Looking for the best proofreading courses to help improve your proofreading skills? Here is a carefully researched and compiled list of the best paid and free proofreading online courses to go for.
Whether or not you’re a writer, proofreading skill is an important skill to acquire as there are other areas you can apply it in. While you’re wondering where to find the right courses for you, this article offers you a list of some of the best.
Aside from boosting your proofreading skills, these courses can help you kickstart a career in proofreading. However, if you have already started a business in the field, then this course can help you understand how better to boost your business.
Continue to read to find out which courses best suits your interest as well as your learning level.
Proofreading Online Courses in 2024
This is a carefully researched and compiled list of the best paid and free proofreading online courses with certificates to go for. These course are not only designed to help you learn or improve your proofreading skills but also to help you kickstart a proofreading business if you desire to.
Meanwhile, while there are 15 best online proofreading courses, you can take as many courses as you can. Whether you are a beginner or advanced learners, there are courses specifically designed for your learning level.
Why don’t we dive right in!
1. Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization
This course is offered by the University of Michigan, a university devoted to serve the people of Michigan as well as the world through their preeminence in creating, preserving, communicating and applying knowledge, art as well as academic values.
This course aims to teach learners how to best arrange complex information in a reader-friendly way. Also, the course focuses on how to give and receive high-quality feedback as well as how to consistently meet deadlines.
The course covers the following syllabus:
- Writing and editing: Word choice and word order
- Writing and editing: Structure and organization
- Also, writing and editing: Drafting
- Writing and editing: Revising
In addition, the course comes with a shareable certificate learners will be rewarded with upon completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 4 months
Cost: Free
While you’re here, you may want to check out: 45 Free Online Courses With Printable Certificates| START NOW
2. Grammar and Punctuation
This is also one of the top proofreading online courses to go for. It is offered the University of California, Irvine, a university established in 1965 and has since been one of the leading research universities committed to offering rigorous academic, cutting-edge research, leadership and character development to students from all over the world.
The course aims to introduce learners to some tools needed for good writing. The course requires that learners not only learn and absorb but to also engage and use the peer discussions to ask questions.
Also, the course involves practices too which will require learners to discuss and practice what they have learned or are learning in the course.
By the end of this course, learners would have learned:
- To recognize the correct verb tenses to use
- To correctly use commas
- The ability to use a variety of sentence types
- To write more effectively in English language
The course covers the following syllabus:
- Course introduction
- Verb tenses and conjunctions
- Compound and complex sentences
- More comas, parallel structure and sentence variety
In addition, the course comes with a shareable certificate learners will be rewarded with upon completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 17 hours
Cost: Free
3. Writing and Editing: Revising
Also one of the top proofreading online courses, this course is offered by the University of Michigan, a university devoted to serve the people of Michigan as well as the world through their preeminence in creating, preserving, communicating and applying knowledge, art as well as academic values.
The course focuses on teaching the difference between editing and proofreading. Also, it introduces learners to a framework for giving and receiving feedback that can help to systematize what should be cut or left from each draft.
Also, learners will gain access to a wide range of books as well as other relevant resources that can further help them in their proofreading career.
This course covers the following syllabus:
- Editing and empathy
- Uselessly accurate
- Writer – reader
- Feedback loops
In addition, the course comes with a shareable certificate learners will be rewarded with upon completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 14 hours
Cost: Free
4. Writing in English at University
This course is offered by Lund University, a university established in 1666 and has since remained one of the top ranking among the top100 universities in the world.
This course consists of four modules:
- Writing in English at university
- Structuring text and conveying argument
- Utilizing sources in academic writing
- The writer’s toolbox: editing and proofreading
The course focuses on teaching learners how to:
- Help them to put together their “toolbox” of academic writing skills, and to allow them the chance to test out these tools and to reflect on their development as writers.
- Encourage reflection on discipline specific conventions; although the course deals with generic skills, learners will be able to apply these generic skills to meet the particular needs of their discipline.
