Institute of Professional Editors Limited

 The accreditation scheme

One of the principal aims of the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd) is to promote high standards of editing competence.

IPEd, through its Accreditation Board, has endorsed an assessment scheme through which editors can demonstrate their professional competence. Editors who pass the accreditation exam earn the right to use the post-nominal ‘AE' (Accredited Editor) and receive a certificate stating their accredited status. In turn, prospective employers will be more readily able to identify proficient editors.

A second level, Advanced Accreditation, is planned but is not yet available. Keep an eye on your society's newsletter or the IPEd website for updates on the development of this level.

Accreditation will remain current for five years, after which accredited editors may apply for re-accreditation by providing evidence of their continuing involvement in the industry and their participation in professional development activities (through vocational training, conference attendance, presentation of papers, and so on). The Accreditation Board is currently developing guidelines for AEs seeking re-accreditation. A modest renewal application fee-to cover administration costs-will apply.

In this guide, you will find information to help you prepare for the first level, the editing exam. Since the exam is a test of competence (not excellence) in applying Australian Standards for Editing Practice, the Accreditation Board recommends that you do not attempt the exam unless you have at least two to three years' full-time editing experience, or equivalent. The sample exam will help you decide.

There can, of course, be no guarantee that anyone will pass the exam, and the standard is, as it should be, high.

1 The exam

 The next accreditation exam will take place on the afternoon of Saturday 12 September 2009, subject to sufficient registrations being received by 31 July 2009. If numbers are not sufficient to cover costs, the exam may be postponed for a few months.

The purpose of the accreditation exam is to assess candidates' knowledge and use of Australian Standards for Editing Practice, published in 2001 by the Council of Australian Societies of Editors, now IPEd. The exam focuses on the copyediting sections of the standards and on essential skills such as project definition and the ability to identify defamation, permission and copyright issues.

The exam is a test of competence rather than excellence, and candidates who pass the exam are certified as capable of applying the editorial skills described in the standards.

The 2009 exam will be an open-book test and will require hard-copy mark-up. IPEd is currently investigating options for on-screen delivery for future exams.

Content and structure

The exam's content reflects the variety of work that editors do, with examples drawn from various kinds of publishing and choices to allow for specialisations.

The exam consists of three parts:

• Part 1: copyediting questions (20 per cent)-this section will test competence in copyediting for grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling, as well as general editing practice. It will include some multiple-choice questions. The focus will be on correcting errors rather than rewriting sentences.
• Part 2: a short manuscript for editing (40 per cent)-the passage will be approximately 1000 to 1200 words and will not require any specialist knowledge of the subject or genre. The focus will be on copyediting, with minimal structural editing required.
• Part 3: short-answer questions (40 per cent)-in this section there will be 12 questions, of which you must choose four only. Eight of the questions will be general, testing skills and areas of publishing knowledge that would be expected of editors working in any genre. The remaining four questions will be more specialised-for example, related to mathematics, science, education, online or web-based content, literary fiction, biography, government or corporate publications, or any other genre of publishing. To minimise the amount of writing required, some questions will be open-ended; for example, a question may ask you to ‘Explain what you would do. Write down your conversation, email or other communication strategy'.

Sample exam

The sample exam will help you decide whether you are ready to sit the exam yourself. Note that the sample exam, which will soon be available, has been revised since the 2008 exam. 

We recommend that you print out the exam and work through in the time allowed, with only the reference books you will bring into the exam. Allow yourself 20 minutes' reading time and three hours' writing time, and then check your answers against the answer guide, awarding yourself marks to see if you have reached the pass mark of 80 per cent overall, with at least 65 per cent in each part.

2 Exam development and administration

The exam team consists of :

• a lead writer/developer
• two co-writers
• a formatter 
• two proofreaders
• an exam trial manager 
• an exam coordinator
• an exam secretariat.

The Exam Coordinator administers the exam, liaising with the Accreditation Board, the Lead Writer/Developer and the invigilators; the Exam Secretariat handles registrations, payments, notifications, and other correspondence.

3 Registering for the 2009 exam

Registrations for the 2009 exam open on 12 May 2009.

The registration form is available online. The Accreditation Board encourages you to complete the optional information section of the form-the information gathered will assist greatly in the further development of the scheme.

There are several classes of registration and an early bird discount applies for those who pay in full by 30 June. A minimum deposit of $100 is required.

