The Editing Institute offers rigorous, proctored certification for professional editors at every stage of their career—from foundations to mastery. Earn credentials that clients recognize and trust.
The Editing Institute exists to bring rigor, recognition, and community to the editing profession. For too long, editors have had no credible, independent way to verify their skills to clients—and clients have had no reliable way to distinguish exceptional editors from the rest.
We are changing that. Through independent proctored exams, structured pathways, and a public directory of certified editors, we are building the infrastructure the profession deserves.
In an era when AI-generated content is everywhere, the demand for skilled human editors has never been more important—nor has the need to clearly distinguish them.
All exams are proctored and graded against objective answer keys. A credential from the EI means something because it cannot be purchased or faked.
Whether you are just starting out or have edited for decades, we have a credential for your current level and a clear path to the next.
Our public directory connects certified editors directly with clients who are looking for verified editorial professionals.
The Editing Institute offers two types of programs: a foundational certificate program for those new to editing (course-based, no exam required) and a rigorous proctored certification for working professionals. All certifications must be renewed every three years—by completing 33 hours of continuing education or by retaking the exam at a reduced fee. What is the difference between a certificate and a certification?
The starting point for aspiring editors. No prior experience required. Complete a structured series of courses—no proctored exam. This is a certificate program, not a certification, and is the ideal first step before sitting for the CPC or CPP exam.
Not sure what copyediting and proofreading mean? Course 1 sets the EI standard.
The professional standard for working copyeditors. Covers manuscript editing in Microsoft Word, style sheet creation, grammar, and CMOS 18. Independently proctored and double-blind graded by two trained reviewers.
Bundle with the CPP and save.
The professional standard for working proofreaders. Covers PDF proofreading in Adobe Acrobat at the final-pass level. Independently proctored and double-blind graded. May be taken independently or bundled with the CPC.
Bundle with the CPC and save.
Earning an EI certification is a four-step process designed to be rigorous, fair, and accessible to editors working at every level.
Study with our optional prep courses on our learning platform. Each course is designed specifically for the exam it accompanies—not generic editing theory. Most candidates study at least 30 hours before sitting.
Apply for the exam, pay the exam fee, and schedule your proctored session through our online proctoring service. Exams are offered on a regular schedule and completed on your own computer at home.
Complete your three-hour proctored exam from your own computer in Microsoft Word. The CPC includes two editing passages, a grammar and usage section, and multiple-choice questions on CMOS 18. The CPP includes PDF proofreading passages in Adobe Acrobat.
Pass, and your credential is issued with a three-year expiration date. You'll be listed in the EI public directory immediately and issued a verified digital badge for use on your website, LinkedIn, and email signature.
The CPC and CPP are not course-completion certificates or online quizzes. The CPC is a three-hour independently proctored exam; the CPP is two hours. Both are genuinely challenging for working professionals—independently proctored, rigorously graded, and designed to distinguish exceptional editors from the rest.
Both exams are completed on your own computer under live online proctoring.
Designed to challenge editors with three or more years of dedicated experience. Preparation is expected and prep guides are available.
Every passage section is graded independently by two trained, credentialed editors. A third grader resolves any disagreement.
An EI credential independently verifies your skills in language that clients, publishers, and agencies already trust.
A verified credential gives you a concrete, defensible reason to raise your prices and stop competing on cost alone. Clients who care about quality will pay for it.
Publishers, agencies, and corporate clients need to justify who they hire. An EI credential does that work for you, especially with clients who hire editors in volume.
The freelance editing market is saturated. A credential separates serious professionals from hobbyists—and gives you something concrete to market.
Many skilled editors—especially those without formal training—quietly wonder if they measure up. An independent exam that says yes is genuinely meaningful.
The three-year renewal cycle keeps your skills current and your credential meaningful. Renewal credits are available through our continuing education courses.
EI credential holders gain access to a community of certified peers, a professional network built around shared standards and a commitment to craft.
AI is changing editorial work—but it cannot replace the judgment, precision, and accountability of a skilled human editor. A credential signals exactly what AI cannot replicate: verified competence and professional responsibility.
Every EI credential holder is listed in our public directory the moment they pass their exam. If you need to hire an editor and want to be certain of their qualifications, this is where you start.
Have a question not answered here? Email us at info@the-ei.org.
There is no formal prerequisite, but the CPC is designed for editors with at least three years of full-time copyediting experience. The CPP is recommended for editors with at least three years of proofreading experience. Candidates with less experience are welcome to sit the exam but should expect a more significant preparation investment and may find our EFC courses a valuable first step.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (CMOS 18) is the primary authority, supplemented by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Each exam also includes a fictional publisher's style sheet that candidates must apply throughout the editing passages.
