- ------------
- Useful links
- Societies of Editors
- Other organisations
- Useful resources
The Society is a member of the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd)
Archive of 2008 training courses
November 2008
Introduction to InDesign
with Noè Harsel
Repeat of the August 2008 course.
September 2008
Proofreading refresher for editors
Saturday, 20 September 2008
with Glenys Osborne
Revisit the general principles, finer points and common traps of proofreading. Strengthen your proofreading muscle with this one-day course combining instruction, discussion and practice on a range of proofreading tasks.
This course is ideal for people who want to boost their confidence and their proofreading skills. Perfect if you’re looking for a refresher combined with some hands-on practice.
Topics covered include:
- how to read when proofreading
- marking proofs
- blind reading, reading against copy and reading with an editorial eye
- what to check
- reading for consistency
- homonyms and the proofreader
- alerting the editor to issues of grammar, syntax and punctuation
- proofreading quotations
- using stylesheets and house styles
- using dictionaries and word-break books
- addressing layout issues
- marking cross-references
- when to question word choice
- what to watch for
- making final checks.
Students will need:
- red pen
- pencil (plus pencil sharpener if required)
- liquid paper
- eraser
Glenys Osborne spent the first years of her working life as a proofreader in typesetting tradehouses. She later became managing editor at Macmillan Education and then at Thomson Learning (now Cengage). She now works as a freelance editor, teaches editing in RMIT’s MA in Communications course and has won various awards for fiction writing.
When: Saturday, 20 September 2008, 10 am to 4 pm
Where: CAE, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Cost: Members $125, non-members $140
August 2008
Introduction to InDesign
with Noè Harsel
Saturday, 9 August 2008
InDesign is the publishing industry standard for desktop publishing. The Society of Editors invites you to build your understanding of this program with an interactive Introduction to InDesign.
With the digitisation of the industry, more and more editors are required to be versatile in their approach to editing. A working knowledge of InDesign will help editors further market themselves by being able to edit manuscripts up to final production and layout stage. Covering a range of tasks and activities, you will gain a broader understanding of how the program works and what it can do for you, as well as be able to navigate text pages, edit text and set styles.
This course will enable you to have a basic working knowledge of InDesign. It is ideal for people with a basic grounding in computer skills, who would like to explore desktop publishing and layout.
Course outline
Participants will be able to perform the following on completion of this course.
- Create an InDesign document
- Use the Toolbar and Palettes
- Understand the basics of typography, fonts, kerning and leading
- Make text changes
- Use Story Editor and Style Sheets
- Adjust Type and Page preferences
- Work with multiple document pages and InDesign files
- Use Master Pages
- Import images, add colours and change colours
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS COURSE
- Basic computer literacy is required for this course, but no previous desktop publishing experience is needed.
- This course uses a PC platform, but information provided will apply to both PC and Mac systems.
- Students are invited to bring along general text files and images (files should be saved as .doc, .txt, .pdf, .jpeg, .tif) to create your own InDesign document (eg flyer, poster, business cards etc) using your own content. General purpose material will also be supplied if you do not wish to bring your own.
- If you would like to save any documents you create in this course, please bring along a memory stick or flash drive (or equivalent).
- Places are strictly limited for this course.
Noè Harsel has extensive experience in publication production, writing and editing for both print and web media. She has taught InDesign and publishing at RMIT University, LaTrobe University and Swinburne University.
When: Saturday, 9 August 2008, 9.30 am to 4.00 pm
Where: CAE, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Cost: Members $140, non-members $160
July 2008
Everything you wanted to know about grammar but were too afraid to ask ... aka a grammar refresher for editors
with Ruth Siems
Been mulling over pesky grammatical issues? Want an opportunity to discuss grammar with a group of like-minded people who won't stare at you blankly? Feel like you need to brush up on your grammar skills? Then this workshop is for you.
Ruth Siems will review grammatical conventions and basic terminology through an investigation of practical examples that highlight frequently encountered problems such as:
- pronoun case (whatever happened to me?)
- subject–verb agreement
- parallel structures
- passive/active voice
- dangling modifiers.
Not only will the principles behind many tricky grammatical aspects be covered, but you will be more confident in explaining what you have done (and why) to your clients in clear and correct terminology.
