This self-paced course is suitable for anyone who needs to mark up PDFs as part of the publishing process, whether you work in-house for a publisher or other organisation or are a freelance editor or proofreader.
The course delivers 140 minutes of instruction split into eight modules. There are 14 videos, each covering a specific aspect of the principles and practice of PDF mark-up using Adobe Reader DC. On completion of the course you will understand:
- where proofreading sits in the publishing workflow
- the principles of marking up PDFs for correction
- the free Adobe Reader DC interface
- how to use the available tools
- best practice in PDF mark-up
- advanced practice for working efficiently and effectively.
By completing these modules you will have a firm understanding of the scope of PDF mark-up, how to select, use and modify the tools available, and best practice in markup. The course uses the free Adobe Reader DC tools, because you do not require the paid Adobe Pro account to mark up PDFs.
How to Mark Up PDF Page Proofs does not teach you how to proofread – it focuses on using the tools in Adobe Reader DC to mark up a document effectively and efficiently. It does not cover the skills needed to identify and correct the errors. This course is a useful adjunct that sits alongside core skills training in proofreading.
Jacinta Sanders (verified owner) –
I’m new to PDF mark up and found this course incredibly helpful – it was well structured, with clear user-friendly explanations, and the self-paced modules enabled me to fit it in around other life demands. Watching Denise performing the actions on a PDF document while she explained how to use the various tools made understanding easy. I appreciate the ongoing access even after completion so I can rewatch modules to revisit particular points. Those who are undertaking or planning to undertake an introductory proofreading course would benefit from doing this course beforehand or alongside it. Thanks, terrific value for money!
Deborah A. Cecere –
I can recommend Denise’s How to Mark Up PDF Page Proofs course without reservation—especially to any editor who has, until now, been fumbling their way through this task (that was me before this course). This is an authentic teaching tool that guides the learner methodically via screencasts through all the steps needed to navigate and to use the Adobe Reader software effectively and according to best and effective practices for marking up PDFs (in other words, it does what the sticker says). Each of the 8 logically sequenced modules is ideal in length, content, and development. The short end-of-module quizzes, with their instructive answer keys, pose just the right questions to reinforce the salient points of each module. The course also serves as a lifetime resource—each of the topic-specific modules is accessible anytime to the editor in need of a quick refresher on a specific tool or function. All this, plus the practical supplementary material (an overview of keyboard shortcuts, a proofreading checklist, and a glossary of proofreading terms) makes for exceptional value for the money.
Kate Short –
I already had some experience of marking up PDFs but had a feeling I wasn’t making effective use of all the features available. This course has highlighted various tips, tricks and shortcuts that I know I’ll be able to put to use straight away. I also appreciated the best practice advice and the ways to make my mark-up as clean as possible, in a way that would also make the setter’s job easier. Thank you, Denise – this course was just what I was looking for, and superb value.
Anju Okhandiar (verified owner) –
An outstanding proofreading course!
Starting with an overview of proofreading within the publishing workflow and concluding with Advanced practice in PDFmark-up, this course stands out in many ways.
For me, the hands-on learning experience is evidently the strongest part of this course. The screencast thoroughly complements the course content. Very well-structured, this course i s full of practical advice and tips. The live action on the screencast uses demonstrable examples to highlight the differences between the different tool actions.
Denise’s superb instructions increased both my knowledge on PDFs and developed my confidence in using the mark-up tools correctly.
The self-paced learning aspect of this course was my favourite.
The quizzes at the end of each section were the best, adding an extra layer to the resource materials.
I took this course in March 2022, and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of taking a proofreading course with
a difference.
Scott Peter (verified owner) –
A superb course which has helped me get more out of using the free software. I have discovered new tools and functions which has greatly increased my confidence and skill in mrking up PDFs.
Annie Deakins (verified owner) –
An excellent course!
I proofread for educational publishers and publishers of ELT materials. I saw that this course earned an accreditation with the ELT PP Directory, so I felt it was essential to complete.
I am very glad I did. Denise’s videos showed how to mark up PDFs efficiently and effectively. I could go at my own pace with each video which suited my learning.