Yes. Candidates may use a dictionary, CMOS 18, and the style sheet provided with the exam. Our online proctoring service monitors your screen—reference use is permitted and expected. The exam tests editorial judgment, not memorization.
Candidates who do not pass may retake the exam at a reduced retake fee after a minimum thirty-day waiting period. We recommend allowing adequate preparation time between attempts. Your score report will indicate areas of strength and areas for development.
Candidates will receive their results within six to eight weeks of sitting the exam. Passage sections require independent review by two trained graders; we do not sacrifice accuracy for speed.
Both the CPC and CPP expire after three years. Renew by completing 33 hours of qualifying continuing education—available through our learning platform—or by retaking and passing the exam at a reduced retake fee. You choose the renewal path that fits your schedule.
All graders are experienced working editors who have completed the EI's grader training and calibration process. They sign confidentiality agreements and have no personal relationship with candidates whose exams they grade. Graders never know the identity of the candidate they are assessing.
The Editing Institute is building for the long term. Here is what is in development for future launch.
Certification for developmental editors. The Certified Professional Developmental Editor (CPDE) will bring the same rigor and independence as the CPC and CPP to the highest level of editorial work.
A fully searchable public directory of every EI credential holder, filterable by specialty, certification level, genre experience, and availability. Free to search for clients and employers, always.
A growing catalog of continuing education courses counting toward the 33-hour CPC and CPP renewal requirement, covering advanced editing topics, emerging technologies, style guide updates, and more.
A standalone elective course covering professional communication, querying, scope management, and the art of maintaining productive author-editor relationships across every type of project.
Editorial business courses—including pricing, client management, marketing, and running a freelance practice—will be offered through our partner, the Badass Editor's Business School. Because a great credential deserves a thriving business behind it.
A course designed to help editors understand what AI tools can and cannot do, how to use them ethically and effectively, and how to position their human expertise in a market increasingly shaped by AI-generated content. Available as a renewal credit course.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are meaningfully different, and the distinction matters to editors and clients alike.
A certificate is awarded for completing a structured series of courses. It demonstrates that you have studied a defined body of knowledge—but it does not involve an independent exam. The EFC is a course completion credential, appropriate for editors who are new to the field and building foundational skills.
A certification is awarded by an independent body after passing a rigorous proctored exam. It verifies that you have demonstrated a defined level of competence—regardless of where or how you learned. EI certifications are independently verified credentials that clients and employers can trust.
One of the most persistent problems in the editing profession is that nobody agrees on what anything is called. Clients ask for "proofreading" and mean copyediting. Job postings use "editor" to mean everything from developmental editing to fact-checking. Editors undersell their services because they cannot clearly explain what they do.
The Editing Institute adopts the following standard definitions for the American editing profession—clearly distinguishing four discrete services. Every EI program is built on these definitions. Every EI credential holder understands and uses them.
The big-picture edit. The developmental editor works with the author on structure, argument, character, pacing, and overall coherence—before the manuscript is written in its final form. This is the highest-level, most subjective editorial service.
The sentence-level edit. The line editor works through the manuscript line by line, improving clarity, flow, rhythm, and voice—without rewriting the author's content. Structure is assumed to be sound before line editing begins.
The technical edit. The copyeditor corrects grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and consistency, and applies a style guide throughout. Copyediting is done on a manuscript in a word processing document before it is designed or typeset.
The final check. The proofreader reviews the fully designed, laid-out document—typically a PDF—for errors that survived copyediting or were introduced during typesetting. Proofreading is not copyediting. It is the last line of defense before publication.
A note on common confusion: Many clients—and even some editors—use "proofreading" to mean any kind of editing. This causes real harm: Editors are hired to proofread a manuscript that actually needs copyediting, scope creep occurs, and everyone ends up frustrated. The Editing Institute is committed to establishing clear, standard terminology for the American editing profession, so that editors can price their services accurately and clients know exactly what they are buying.
The Editing Institute is preparing to launch the first independent certification program for American editors. Join the founding member waitlist for early access, exclusive pricing, and updates on our launch.
Founding members receive exclusive pricing and early access. No spam, ever.
The Editing Institute was founded by working editors who saw a gap no one had filled: a rigorous, independent credentialing body that treats editing as the profession it is. We are practitioners, educators, and advocates—people who have spent careers inside manuscripts and know exactly what professional editorial competence looks like.
Our programs, standards, and exam content are developed in collaboration with an advisory board of recognized leaders across the American editing profession—working editors, publishing professionals, and educators who bring decades of combined expertise to everything we build.
Full advisory board listings will be published at launch.
Interested in contributing to the development of the Editing Institute's programs and standards? We'd like to hear from you.