Participants are invited to bring along topics and examples of grammatical problems they wish to discuss. This is an excellent opportunity to refresh and review the principles which are the foundation of your craft.
Ruth Siems has had nearly 25 years experience as a book editor, both in-house and freelance. She also taught editing at RMIT for many years, and has run workshops on editing, proofreading and grammar for a variety of organisations. Her keen interest in grammar was sparked by having to edit a poorly written manuscript on the subject, and it has grown from there to the point where she enjoys revealing to others how interesting and delightful it can be.
When: Saturday, 12 July 2008, 10 am to 3 pm
Where: CAE, 253 Flinders Lane Melbourne
Cost: Members $80, non-members $110
June 2008
Onscreen editing
with Pamela Hewitt
As editors we're constantly looking for ways to speed up our basic tasks. Online editing has grown in popularity and practice over the last few years, but switching from manual mark up to onscreen editing can be quite daunting. The Society of Editors (Vic.) is pleased to welcome interstate guest Pamela Hewitt who will encourage participants to put down the red pen as she takes them through an introduction to editing online, covering the tasks, tips and pitfalls that editors face in a digital environment.
Topics covered
- The pros and cons of onscreen editing
- Virus protection, OH&S and digital housekeeping
- Using Track Changes and Comments functions
- Tips to save time and work smarter; prospects for the future of electronic editing
Note: participants are expected to be familiar with the basics of Microsoft Word.
Pamela Hewitt has been an editor for over 20 years, both in-house and freelance. She is also a qualified teacher who has developed and presented editing programs for universities, TAFE, writers' centres, literary festivals and editors' societies around Australia.
When: Saturday, 14 June 2008, 10 am to 4.30 pm
Cost: Members $120, non-members $150
May 2008
Introduction to Indexing for Editors
with Max McMaster
Ever not been able to find what you're looking for in an index? Are you baffled by the classification system used? Why don't people just look it up in the contents? This course is designed for editors who want to learn the art/science of indexing. Discover the systematic approach used by indexers to compile information, as well as the terms and style issues they deal with on a regular basis. By the end of the day, participants will be confident of their ability to work with an indexer, as well as being knowledgeable in assessing the quality of an index. This serves as an introduction for editors interested in pursuing indexing as an additional skill or career option.
No prior knowledge or skill is required.
Topics covered
- Differences between a table of contents and an index
- Purpose of the index
- Publishing process - how does the indexer get involved?
- What does the editor need to tell the indexer
- Indexing software
- Headings (keywords)
- Names
- Subheadings
- Cross-references (see and see also)
- Filing order
- Style issues
- Editing the index
- Assessing an index
Max McMaster has been a freelance indexer for the past 16 years working predominantly on back-of-book indexing, and has around 1600 indexes to his name. He arrived at indexing after spending 19 years in the library and information fields. Max lectures on indexing to editing and publishing students at a number of universities, and runs indexing training courses for ANZSI, and other organisations throughout Australia and overseas. He is currently training officer of the ANZSI Council and was Chairman of the Panel of Assessors of ANZSI for five years. Max has been fortunate to have been awarded the prestigious Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers Medal for book indexing on three occasions.
When: Saturday, 31 May 2008, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
Cost: Members $120, non-members $150
April 2008
Advanced Microsoft Word for Editors: Templates, Styles & Formatting, and Macros
with Emma Koch
Much of an editor's job involves repetitive work especially as the technological requirements of the role continue to become more complex. Utilising features available in Microsoft Word to automate tasks improves both efficiency and accuracy. This course focuses on the ways in which templates, styles and formatting and macros can assist editors to reduce repetitive tasks. At the end of the course, editors should be able to create their own templates, styles and customised macros
Note: This is an advanced Word course and assumes a reasonable proficiency in MS Word. The course is aimed at editors who are looking to further develop their Word skills.
Topics covered
- Templates
- Styles & Formatting
- Macros
Emma Koch developed an interest in technical support for editors through her various roles at Lonely Planet. She supported the languages unit, developing templates and macros to suit the requirements of working with scripts and special fonts. She has continued to use this knowledge in her various roles at the University of Melbourne and has a particular interest in improving efficiency through reducing the need for repetitive tasks when using Microsoft Word.
When: Saturday, 19 April 2008, 9 am to 1 pm
Cost: Members $110, non-members $140