5 of the Best Free Proofreading Courses

Are you currently searching for the best free proofreading course? Taking a quality proofreading course is an excellent investment in your career. However, we understand the challenge of finding the perfect one for you, especially if you’re searching for a free or low-cost option.

In today’s post, we’ll explore five of the best free online proofreading courses. We’ll discuss reasons for taking a proofreading course and whether they are worth the financial investment. By the end of the post, you’ll know some of your options to help you decide on your next steps.

What Does Proofreading Involve?

Before exploring a few free proofreading course options, we should explain the scope of proofreading for those unfamiliar with it. While there are different types of proofreading, they all involve:

• Fixing grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors
• Correcting inconsistent spelling and incorrect capitalization
• Checking for extra spaces left in a document
• Making minor changes for clarity and concision
• Adapting vocabulary to suit the document type and purpose
• Ensuring a document follows a given style guide

Proofreaders working in certain niches may perform additional tasks. For example, an academic proofreader will make sure that sources are cited correctly using the relevant referencing style.

Who Are Free Proofreading Courses For?

Free proofreading courses are a good fit for inexperienced proofreaders or those wishing to dip their toes in the proofreading world. While proofreading might sound appealing, you might find that it isn’t for you once you get started. A free proofreading course is a good way to see if you enjoy proofreading before investing in paid training.

The 5 Best Free Proofreading Courses

Here’s our list of some of the best free proofreading courses. As we delve into each course, we’ll focus on the following:

• Curriculum
• Course duration
• Learning support
• Certification

We have included completely free courses and courses that offer free trials.

1. Proofread Like a Pro

Proofread Like a Pro is a course provided by the popular skill-sharing platform, Udemy. In this course, you’ll learn what to look out for as you proofread documents, techniques to catch errors, and how to use professional proofreading symbols. You’ll also get advice on how to set your rates and find work as a proofreader.

The course includes six sections and 48 lectures, which can be completed in under two hours. Udemy allows users to try the platform for free for seven days. Some of the key course features include:

• Available on mobile and desktop devices
• 23 downloadable resources and 1.5 hours of on-demand video
• Online support from the course instructor, Dr. Clare Lynch, who has more than 20 years of experience in the editing industry
• A certification upon completion

2. An Introduction to Proofreading

An Introduction to Proofreading is available on Alison, which provides free access to over 5,000 online courses. In this course, you’ll learn proofreading best practices and how to identify common proofreading pitfalls.

This course is completely free, and you don’t have to sign up for a trial. It can be completed in under four hours. Students can purchase a certification of completion, provided they achieve a mark of 80% or higher in the final examination. Some of the key course features include:

• Available on mobile and desktop devices 
• A CPD-accredited certification you can add to your resume and online profiles
• Online support from the course instructor, usually via email

3. Proofreading 101

Proofreading 101 is a free course offered by Edit Republic. It was written by Phon Baillie, an experienced proofreader and editor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. When you sign up, you’ll receive free lessons over five days. Key features of the course include:

• Insights into the proofreading industry and why proofreading is in demand
• Tips on starting a profitable proofreading business or side hustle 
• Advice on how to focus your scope as a proofreader and find clients as a new freelancer

The only downside is that you don’t appear to receive a certificate upon completion. It might be worth emailing the instructor to inquire about certification and learner support, as these aspects aren’t covered on the webpage.

4. Editing and Proofreading Masterclass

Skillshare offers an Editing and Proofreading Masterclass, which can be completed in three or four hours. The course is taught by Nitay, an experienced proofreader and translator. You can try Skillshare for seven days before paying for a subscription.

In this course, you’ll learn how to proofread translations, spot common grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, clarify text, and fix poor syntax. One of the course modules also focuses on finding proofreading jobs through online job sites. The course even provides a guide to navigating Upwork, which can take out a lot of legwork if you wish to go down this route. Student support is usually provided via emailing the course instructor.

5. Proofreading Power Basics

Another Udemy proofreading course, Proofreading Power Basics takes 90 minutes to complete. This course is especially great for teachers, bloggers, freelance editors, and content creators. Some of its key features include:

• 15 downloadable resources and 1.5 hours of on-demand videos
• Available on mobile and desktop devices 
• Certificate of completion
• One practice test
• Online support from the course instructor, who has a background in editing

This course isn’t designed for complete beginners – you must have intermediate grammar and writing skills before taking the course. The course provider also includes a disclaimer: the certification doesn’t qualify you to launch a proofreading business or certify you as a proofreader; it only certifies that you’ve completed the course.

Are Free Proofreading Courses Worth It?

Free proofreading courses are good if you want to gain basic proofreading skills. They’re also great if you aren’t sure proofreading is for you. However, there will be limitations to taking a free course, such as minimal resources and student support.

Here is a table showing some of the pros and cons of taking a free proofreading course:

Pros	Cons
An opportunity to see if you like proofreading before paying for training	Limited resources and lack of in-depth content
No previous proofreading experience or education required	Limited or no access to student support
Gain foundational proofreading skills	Some courses don’t award certification

If you decide to take a completely or partially free course, remember that you will be up against professionally accredited proofreaders. Your average client will most likely choose the fully trained and professionally accredited proofreader over the one that completed a free course. Some clients and publishers might even ask you to pass a test, such as proofreading a sample document. If your free course doesn’t provide the required knowledge, your lack of training will be exposed.

When deciding on the best online proofreading course for you, ensure that the course provides practical exercises and a final examination, awards certification, and includes access to learning support. There are lots of paid online courses that are perfect for beginners!

Becoming a Proofreader

If you dream of working remotely as a freelance proofreader, we suggest our CPD-certified comprehensive course, Becoming A Proofreader. You’ll learn all the proofreading skills needed and can study at your own pace with no deadlines. Additionally, you’ll have access to our tutor support whenever you need it. We offer free lessons for this course, so you can start learning today!