Why Editing Matters – Finding the best
April 29, 2020 | Editing, Learning and Development, Lucid, Medical Communications, Medical Writing, medical education
In the most recent issue of Why Editing Matters, produced by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), Liz Jennings, associate editorial director of the Centre of Medical Editing (COMET) at Lucid Group, discusses the importance of CIEP membership for developing her team’s expertise.
When I first started out in the medical communications industry as an in-house editor 15 years ago, there were two measures missing:
- First, we needed a measure by which to judge levels of professional skill, other than by completing ‘spot the difference’ proofreading tests or a sample edit.
- Second, our clients needed a demonstrable measure of editorial standards.
The business was committed to all-round quality and integrity in medical communications, where meticulous editing is essential, yet we couldn’t demonstrate to ourselves or to the clients the quality and added value that our editing service offered.
Now, as part of Lucid Group, I lead a fast-growing team of well-respected in-house editors, supported by a select group of freelancers to help plug resource gaps. Our main objective is to produce outputs of the highest editorial quality, and evaluation of this is only tangible with methods in place to address competence and quality.
The invaluable contribution of the SfEP/CIEP, by building a globally recognised set of specialist, certified courses, alongside levels of professional status, has helped us achieve this. When meeting resource requirements we can now quickly identify candidates who have invested in achieving an industry standard by looking at their SfEP/CIEP qualifications or status.
When recruiting, we still rely on traditional tests to identify candidates with flair; however, once they are working for us, the value we place on the SfEP/CIEP is so high that we position its core skills suite of copyediting and proofreading courses as part of the induction process. This SfEP/CIEP certification is a key objective in our team members’ professional development and, once induction has been completed, we enhance their continuing professional development with specialised SfEP/CIEP courses such as medical editing and editorial project management.
Lucid Group recognises that the CIEP’s individual membership status is not only a benefit to our editors but also provides our in-house team with exclusive resources, including editing and other training courses, focused articles and networking opportunities that keep us current and up to date with editing industry news, trends and standards. We feel that continued membership of this globally recognised organisation reflects and supports our gravitas as a centre of editing excellence, which also helps clients appreciate our value. During pitches they are very interested to hear of the qualifications we are accredited with, especially the medical editing specialism, and how partnering with us enhances the quality of their communications. Being part of a chartered institute evidences the quality and value that our company offers.
You can download the full issue of Why Editing Matters here.
To learn more about CIEP you can visit its website here
This content was provided by Lucid Group Communications Limited
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