The fee will be the same as in 2008:

• Non-society member sitting the exam for the first time: $590; early bird $565
• Society member sitting the exam for the first time: $490; early bird $470
• 2008 registrant re-sitting the exam: $190
• 2008 registrant who deferred sitting the exam last year: $390, early bird $375

Note that fees are tax-deductible, and no GST is payable.

If numbers are insufficient to cover costs, the exam may be postponed for a few months.

Identification and receipts

On submission of your application, you will receive a registration acknowledgment from the Exam Secretariat, followed by a receipt once your registration fee has been received. You will need to produce this receipt and photo identification on the day of the exam in order to be admitted.

The Exam Secretariat will forward your application to the Exam Coordinator, who will issue you with a confidential reference number, which you will use instead of your name on the answer paper.  

Only you and the Exam Coordinator will be able to match this number with your name. This is to ensure that the assessors marking the exam papers do not know the names of candidates. This number should be treated like a PIN and kept confidential at all times. Do not use it in any correspondence except with the Exam Coordinator.

Candidates with special needs

If you have special needs, such as a disability that means you cannot sit for three hours at a time, the Accreditation Board will endeavour to accommodate your needs. You should contact your society's Accreditation Board delegate to find the best solution.

Cancellations and refunds

The $100 deposit is non-refundable; however it may be held over, if necessary, for the next exam. 

If, after paying the full fee, you find you are unable to attend, you must give notice immediately (by email or in writing) to the Exam Coordinator.

If you notify the Exam Coordinator after up to 48 hours in advance, you will be entitled to sit the exam once more within two years without payment of a further fee, providing you book for it by the prescribed dates.

If you provide less than 48 hours' notice of non-attendance, you will not be entitled to a refund, nor will you be entitled to sit the exam in the future without payment of a further (full) exam fee.

If illness or an emergency prevents you from sitting the exam, you can discuss terms for postponement with the Exam Coordinator. A refund may be provided at the discretion of the Accreditation Board.

4 Preparing for the exam

In addition to testing yourself on the sample exam, the best preparation for the exam is the work you do each day as a practising editor.  

Societies will be running workshops to assist you in preparing for the exam, as in 2008.

You are expected to be conversant with the knowledge and skills set out in Australian Standards for Editing Practice and the Style manual for authors, editors and printers, 6th edition.

If all or most of your work is in a single or highly specialised area, it may be helpful to spend some time refreshing your knowledge of general publishing processes and procedures. A selection of some of the better known editing handbooks and publishing style guides is set out below.

Recognising that most editors today work on screen, the exam developers have made every effort to minimise the amount of handwriting required in the exam. You will be provided with a scribble pad for rough drafting.

If all or most of your work is in a single or highly specialised area, it may be helpful to spend some time refreshing your knowledge of general publishing processes and procedures. A selection of some of the better known editing handbooks and publishing style guides is set out below.

Suggested reading list

Butcher, J, Drake, C & Leach, M 2006, Butcher's copy-editing: the handbook for editors, copy-editors and proofreaders, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

The Chicago manual of style 2003, 15th edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Council of Australian Societies of Editors (CASE) 2001, Australian Standards for Editing Practice, CASE, Canberra.

Flann, E & Hill, B 2004, The Australian editing handbook, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.

Mackenzie, J 2004, The editor's companion, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne.

Peters, P 2007, The Cambridge guide to Australian English usage, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne.

Ritter, R 2003, Oxford style manual, Oxford University Press, London.

Snooks & Co. 2002, Style manual for authors, editors and printers, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.

Hard-copy marking

Recognising that most editors today work on-screen, the exam developers have made every effort to minimise the amount of handwriting required for the exam. 

If you work solely or mostly on screen, you should refresh your knowledge of proofreading marks (see page 521 of the Style manual for authors, editors and printers) and practise using them, especially if you are not used to marking up by hand on paper. However, you will not be penalised for not using standard marks as long as your intent is clear to the assessor.

Examples showing hard-copy mark-up for most questions requiring handwritten answers have been included with the sample exam.

Exam day

There will be at least two invigilators at each exam venue.

What to bring

You will need to bring your candidate reference number with you to the exam. You will record this number rather than your name on the answer sheet.

You will need to present your receipt and photo identification, such as a driver's licence, to the Lead Invigilator. Once you have been checked off on the list of registered applicants, you may enter the exam room. You will be provided with a scribble pad but should bring your own writing materials including liquid paper/correction tape and calculators. Extra pens, pencils and calculators will be available.

The exam will be an open-book test, so you may bring along your preferred style guide and other references. But avoid bringing your entire reference library-consulting many sources could take up an undue amount of time and space during the exam. As a general rule of thumb, three references should be sufficient: perhaps your preferred style guide, favourite dictionary and an editing handbook or specialist guide.

