Back to Course List:

Sign in with a guest (free) or member account to register for EFA courses.

Paths to Freelance Editing Careers: Breaking into Academic, Scientific, or Medical Editing

From: $162.00

Paths to Freelance Editing Careers: Breaking into Academic, Scientific, or Medical Editing 

The breadth of technical nonfiction makes it daunting for newcomers. These webinars and courses will help you learn more about academic, scientific, and medical editing and decide which is right for you. Purchase three or more and save 10% on the list price!

  • Academic Developmental Editing

    Webinar recording

  • Numbers in Formation: Reader-Friendly Organization of Numerical Data into Tables

    Live webinar, February 6 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time

  • Introduction to Academic Copyediting

    Self-paced course

  • Introduction to Coaching Academic Writers

    Webinar recording, free to EFA members

  • Coaching Academic Writers

    Self-paced course

  • Editing Articles for Submission to a Scientific or Medical Journal

    Webinar recording

  • Effective Science Editing: Lessons from Fiction and Academia

    Webinar recording

  • Developing Effective Science Communication: Lessons from Journalism, Fiction, and Academia

    Six-week traditional course, February 26–April 8

  • Introduction to Grant Editing: From Draft to Fundable

    Recorded webinar

  • Introduction to Medical-Legal Editing: A Big Little Niche

    Webinar recording, free to EFA members

  • Introduction to Medical Editing and AMA Style

    Self-paced course

Want a discount? Become a member.

SKU: 276344

Description

"Find out if academic developmental editing is the right career move for you." —Laura Portwood-Stacer, instructor

Academic Developmental Editing

This webinar is designed to offer an overview of the work of academic developmental editing. It is aimed at two main audiences: current freelance editors who are looking to branch into developmental editing for academic clients and those who may be new to freelance editing but have some experience working with academic manuscripts. The webinar covers the structure and process of academic publishing for both journal articles and books, including acquisitions, peer review, and the role of the freelance developmental editor in the publishing process.

"Transform boring tables into hand-crafted works of art." —Yateendra Joshi, instructor

Live webinar, February 6 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time: Numbers in Formation: Reader-Friendly Organization of Numerical Data into Tables 

This 90-minute webinar will equip you to handle tables with confidence. The first step is to ascertain whether a table is indeed the best option. If it is, then you will learn how to copyedit each of its components, including the word table (or Table or TABLE), columns and rows, and footnotes and source notes. Once you’ve learned to convert tables from storage bins into display cases, you will never see them in the same light again.

"Looking to expand your client base? Make the leap into academic copyediting with this self-paced starter kit." —Jennie Seitz, instructor

Introduction to Academic Copyediting

Academic copyeditors play a pivotal role in the precise dissemination of scientific research, bridging the gap between complex findings and their intended audience, whether fellow scholars or the wider community. This eight-module self-paced course is a comprehensive introduction to academic copyediting and the skills necessary to become an effective editor in the academic field. Find out how you can get started in this challenging and rewarding field and discover the pathway to a fulfilling and potentially lucrative career.

"Coaching academic writers is rewarding for the coach and can be life-changing for the client." —Kate Vacek, instructor

Introduction to Coaching Academic Writers

This webinar, geared toward academic editors at any level of experience, will introduce you to coaching academic writers. Whether you’re hoping to offer this as your primary service or adding it to your repertoire, you will learn some ways that coaching differs from editing, different needs academic writers bring to coaching, three basic skills coaches use, and how to start honing those skills. At the end of this workshop, you can start practicing these skills with clients right away.

"Good coaching strikes a balance between following your client's lead and guiding their path." —Kate Vacek, instructor

Coaching Academic Writers

Picking up where “Introduction to Coaching Academic Writers” leaves off, this self-paced course is your opportunity to envision your own coaching practice and further develop your listening and guiding capabilities. You’ll learn to apply these skills in four focus areas, give written feedback, set ethical boundaries, and run your coaching business. A variety of exercises will prompt you to practice your skills, reflect on your values and strengths, and develop your knowledge and confidence.

