FAQs

To become an Accredited Editor in Australia, candidates must pass a four-hour onsite exam, set by the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) – the peak national body devoted to advancing the profession of editing.

The exam tests knowledge and skills in areas including grammar, usage, copyediting and editing practices. Editors must also fulfill professional development quotas to maintain their accreditation. Find out more about IPEd and its accreditation scheme here.

I quote on a project basis, using a detailed brief to determine your scope and requirements. Writing, editing and general communications services can vary widely – and timing, urgency and regularity of work are also factors.

To offer an idea, a 5000-word report might cost around $250 to proofread, $500 to copyedit or $750 to $1000 for deep editing or structural editing.

Writing is more difficult to quote for, but by keeping detailed records, I find I can provide accurate quotes based on the total hours for similar previous jobs.

My general hourly rates are drawn from recommendations by professional member groups (including IPed and CIEP) for someone of my experience and background.

A style sheet is a document that answers all those boring, but necessary, style questions about things such as spelling, capitalisation and punctuation, and presentation of numbers, headings, lists, captions and so on.

There is no ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ when it comes to style: what’s important is that you choose a style that works with your brand, and stick with it. This helps to ensure readers aren’t tripped up by inconsistencies, and can easily understand and navigate your writing.

A good style sheet will help to automate writing style, allowing your writers to focus on higher-level thinking.

I recommend the Australian Government Style Manual (AGSM) — an excellent resource, now available online. The default for government, it is also often used by other organisations looking for a modern, user-friendly style.

Of course, some organisations still prefer their own style, while others need a supplementary guide to answer style questions not addressed by AGSM.

I can work with you to develop a style guide, or a supplement to AGSM, to remove uncertainties about style.

To paraphrase The Australian Editing Handbook, ‘structural editing’ checks or addresses logic and flow, and any missing or inadequate content.

‘Copy-editing’ corrects grammar, spelling and punctuation, tone and expression, and imposes your chosen style.

‘Proofreading’ is the final check of typeset (designed) page proofs.

There’s also ‘content editing’, which checks facts and consistency, and for discriminatory or defamatory material, or any potential legal issues.

As the handbook says, editing ‘may involve any or all’ of these tasks — and I find that most communications projects often require a combination of at least a few types of editing.

What matters is that we are both clear about what is required, the time frame and any other expectations or considerations. I usually outline this in my quote after chatting to you on the phone, and refine it as needed before the work starts.

AI can catch errors (but it is by no means foolproof), point out redundant words and generate endless phrasing alternatives.

Its ‘creativity’ is derived from algorithms, not human experience, so it can never genuinely emphathise with readers or properly understand personal and cultural context, nuance and tone.

Overuse of AI can mean your content feels dry and generic — something that ever-distracted readers will readily skim over.

For me, old journalism lessons still ring true. Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Be original. Find that elusive ‘golden thread’ (your key message) and entice your readers to follow it through your story.

I do use software such as PerfectIt to speed up routine tasks (like ensuring consistency of capitalisation). But — as with spellcheck — PerfectIt isn’t perfect. Human judgement is always needed to reject misapplied rules or to catch overlooked (and sometimes grave) errors.