Find a professional editor in your field or genre, or in your language, with our Editors Directory.

IPEd

The Rosie Award: recognising excellence in editing

The Rosanne Fitzgibbon Editorial Award (the Rosie) is open for nominations. The Rosie recognises excellence in editing, as demonstrated in one work, with testimony from the author, publisher and editor.

The 2024 International PANZ Conference: From AI and accessibility to the “pains and pleasures” of publishing

A report on the 2024 International PANZ Conference: From AI and accessibility to the “pains and pleasures” of publishing.

News from the IPEd Accessibility Initiative

Over the coming months, Gatherings will run a series of articles based on the information and research in Books without barriers. The aim is to help all editors become familiar with the main issues we may encounter during our daily professional practice. Eventually, editing for accessibility should become as natural as spotting typos.

Insights from editors who index

Editors, especially freelance ones, can attract more work if they add related skills to their portfolios. Indexing is a natural fit for those who mainly work on non-fiction books or reports, whether in print or online. IPEd members Kerryn Burgess and Juliet Richters gave us insights on their editing and indexing experiences at the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI) conference in October 2023.

Event report: Structural editing for publishers with Kate Goldsworthy

IPEd members from Editors Western Australia report on Kate Goldsworthy’s structural editing for fiction and nonfiction workshops.

Event report: “Write for children, not a publisher” – Michelle Worthington’s invaluable insights into writing and editing children’s books

IPEd members Robyn Gillies and Ian Mathieson report on Michelle Worthington’s presentation on editing children’s books.

Collaboration, cooperation and balance: behind the scenes of IPEd standards for editing practice

The third edition of IPEd standards for editing practice was launched in March 2024. We spoke with members of the IPEd Standards Working Party about the process of reviewing and updating IPEd’s cornerstone document.

Camha Pham on sharing knowledge, the value of communication, and nerding out with other editors

Camha Phanm on sharing knowledge, the value of communication, and nerding out with other editors

Aotearoa New Zealand resources to add to your editor’s toolkit

We’ve collated some fantastic Aotearoa New Zealand resources covering language, accessibility and copyright and yes, some dictionaries and style guides too. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been editing for years, there’s bound to be something helpful in this list.

Become a member

Open to editors and students engaged in any aspect of editing for online and print publishing.

Find an editor

A searchable list of freelance editors who are professional members of IPEd.

Become a member

Open to editors and students engaged in any aspect of editing for online and print publishing.

Find an editor

A searchable list of freelance editors who are professional members of IPEd.

About IPEd

The Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd) is the professional association for Australian and New Zealand editors. It exists to advance the profession of editing and to support and promote Australian and New Zealand editors.

IPEd coordinates initiatives that benefit Australian and New Zealand editors by:

Managing the accreditation scheme

Sponsoring the biennial conference

Organising professional development

Raising the profile of editors and the value they add to all forms of written communication

Sponsoring awards for excellence in editing

Maintaining and promoting IPEd standards for editing practice

Membership is open to individual editors, those with an interest in editing, publishing or a related field, students and organisations that employ editors. Further details of membership categories, criteria and fees are available on the Membership pages of the website.

IPEd standards for editing practice

IPEd standards for editing practice sets out the core standards that professional editors should meet.

IPEd standards for editing practice also tells employers what to expect  from the editors they hire and shows new editors the range of skills and knowledge they should aspire to. It helps the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd), educational institutions and other training providers to devise material, seminars and courses on editing. And it is the foundation for IPEd’s accreditation of editors.

About editing

Editors work with writers for the benefit of readers. They help writers get their message across with greater clarity, elegance, forcefulness and insight.

What editors do

Three levels of editing

Where editors work

Accredited and distinguished editors

An editor’s skills

How to become an editor

If it is written, an editor can help. Books and newsletters, brochures and educational materials, advertisements and scholarly articles, government and annual reports, websites and poetry – an editor’s deft touch can improve their effectiveness in reaching their target audience.

It is all about time and money – think what you could save in explanation and correction after publication.

Skilled editors, such as accredited and distinguished editors, are communication specialists and an invaluable resource for all publishing projects.

 

Become a member

Membership of IPEd is open to editors engaged in any aspect of editing for online and print publishing and anyone with an interest in editing, publishing or a related field, including students.

When you apply for membership of IPEd, you will choose to be assigned to a branch. The branches are responsible for arranging member meetings, events and professional development activities.

Branches

The branches of IPEd are the following:

Find an editor

The Editors Directory is a searchable list of freelance editors who are professional members of the Institute of Professional Editors.
You can search for an editor who offers the services you need and has expertise in the subject(s) you are writing about. It also enables you to search for editors who can work in a language or languages other than English, or have experience working with authors from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Institute of Professional Editors

Accreditation scheme

The accreditation scheme offers Australian and New Zealand editors a mechanism for demonstrating their competence. At the same time, it provides potential employers with confidence in the skills of the editors they hire.

IPEd provides an accreditation scheme for professional editors in Australia and New Zealand. The scheme, administered by the Accreditation Board, has been open to IPEd members and non-members, but as of 2021 is open only to IPEd members.

Renewal of accreditation

Accredited Editors (AE) must renew their accreditation every five (5) years to maintain their accreditation status. To renew their accreditation, AEs must meet criteria which are set out in Renewal requirements.

To date, most AEs’ applications to renew their accreditation have been approved. Some AEs have chosen not to renew because they have retired or left the profession.

For details of the renewal application and assessment procedure, see Renewal procedure.

Professional development

The principle of lifelong learning and education is taken for granted within the editing profession. It is essential for the professional development of individuals, and the health and relevance of the profession at large.

Professional development may include:

  • attending the biennial IPEd conference
  • working with or as a mentor
  • attending seminars and workshops organised by branches
  • writing occasional papers on matters of interest to the profession
  • undertaking long or short courses in editing or related fields.

News

News

Gatherings

Events

Resources for editors

IPEd has a suite of resources available for its members which can be accessed via the IPEd member portal.

IPEd Staff

Strategic plan

The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) is the professional association for editors in Australia and New Zealand. Our 1300+ members play a valuable role in content development and publication.

They work collaboratively with content creators to help get the message across with greater clarity, elegance and insight. IPEd is a not-for-profit member-driven organisation, with dedicated volunteers and professional staff working together to advance the profession of editing

IPEd staff

IPEd employs part-time staff from across Australia who work remotely to drive the key activities of IPEd and support IPEd members and the branches.

The staff are as follows:

Institute of Professional Editors