Ensuring editorial excellence: The CIEP Code of Practice
Page owner: Professional standards director
The CIEP's Code of Practice (CoP), Ensuring editorial excellence, is a valuable resource for editorial workers – editors, proofreaders and project managers, whether working freelance or in-house – and their clients and employers. Its purpose is to establish standards of best practice for CIEP members and help them maintain them and to encourage good professional relationships.
Good communication between client/employer and freelance/employee is essential. Clear briefing and the agreement of terms are vital if high standards are to be maintained by both parties, and unsurprisingly they're emphasised by the CoP.
In addition, the CoP includes guidance on: the professional behaviour of both freelance/employee and client/employer; standards for proofreading, editing and project management; and information on web editing, electronic file handling, email etiquette, confidentiality and computer security.
The CoP is endorsed by the CIEP Council. Although it isn't a legal document, it's considered binding on members and Corporate Members. Although this is the CIEP’s primary code of practice, other documents have code of practice status and are binding on members.
Ensuring editorial excellence: The CIEP Code of Practice consists of seven sections:
- Section 1 – Introduction
- Section 2 – Definitions
- Section 3 – Professional practice of the supplier or employee
- Section 4 – Professional practice of the client or manager
- Section 5 – Standards of editing and proofreading
- Section 6 – Standards of editorial project management
- Section 7 – Further advice and information