Note that your references must be hard-copy texts: you will not be permitted to bring any loose printed, photocopied or handwritten notes into the exam. Pages of photocopied or handwritten material stuck into books are also not permitted, nor are electronic references such as dictionaries.

You may annotate your reference books and use post-it notes. Bound, typed notes are also acceptable as ‘hard-copy references'; however, if these represent style guides, they are to be handed in with the exam paper.

The following writing materials are permissible: black, red and dark blue pens (ink, Artline, Frixion erasable), and B range pencils, e.g. 2B. Please do not use HB and H range pencils or highlighter pens. 

Duration of the exam

You will be given 20 minutes' reading time before the exam begins, during which no writing will be allowed, followed by 10 minutes for ensuring you have written your candidate reference number on all pages. The exam itself will be three hours in duration.

General rules during the exam

Anyone who arrives after the 20-minute reading period has ended will not be admitted.

All mobile phones must be turned off (not to ‘silent') and placed under your chair. The invigilators will remind all candidates to turn off their phones before the exam begins.

When the invigilator gives the signal, you may open the exam booklet and begin reading. When the invigilator signals again after 20 minutes, you may begin writing your candidate reference number on each page-10 minutes is allocated for this. You will then be allowed three hours to complete the exam. You must not put any marks on the answer sheet after the invigilator has signalled the end of the exam.

Although the exam is open-book, you may not borrow references or anything else from other candidates during the exam.

You may not remove any part of the answer sheet, exam paper or scribble paper from the room. Once you have finished the exam you will be asked to seal the exam paper and answer sheets in a plastic sleeve, provide all other paper to the invigilator and leave the room; you may not return.

During the exam, the invigilators will be able to answer general questions about the exam format and procedure, but not about the content.

If you need to go to the toilet during the exam, speak with an invigilator; insert your answer sheet and scribble paper in the exam booklet, and close it. The invigilator will note on it the time you left the room and returned, and will escort you to the toilet. You may also speak with an invigilator if you need to leave the room for any other reason. The invigilator will follow a similar procedure. If you leave the room because of illness you may not return. 

To minimise disruption to those who are finishing the exam, no one may leave during the last 15 minutes of the exam.

6 Marking of the exam

The exam will be marked ‘pass' or ‘fail'. The pass mark is 80 per cent of the total number of marks available in the exam, and 65 per cent of the marks available in each of parts 1, 2 and 3.

The exam will be marked by the inaugural members of the Assessors Forum-senior editors acknowledged by their societies for their lengthy career experience and comprehensive knowledge of editing.

To ensure that marking is fair and consistent, the assessors will meet to mark and moderate the exam papers in consultation with each other. The marking scheme will recognise that there may be more than one correct solution to an editorial problem and more than one way to mark up a manuscript.

7 Notification of results

The Accreditation Board will notify you in writing of your result within seven weeks of the exam date. However, no papers will be returned.

If you pass, you will receive a certificate stating your accredited status and, if you consent, you may have your name published in your society's newsletter and on the IPEd website.

If you do not pass, you will receive a brief report on your performance that will help you identify areas of weakness. You may re-sit the examination once more at a reduced fee (in 2009, $190).

8 Appeals

A candidate who wants to appeal must email, fax or write to the Exam Secretariat setting out in detail their reasons for seeking review. Complaints and requests made by telephone will not be accepted.

• Requests for special consideration because of illness or family problems, or similar, must be made within 7 days of the exam.
• Requests for review on the basis of the mark received or the conduct of the exam must be made within 21 days of the exam results being received by candidates-that is, no more than ten weeks after the exam.

Appeals must be accompanied by a fee of two-thirds of the full exam fee to cover the cost of the appeal. If the appeal is upheld, the appeal fee will be refunded in full. Appeals are reviewed by an Appeals Tribunal and candidates notified of the outcome within three weeks of the appeal being received from the Secretariat.

A final checklist

Make sure you have checked off all these items before you come to the exam.

• Receipt for payment
• Photo identification
• Candidate reference number
• Reference books; no loose and handwritten notes are permitted
• Pens, liquid paper/correction tape, pencils and eraser
• Calculator

Further information

In the first instance, contact your local society's Accreditation Board delegate.

In conclusion . . .

By applying for accreditation as an editor, you are supporting the drive for high standards of competence in the editing profession as well as demonstrating a commitment to your own professional development. The Accreditation Board looks forward to welcoming you to the worthy company of Accredited Editors.