Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing

Delve more deeply into our editing certification and enhance your skills in grammar, law, ethics, tech and verification with the Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate. Just $250 or $175 for ACES members. Get details.

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  • 12h

  • 8 courses

  • In partnership with:

Work at your own pace to finish this certificate on your own schedule.

Learn from renowned industry experts on editing for grammar, ethics, law, tech and visual verification.

This is the second of our three-part certificate program, designed to sharpen your editing and management skills.

Enroll in all courses for $350 $250.00

A $100.00 savings compared to purchasing a la carte.

  • Online

    Editing Tools: How to Use Roy Peter Clark’s ‘Writing Tools’ as an Editor

    Over more than 40 years, Poynter faculty and “America’s Writing Coach” Roy Peter Clark has…

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  • Online

    Tech Tools for Editors: Efficiency, Organization and Visual Verification

    This two-part course taught by leading experts features the latest tools and techniques to keep…

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  • Online

    Working with Writers: How Editors Can Improve Words, Author Relationships and the World

    Treat yourself to a cozy, personal session from one of the nation’s most renowned writing…

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  • Online

    Grammar Deep Dive: Getting Below the Surface of our Language

    The inner workings of grammar don't have to be a mystery. Grammar Deep Dive delves…

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  • Online

    Ethics for Editors: How to Manage and Advise on Ethical Issues

    This 90-minute, self-directed course will give you an elevated view of the ethics involved in…

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  • Online

    Legal Issues for Editors: What You Need to Know about Libel, Privacy and Copyright

    This self-directed course will help you understand some of the most frequent legal issues that…

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  • Online

    Editing Data: Training Your Word Brain to Embrace Math

    This course teaches editors to get more comfortable with numeracy — to accept numbers, math,…

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  • Image of a student holding up their certificate giving a thumbs up to the camera.

    Online

    ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing — Final Assessment

    You’re almost there! By passing this final assessment, you’ll earn your intermediate editing certificate from…

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Overview

Building on the skills in the introductory certificate, the  Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing is a thoughtful eight-part certificate program that engages students in more advanced facets of editing, from ethics to law to tech. Newly revised and updated for 2024, this certificate draws upon the knowledge of some of the nation’s leading editors, academics and experts.

The second of our three-part certification program, this intermediate program will have you delving deeper into grammatical concepts, learning about law and ethics, gaining better understanding of helpful editorial technology, and improving your skill as a manager.

Schedule

Once you enroll in this certificate program, you can start any time and engage with learning material on your own schedule. There are seven courses and one final assessment required before you complete the certificate, which we estimate will take 12 hours to complete.

Who should enroll

This certificate is designed for editors of all stripes. Regardless of whether you work in legacy news media, a public relations firm, a government communications office or a creative agency, our certificate is designed to help you get your intended message to its appropriate audience clearly, succinctly and accurately. It was designed for anyone with a professional interest in communicating in the clearest way possible.

Cost

Tuition for this eight-part certificate program is $250.

ACES members enjoy a discounted rate of $175. ACES members can find that discount code on the ACES website inside the membership portal landing page under “member discounts,” then apply it on the checkout page on the Poynter site.

Questions?

If you need assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.

Instructors

  • Kayla Randall
    Assistant Editor
    Kayla Randall is an assistant editor at The Poynter Institute and an editorial specialist at NPR. She focuses on journalism ethics and standards and media...
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  • Roy Peter Clark
    Senior Scholar, Poynter
    Roy Peter Clark is known as America’s writing coach, devoted to creating a nation of writers. A PhD in medieval literature, he is widely considered...
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  • Steve Padilla
    Steve Padilla is editor of the Los Angeles Times showcase feature Column One.
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  • Lisa McLendon
    Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas
    Lisa McLendon runs the Bremner Editing Center at the University of Kansas journalism school, where she also teaches editing and grammar. She has previously worked...
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  • Gerri Berendzen
    Lecturer at William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
    Gerri Berendzen is a lecturer at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. Prior to teaching, Berendzen...
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  • Alan Henry
    Special Projects Editor at WIRED
    Alan Henry is a journalist and editor who writes and commissions stories that help readers make better use of their technology and embrace a healthier...
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  • Anita Kumar
    Anita Kumar serves as senior managing editor, standards, ethics and content of POLITICO
    Anita Kumar serves as senior managing editor, standards, ethics and content of POLITICO, working across the newsroom to produce ambitious journalism from inception to publication...
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  • Frank LoMonte
    First Amendment Lawyer, Legal Counsel to CNN
    Frank D. LoMonte is a First Amendment lawyer, educator, researcher and advocate. He currently serves as legal counsel to CNN. Prior to that, he headed...
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  • Mark Allen
    Freelance Editor; Board member of ACES: The Society for Editing
    Mark Allen is an editor by trade and a teacher by passion with 30 years of professional experience working with words (including numbers). After a...
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  • Barbara Allen
    Marketing Communications Lead and Editor
    Barbara Allen is the marketing communications lead and editor at Poynter. Barbara was formerly the director of college programming at Poynter. She spent most of...
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