Program Overview

Program Overview

The Editing in Academic and Professional Contexts program, denoted as WRIT 265/3.0, is offered by Queen's University. This course introduces students to the levels of editing, including substantive, stylistic, and copyediting, and teaches them how to apply these skills to academic and professional documents.

Program Details

Code/Units

• WRIT 265/3.0

Prerequisites

• WRIT 120/3.0 or WRIT 125/3.0 or ENGL 100/6.0, or permission of the instructor.

Language

• English

Discipline

• Writing

Faculty

• Arts and Science

Program Year

• 2

Course Structure

The 12-week course is divided into six modules:

1. Introduction to Editing: Offers a general introduction to what editors do and the variety of materials they work on.
2. Structural Editing: Focuses on the "big picture" concerns, such as purpose, audience, and medium, and identifies common structural problems.
3. Stylistic Editing: Presents tools for and approaches to stylistic editing, along with practice exercises and feedback.
4. Copy Editing: Introduces students to copy editing, the conventions of editorial style, and the use of resources such as style guides and dictionaries.
5. Editing in the Genres: Allows students to choose two genres (academic journal article, government report, short story, and personal essay) and explore editing in an area of interest.
6. Trends in Publishing: Considers trends in publishing and reading, and provides an opportunity for self-reflection.

Learning Outcomes

After completing WRIT 265, students should be able to:

1. Describe the three main levels of editing and their purposes in the publishing process.
2. Restructure a document to achieve a coherent organization and logical progression of ideas for a specific audience.
3. Revise sentences, paragraphs, and passages to resolve ambiguities and clarify meaning.
4. Recognize the principles of plain language and its relation to readability and access to information.
5. Consistently apply the conventions of an editorial style.
6. Identify and correct common errors in grammar, punctuation, and usage.
7. Use editorial judgment when deciding when to query, leave as is, or propose a change.
8. Write clear, respectful, and diplomatic queries and comments.
9. Edit documents in different genres as appropriate for the intended audience.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of electronic technology and software for editing documents and communicating with authors, peers, and teaching team members.

Evaluation

The evaluation is based on the following components:

• Module 2 Learning Activity: 10%
• Module 2 Assignment: 15%
• Module 3 Learning Activity: 15%
• Module 4 Learning Activity: 5%
• Module 4 Assignment: 15%
• Module 5 Learning Activity: 10%
• Module 5 Assignment: 25%
• Module 6 Self-Reflection: 5%

Textbook and Materials

• WRIT 265 Course Reader

Time Commitment

Students can expect to spend approximately 8-10 hours a week (114 hours per term) in study, practice, and online activity for WRIT 265.