MECO6916: Semester 1, 2023

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Units MECO6916 Semester 1 2023 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

MECO6916: Editing and Proofreading

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Students will develop the skills of structural editing, copyediting and proofreading, on screen and paper, across a range of content for both print and digital output. They will understand the significance of the roles of the editor and proofreader and how these roles have been affected by technological change and globalisation.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Media and Communications
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Agata Mrva-Montoya, agata.mrva-montoya@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Claire Linsdell, claire.linsdell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Structural edit and report More details are available on Canvas.	40%	Week 06 Due date: 31 Mar 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 14 Apr 2023	1,800 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Copyediting project More details are available on Canvas.	30%	Week 10 Due date: 05 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 19 May 2023	Equivalent of 1,350 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Proofreading project More details are available on Canvas.	30%	Week 13 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 09 Jun 2023	Equivalent of 1,350 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Structural edit and report: Students are required to carry out a structural edit on the provided document and write a report.
Copyediting project: Students are required to format and copyedit a manuscript using Microsoft Word.
Proofreading project: Students are required to proofread a short document on paper using universal proofreading symbols and another document on screen using PDF mark-up tools.
Detailed information for each assessment will be available on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High Distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a Credit a good standard, and a Pass is an acceptable standard.

More details about the grading of each assignment is available on Canvas.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	The role of editors and professional practice	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 02	The editing process	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 03	Management and liaison	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 04	Substance and structure	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 05	Completeness and consistency	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 06	Grammar and punctuation	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 07	Plain English	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 08	Legal and ethical issues in publishing	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 09	Diversity and inclusion in publishing	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 10	Editing practice: artwork	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 11	Editing practice: references and indexes	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 12	Proofreading	Seminar (3 hr)
Week 13	Editing for the web	Seminar (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: students are expected to attend 80% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board which will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture Recording: Lectures will not be recorded except in specific circumstances.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The reading list is available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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. edit engaging, immersive content across various media platforms including books, magazines, mobile and web
LO3. use technology effectively and efficiently, including conventions for handling digital files and the proficient use of Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat
LO4. 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
LO5. understand the differences in structure types (fiction vs non-fiction) and apply editorial best practice to solve challenges in comprehension, structure, omissions and consistency
LO6. 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
LO7. identify and act on legal and ethical issues, including editing for diversity and inclusion
LO8. 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
LO9. copyedit references according to style conventions, and understand the process for creating and editing indexes
LO10. proofread PDF documents onscreen using best practice conventions, and provide the same information in hard-copy markup using universally accepted editing symbols.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The assessment tasks have been revised to better align them with the unit learning outcomes, and in response to the degree review, and staff and student feedback.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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