- LO2. use technology effectively and efficiently, including conventions for handling digital files and the proficient use of Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat
- LO3. communicate with authors to establish and maintain a constructive and positive editorial relationship and, in their editorial practice, to maintain the author’s voice, intention and style
- LO4. understand the differences in structure types (fiction vs non-fiction) and apply editorial best practice to solve challenges in comprehension, structure, omissions and consistency
- LO5. apply basic best practice editorial principles and conventions, including version control, following a brief, creating a style sheet, correcting grammar and punctuation and editing for plain English
- LO6. identify and act on legal and ethical issues, including editing for diversity and inclusion
- LO7. use and manage artwork files, including assessing file size and image suitability, file naming, accessing DAM databases and commercial image libraries, creating captions, credit lines, permission requests and alt text
- LO8. copyedit references according to style conventions, and understand the process for creating and editing indexes
- LO9. proofread PDF documents onscreen using best practice conventions, and in hard-copy markup using universally accepted editing symbols
- LO10. edit engaging, immersive content across various media platforms including books, magazines, mobile and web
Unit availability
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