- Also, to give them an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English as well as to teach them the components and benefits of what process writing is.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 24 hours
Cost: Free
5. Proofread Like a Pro
Basically, this course focuses on exploring how best to catch and mark up errors in any documents you come across. It is a highly detailed course on practical proofreading
In this course, learners will learn the following:
- The strategies for catching more errors – even when proofing in a hurry
- Basic spelling ‘landmines’ – and how to avoid them
- Some of the most common errors of punctuation, grammar and syntax
- How best to ensure correct use of capitalization, bold and italic text
- What to look for when fact-checking an article
- How best to ensure your document has a consistent style
- How best to detect errors in headlines, graphs, charts and tables
- Tips for proofreading video content
- How best to proofread academic text
- How best to earn an income as a proofreader
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $60.22
6. Proofreading Power Basics
This course is best designed for learners with keen grammar and writing skills looking to learn proofreading from experienced educators. It aims at introducing learners to the fundamentals of proofreading.
The course requires that learners must have at least, intermediate grammar skills to enroll for the course. So, if you are a workplace professional, freelance writer or editor, blogger or content creator as well as a teacher, this course is one of the best proofreading online courses to go for.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $39.91
7. Certification in Editing and Proofreading – Masterclass
This is one of the most sought after proofreading online courses to go for.
It is a comprehensive proofreading course specifically designed for creative writing, copywriting, email and content writing as well as well as blogging businesses.
It is designed to help learners to boost their business, technical, report, blog, creative, content, email writing as well as other form of writing. Also, it will help learners to boost their communication and punctuation skills.
Meanwhile, this course is not designed for only writers as it can help other professionals such as journalists, researchers, consultants, scholars and healthcare professionals in their fields.
In addition, the course also introduces learners to different proofreading strategies and then it goes on to teach how to understand the context as well as the scope of a piece. Also, how to break up individual points, delete irrelevant points, eliminate ramblings, repetitions, contradicting statements, verifying facts, adding missing points.
Also, these include creating categories, narrative structures, arranging the paragraphs, creating captivating intros and writing more evocative narratives. Furthermore, learners will get to learn referencing, checking punctuation, grammar and spelling, replacing jargons, with simpler words and fixing inconsistencies,
Also, they will learn some IT skills as well as some useful editing and proofreading software and websites, marketing, best practices and so much more.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $72.32
Also, check out: 15 Stanford University Free Online Courses With Certificates in 2024
8. Writing Proofreading Course: Proofread Punctuation & Grammar
This course is designed to help learners uncover pro methods expert proofreaders use. Also, it introduces them to some of the biggest markets for freelancing jobs and how to land proofreading freelancing jobs on those platforms,
In addition, learners will get to learn:
- How to track changes in MS Word as well as how to use the best autocorrect software
- How to proofread translation with 3 important methods
- To identify and eliminate some common grammar, language and punctuation errors
- How to clarify text, correct punctuation and fix poor syntax
- How to take proofreading jobs on online job sites
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 3 hours
Cost: $35.07
9. How to Find & Correct Writing Errors: The Proofreading Guide
This course focuses on teaching learners how to spot and correct writing errors. It contains an ultimate guide to proofreading especially to learners who are writers.
It doesn’t matter what writing genre you do, your kind of writing or experience level, this course contains a comprehensive guide to proofreading.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: $60.22
10. The Complete Proofreading Course: Editing and Proofreading
This is another one of the best proofreading online courses to go for. It explores all the aspects of writing, editing, proofreading, punctuation as well as other communication strategies in writing.
The course offers a comprehensive guide to editing and proofreading. Even better, it helps learners to understand punctuation, grammar as well as the difference between the US and English.
If you are looking to build knowledge or boost your skills in either or both writing and editing, correct punctuation, transcription, translation business and a lot others, then this is one of the best courses to enroll in.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $60.22
11. Kickstart a Freelance Editor & Proofreader Career on Upwork
If you are looking to kickstart a proofreading freelancing career, oy you have already but are looking for ways to improve your skills, then you may want to enroll for this course.