Thank you, Denise.
Raphael Chapell (verified owner) –
I learnt so much from this course. Denise demonstrated some really useful time-saving techniques. I proof/edit a lot of PDFs so these will be very helpful. I also have a better appreciation of the benefits of selecting the right tools for the task in hand. Superb value for money too!
Theresa Rempel (verified owner) –
I learned so much from this course about PDF markup using Adobe! In the past, I only knew about using sticky notes — this course is much more comprehensive and useful.
Lindsey Roffe (verified owner) –
This training course is great for increasing confidence and efficiency in marking up PDFs. I had some previous experience working with PDFs but have learnt loads of new tips and tricks thanks to Denise’s course. Each module is very clear, thorough and logical and the quizzes definitely help to consolidate your learning. The additional resources at the end of the course are really useful and a much-appreciated bonus!
Vicky Drew (verified owner) –
I found this course incredibly helpful and enjoyable. I have some experience of working with PDFs but as I’ve been self-taught to this point I thought it was an excellent opportunity to learn how to do it correctly! The course was well paced and the lesson modules are an excellent length. Being an online course gave me the flexibility to fit the training in around other commitments. What I found particularly helpful about the course is that Denise covers lots of options that you could use depending on the situation and what is most appropriate for a project. There are also so many great tips in there and I have already found I’m working in a more efficient way. The quizzes to consolidate learning were very helpful as well.
I undertook this course alongside a more general proofreading course and I found that it complemented it brilliantly and has given me more confidence in my abilities.
Justyna Bielecka (verified owner) –
I’m relatively new to proofreading PDFs as I’ve mostly worked with indie authors and used MS Word. But as I am starting to cold email publishers, I thought it would help to brush up my PDF-marking skills, so I chose Denise’s course. And I’m very glad I did. Even though the general proofreading courses that I did covered proofreading PDFs, they didn’t go deep enough into the details and practicalities and I felt I didn’t always have the confidence to know how to proceed. Denise’s course helped me gain that confidence. It is very clearly structured and provides very useful tips on how to use the commenting tools, how to navigate a PDF document and what the best practice for comments, queries and instructions is. I would recommend this course to everyone who is not sure how to go about marking PDFs. I know that I feel much more confident cold emailing publishers now and it’s a great win!
Dawn Ingram (verified owner) –
I have been proofreading PDFs for some time, but having completed this course I have learnt quicker, more efficient ways to use the Adobe mark-up tools, and have already put into practice some of the tips I have picked up. It has also been valuable to look at best practice in commenting to ensure that my finished proofs are clear for the client to work with. I would thoroughly recommend this course to beginners and experienced proofreaders alike.
Heather Musk (verified owner) –
As someone with very little knowledge of proofreading PDFs, this course was brilliant for providing the skills and tips I need to give me confidence in working on these kinds of documents. The explanations were very clear and it was great to work through at my own pace, going back if necessary to clarify or recap. I’ve made so many notes, and the resource material is a wonderful compliment to a great course. I would definitely recommend to anyone nervous about working on PDFs, you’ll be much more comfortable with them by the end.
Sarah Barter (verified owner) –
I really enjoyed this short course – I thought I knew how to mark up a PDF efficiently, but as always when it comes to proofreading and editing, you don’t know what you don’t know! Denise explains very clearly how to use the various tools available in Adobe Reader and also includes lots of tips throughout. I found the best practice modules towards the end to be particularly useful. Overall, I think the course is well worth the time and money for my CPD (and will also help towards my CIEP upgrade – bonus!).
Cathy Tingle, DocEditor (verified owner) –
The course is super value for money and a perfect complement to more general proofreading courses as it really brings to life the theory about where a proofreader is in the publishing process, giving you practical ways to work efficiently and usefully with typesetters and managing editors. The quizzes after each module are excellent in consolidating your learning and the keyboard shortcuts handout is so helpful. The whole course is full of great tips and covered everything I could imagine I’d need as a proofreader marking up PDFs. The screencast format is a perfect match for the content and I appreciated the ability to take things at my own pace.