"Techniques from fiction and academia can help science editors tell a clear story." —Kathryn Jepsen, instructor

Effective Science Editing: Lessons from Fiction and Academia

Science writing doesn’t have to be dry and boring. Lessons from fiction editing and academic editing can help you keep the reader engaged, reaching both your audience and your goals. In this 90-minute webinar, you’ll learn how to ensure a piece of science writing hooks a reader’s attention in the beginning, holds the reader’s attention while conveying important information in the middle, and rewards the reader’s attention by delivering on promises in the end. We’ll also talk about best practices for ordering information at the sentence, paragraph, and overall structural level.

"No science background? No problem! You can still learn how to make specialist information accessible to the public." —Kathryn Jepsen, instructor

Six-week traditional course, beginning February 26: Developing Effective Science Communication: Lessons from Journalism, Fiction, and Academia

To succeed in the field of science communication, science editors must ensure that writers do more than just lay out the facts. In this six-week course, we’ll look to the worlds of journalistic editing, fiction editing, and academic editing for essential tools to ensure that a piece of science writing works from beginning to end. Through weekly assignments, you’ll put that advice into practice, with plenty of instructor feedback and peer discussion to guide you.

"Learn how to shepherd a manuscript through the publication process for peer-reviewed journals." —Kelly Schrank, instructor

Editing Articles for Submission to a Scientific or Medical Journal

This session explains how to use a manuscript editing checklist (provided as a personalizable handout), which allows the editor to take a systematic approach to editing a manuscript. It will also provide tips for gathering author instructions, learning what to look for in each section of a manuscript, creating a mock submission to gather other necessary information, and submitting the final manuscript to the journal. Even editors familiar with preparing manuscripts for scientific or medical journals may learn some new tricks, and those new to editing these types of documents and helping authors get through the publishing process will get an essential primer.

"Turn your client’s grant proposal draft into a winning submission with these practical tips." —Darina Mayfield, instructor

Introduction to Grant Editing

Editing grant proposals is essential for ensuring clarity, professionalism, and compliance with funder guidelines. A well-edited proposal communicates ideas clearly, presents information logically, and avoids errors, thereby enhancing its persuasiveness and credibility. Furthermore, editing helps create a compelling and coherent document that effectively demonstrates the project’s value and impact, increasing the likelihood of securing funding. This 90-minute session will provide you with insider tips for transforming an initial draft into a persuasive and winning grant proposal that stands out from the crowd. 

"The medical-legal field needs more editors! Learn about this fascinating niche." —Jahleen Turnbull-Sousa, instructor

Introduction to Medical-Legal Editing: A Big Little Niche

A medical-legal report is a document written by a medical expert that is used in a legal context, such as a medical malpractice or personal injury case. Medical-legal report editing is a little-known niche that offers a sizable source of potential work for editors and proofreaders with experience or interest in editing medical content. This webinar will introduce editors to the medical-legal field and explain what’s involved in providing quality assurance of reports for medical expert witnesses. The work in this big little niche is fascinating, rewarding, and abundant. If you have a deep interest in health and medicine and a love for fact-checking, you may want to make medical-legal editing your new specialism!

"Expand into the challenging and rewarding field of medical editing and help educate and inform health care professionals, researchers, and the general public." —Kristine Thornley, instructor

Introduction to Medical Editing and AMA Style

This 12-module self-paced course, designed for editors with intermediate-level copyediting knowledge, will build on those skills and introduce you to the world of medical editing. Medical editing is a specialty that requires additional knowledge and training above and beyond conventional copyediting. This includes medical knowledge, such as medical terminology and basic medical and health concepts, as well as knowledge about basic statistics, proper presentation of data in tables and figures, and citing resources. Medical editing also has its own style guide, The AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors, 11th edition, which sets the standards for writing, citing, and publishing in the medical field. This course will introduce you to medical editing, following AMA style and best practices in the field.

Office Closed Monday April 8.

The EFA Offices will be closed Monday, April 8, 2024. We will reopen on Tuesday, April 9. Job postings, discussion list subscriptions, and other customer service requests may not be responded to until then.

Solar eclipse