Poynter Institute Cleaning Your Copy Course

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a world-renowned leader in journalism and media studies and committed to practical training for journalists, editors and communicators. Their Cleaning Your Copy course is designed to help communicators write clearer, more concise and accurate copy. The course is broken down into four sections: Editing Basics, Writing with Clarity, Putting It Together and Hands-On Edits. Editing Basics provides the fundamentals of copyediting, such as understanding the various types of editing and the importance of AP and other style guides. Writing with Clarity focuses on using language to express ideas effectively and developing editing skills for a compelling style. The course explores the basics of grammar, punctuation and word usage to create clear, readable pieces. In Putting It Together, the focus is placed on how to develop accurate and compelling stories, fact checking and working with sources. This section also provides tips for deadline management and proofing documents. The popular Hands-On Edits section puts the information learned throughout the course into practice. Students can use their skills to clean up copy and practice making revisions for accuracy and clarity. With the Cleaning Your Copy course, communicators can improve their writing skills and produce pieces that are clear, accurate and compelling. After completing the course, communicators will have the ability to create effective copyediting and understand the uses of copyediting as a part of the writing process. The Poynter Institute also provides other courses and resources that can further improve communication and editing skills.