- One of the most extensive courses on this list: about 5-7 hours of course material
- 8 months of access to the course material
- Course certificate awarded upon completion of the course
- Suitable for beginners
- Very high 4.5-star rating
- Popular course! 1,430 students
- Low time commitment
- Lifetime access to course material
- Certificate of completion
Nothing makes you lose clients faster than handing in an assignment filled with mistakes. This course will help you figure out how you can use online grammar checkers to improve your own skills. But you should never discount the effectiveness of good old fashioned paper and (red) pen!
While the course is brief (1 hour long), it is jam-packed with information! Over the course of 23 video lessons, students will learn about topics like proofreader expectations, proofreading tips, strategies, marking, proofing for capitalization and numbers, and proofreader error hotspots.
4. Udemy: How to Find & Correct Writing Errors: the Proofreading Guide (Udemy)
People usually hesitate to start work as a proofreader, you can hear most of the people will tell that they enjoying editing but no one will say that proofreading is his/her favourite because it’s work that should be done carefully while checking spellings, Grammatically and systematically errors.
Great info! I’ve been considering a side gig and proofreading sounded interesting. So this gives me insight I did not have. Incidentally, while reading this I found a spelling error above… “ If you want to learn more, you can red my comprehensive review of Skillshare.” The word “red” should be “read”, right? Regardless, good stuff! Thanks.
In this course, you’ll cover topics such as punctuation, word tips, and proofreading hacks. But the main focus of the course is how to use online grammar checkers like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and other free auto-proofreaders to check your work.
Knowing how to proofread is a critical skill in today’s media-saturated world. Even if you have no intention to become a proofreader, writing is a major part of our everyday lives. Of course, if you do want to be a proofreader or editor (or even a writer), learning how to perform a professional final check on a piece of text could make all the difference to your success. With that in mind, we’ve curated a list of the best proofreading courses available online.
🎯Perfect for: those who want to know about freelance work
Being a professional freelancer (as most proofreaders are) involves more than just the mastery of proofreading skills — it also means understanding the style used by each client, knowing how to market yourself, and managing your finances. Luckily, there are courses that cover these topics, taught by experienced proofreaders themselves. Most of the ones we list below also offer completion certificates so you can verify your own expertise once you’ve ‘graduated’.
In 22 bite-sized lessons, Duncan Koerber shares his insights on how to become a freelance editor and proofreader on Upwork. While it does not come with a certificate, this course covers plenty of tricky issues related to being a freelancer — from how to find proofreading jobs and how to make sure you get paid, to understanding personal finance. He still touches on editing philosophies and what editing tools you should master, but those are more like additions to the nuggets of wisdom on managing your independent work.
For beginners and writers
If you’re looking for something a bit less costly, check out Universal Class. Their assessment-based proofreading course comes with 14 lessons, each with a test that you have to pass to move on. Proofreading and copyediting are both covered, giving you a more diverse range of skills, AND you get a certificate upon completion (always a plus when it comes to job hunting). All this for the price of $80, which is quite a good bargain.
Top tip: Don't stop at creating a strong profile, demonstrate your professionalism with a well-designed freelance proposal.
Duncan Koerber — the instructor of this course — has experience working at newspapers and magazines. He’s also taught at university level and created several popular online editing courses, including this one on Udemy. It includes 19 lectures that you can watch in your own time, covering editing techniques and technical guidance regarding styles and formatting. So while it doesn’t provide a certificate, this Udemy course will equip you with the skills needed to proofread your own work without a hitch.
Online Proofreaders normally go through written documents so as to correct spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. And, that’s pretty much their job description.
Get this Bookkeeper Launch FREE 3-part video series today and start earning $80+ per hour!
Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) is where you send your products to Amazon in bulk and they ship it to the customer on your behalf.
If this is the career path for you, I highly recommend her Free 5-Lesson Mini-Course: The Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Career course.
2. Bookkeeper Launch
Want to start your own blog? I created a free step-by-step tutorial that shows you exactly how to set up a self-hosted WordPress blog in 15 minutes or less!) You can start yours for just $3.95 per month (you only get this lower price through my special link for a short period of time) with HostGator. Launch your blog today and start earning $2000 per month or more!
She also has a paid course: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing . This course is on everyone’s lips because it delivers exactly what it promises. People are making up to $2,000 per month in the first few months of enrolling.
If you’ve taken the legal transcription mini-course and feel like you want to add on more skills, I recommend checking out her free course over at Internet Scoping School.
Furthermore, accredited programs tend to garner more respect from employers. People who hire editors and proofreaders often have plenty of experience in publishing. Therefore, they know to look for graduates from schools with great reputations in the industry.
On the other hand, professional organizations offer certifications. Earning a proofreading certification online typically requires paying a fee, proving some credentials and taking a test. Some organizations also offer certifications with courses, similar to what universities provide.
< if (sources.length) < this.parentNode.removeChild(sources[0]); >else < this.onerror = null; this.src = fallback; >>)( [. this.parentNode.querySelectorAll('source')], arguments[0].target.currentSrc.replace(/\/$/, ''), '/public/images/logo-fallback.svg' )" loading="lazy">
- American Copy Editors Society
- Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK)
- The Publishing Training Centre (UK)
- Editorial Freelancers Association
- Writer's Digest
Editing vs. Proofreading: Know the Difference
< if (sources.length) < this.parentNode.removeChild(sources[0]); >else < this.onerror = null; this.src = fallback; >>)( [. this.parentNode.querySelectorAll('source')], arguments[0].target.currentSrc.replace(/\/$/, ''), '/public/images/logo-fallback.svg' )" loading="lazy">
< if (sources.length) < this.parentNode.removeChild(sources[0]); >else < this.onerror = null; this.src = fallback; >>)( [. this.parentNode.querySelectorAll('source')], arguments[0].target.currentSrc.replace(/\/$/, ''), '/public/images/logo-fallback.svg' )" loading="lazy">
Several major universities offer these programs online, including:
Naturally this course is accredited by ABC Awards, which in turn is recognised by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), which is regulated by the UK government. This official recognition will always stand you in good stead.
And in this modern conversion to electronic media, editors don’t scrawl over paper copies very often anymore. Most corrections are done directly on the screen of a computer, by a copy editor with proofreading skills.
There may be a certain amount of back-and-forth between the author and publisher, but much of the wasted time is eliminated if the author hires an outside proof reader so that the material is delivered in a form that is ready to go to press.
Which is OK, because proofreading and copyediting is a specialised subject. It isn’t for everyone.
Money Back Guarantee
In the old days editing jobs were distinct. After the author or copywriter had produced the original material, the copy editor corrected errors including spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting.
- вњ” 10 modules
- вњ” 6 tutor marked assignments
- вњ” 25 self-assessment exercises
- вњ” 15 videos
- вњ” A proofreading marks poster
- ✔ A copy editor’s checklist
- вњ” Small business start-up pack
Never has there been a greater need for those with language, punctuation and grammatical skills than right now.
There are no time limits to the course. So you can go as slow or as fast as you need to, in order to get the most benefit from the materials.