The course focuses on how to create effective bid cover letters, which bidding principles work better and how much to bid to win as many job contracts as you can.
In addition, the course offers more philosophies, approaches as well as tips and techniques for editing and proofreading that work.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $60.22
12. Professional Proofreading Business
This course is also one of the best proofreading courses online especially for learners looking to get into the freelance proofreading business.
It focuses on helping learners become professional proofreaders and to offer professional proofreading services. Even better, to help them proofread their own documents better.
This course is designed for individuals in various fields such as students, publishers, editors, proofreaders, broadcasters, journalists, researchers, teachers, managers,lawyers, directors, writers, media people, business people, translators, advertisers, etc.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $36.76
Also, you may want to check out: 10 Best Yale University Online Free Courses In 2024
13. Proofreading to Perfection
This course offers the best methods for finding and fixing writing errors and ways to get better at producing error-free writings.
First, the course will help the learners to identify their proofreading weaknesses, and the it provides two practice tests right by the end of the course to allow the learners practice their new or highly improved proofreading skills.
It doesn’t matter what kind of writing you do, this course is sure to help guide you into becoming a professional proofreader.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: $15.72
14. Complete Writing Editing Masterclass +An eBook with Examples
If you are into content writing and editing, copyediting and proofreading, this course is specifically designed to help sharpen your business English writing, editing and grammar skills.
First, the course begins with exploring the 3 major types of editing; content editing, copyediting and proofreading. Afterward, learners will be allowed to practice by implementing these techniques while editing a blog post.
By the end of the course, learners would ave learned the techniques of editing an English content to near perfection. Also, they will learn the rules guiding editing and proofreading as well as to when to apply them.
Furthermore, they will learn how to turn dry and boring content with errors into a captivating, an easy-to-read and error-free content.
Course Provider: Udemy
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $72.32
15. High-Impact Business Writing
This is also one of the top proofreading online courses to go for. It is offered the University of California, Irvine, a university established in 1965 and has since been one of the leading research universities committed to offering rigorous academic, cutting-edge research, leadership and character development to students from all over the world.
This course aims to teach learners how best to articulate their thoughts in clear and concise way as well as how to convey their messages, ideas and thoughts to be better understood by the readers.
In addition, the course aims to explore business writing as well as to help learners to learn and improve their business writing skills by using the appropriate formats for their audience, as well as the right medium and writing style.
Also, learners will learn how to spot, correct and avoid most common writing errors and gain valuable analyzing, writing, revising, editing and proofreading any business document.
By the end of this course, learners would have learned:
- How to effectively write business communications which includes good and bad news, presentations, memos, emails,persuasive writing, press releases and business reports.
- How to edit and proofread business documents
- To write for the global market
In addition, the course comes with a shareable certificate learners will be rewarded with upon completion.
Course Provider: Coursera
Duration: Approximately 7 hours
Cost: Free
FAQs Proofreading Online Courses
- Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization
- Grammar and Punctuation
- Writing and Editing: Revising
- Writing in English at University
- Proofread Like a Pro
- Proofreading Power Basics
- Certification in Editing and Proofreading – Masterclass
- Writing Proofreading Course: Proofread Punctuation & Grammar
- How to Find & Correct Writing Errors: The Proofreading Guide
- The Complete Proofreading Course: Editing and Proofreading
- Kickstart a Freelance Editor & Proofreader Career on Upwork
- Professional Proofreading Business
- Proofreading to Perfection
- Complete Writing Editing Masterclass +An eBook with Examples
- High-Impact Business Writing
How much do proofreaders make per hour?
The average salary for a proofreader is $22.33 per hour
Yes, you can be a proofreader without a degree, however, most employers prefer candidates with a degree in either English, journalism or any other relevant major.