What competencies does Scribbr expect editors to demonstrate in the Academy?

In the Academy, we expect editors to demonstrate the following competencies:

Core language editing skills. Academy editors must consistently apply grammar and language rules.
Knowledge of Scribbr’s style guidelines. Incoming editors must also demonstrate an ability to consistently apply Scribbr’s style guidelines.
Ability to preserve each student’s unique writing voice. Incoming editors must strike an appropriate balance between editing thoroughly and avoiding overediting.
Ability to provide meaningful feedback. Advice for students should be clear, polite, relevant and constructive.
Ability to perform the Structure Check and Clarity Check. In addition to the basic editing and proofreading service, Scribbr offers two add-on services: the Structure Check and the Clarity Check. In the Academy, you’ll learn what these services include and how to perform them.

Additionally, during the Academy period, you’ll become familiar with Scribbr workflows, resources, and expectations. This knowledge will help you to work more confidently.

Frequently asked questions: Scribbr Academy

What kind of orders do I get in the Academy?: All incoming editors complete the first two Academy orders:

Core Competencies Check (3,000 words). The aim of the first Academy order is to introduce you to Scribbr’s style of editing and make sure you have the baseline knowledge needed to edit for Scribbr.

Structure Check & Clarity Check Training (900 words). With the second Academy order, you’ll learn how to perform the Structure Check and Clarity Check.

After each mandatory Academy order, you’ll receive tailored feedback from an experienced Academy coach.

Other Academy orders are assigned on an as-needed basis if extra training is necessary in a particular area. We offer follow-up training in the following areas:

Grammar and editing

Punctuation

Scribbr and academic style

Editing for students

Technical editing

New editors who would like to receive additional feedback in one of these areas are also welcome to request these optional orders.
Why do we only work with native speakers?: All Scribbr editors are native speakers, which means that they have spoken English since early childhood. We only work with native speakers because these editors understand the cadence of the language and have mastered its idiomatic forms.

It is difficult for non-native speakers to acquire these traits, even if they are fluent and have spoken the language throughout their adult lives. Since our customers wish to work only with native speakers, we have no flexibility in this requirement.

We don’t rely solely on nativeness. Our editors are vetted through a rigorous application process, through which they are asked to demonstrate technical grammar knowledge, familiarity with academic writing and an understanding of editing principles. All successful applicants also complete our Scribbr Academy training program, where they learn how to edit for students.

Editor application process
Are the simulations comparable to real orders?: Yes. Since our customers are students, the quality of the papers we receive varies to some degree, and the simulation orders reflect this variation. However, they should give you a clear idea of the level of editing we expect from our editors.

Our quality management team will provide personalized feedback to help understand and align your own editing practice to Scribbr’s style of editing.
How long does the Academy take?: Based on the first two simulation orders, our quality management team will determine how fast you can advance through the Academy.

Are you an experienced academic editor? You’ll likely become qualified in two weeks.

This is how many hours we estimate the work in the Scribbr Academy to take on average, based on the editor’s experience:

Experienced academic editors: 4–6 hours

Experienced editors in a different field: 6–12 hours

Editors with less than two years of experience: 8–16 hours
How do I benefit from completing the Academy?: Scribbr specializes in academic editing for students. In the Scribbr Academy, we’ll coach you to perform our services, edit in Scribbr’s distinct style and provide constructive feedback.

The training also focuses on practical skills and personal development:

Efficiency. We’ll help you meet our customers’ expectations efficiently and prevent complaints.

Speed. You’ll receive access to tools and resources intended to help you increase your editing speed, which will help you earn more per hour.

Feedback. You can take advantage of personalized coaching from our Academy coaches, who can help you take your skills to the next level.
Why do I have to go through the Academy?: Editing for students is different from other kinds of editing. In the Scribbr Academy, we train you how to perform Scribbr’s services and edit in the Scribbr style. The training also features practical elements, such as one-on-one coaching, that are beneficial to you.
What style guide should I use?: Scribbr is style agnostic. Student papers follow a variety of style guides, and Scribbr editors must be able to adapt their editing style accordingly.

We don’t expect applicants to know the ins and outs of Scribbr’s specific style of editing right away. As long as your sample edits are appropriate for an academic context (and consistent, of course), that will suffice.

If you do have questions about a specific grammar or style point, Scribbr’s Knowledge Base, the Purdue OWL, and the APA Style Blog are all excellent resources.

Questions?

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Want to contact us directly? No problem. We are always here for you.

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Frequently asked questions

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How does Scribbr help students graduate?: Our team helps students graduate by offering:

A world-class citation generator

Plagiarism Checker software powered by Turnitin

Innovative Citation Checker software

Professional proofreading services

Over 300 helpful articles about academic writing, citing sources, plagiarism, and more
What type of documents does Scribbr proofread?: Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents. We proofread:

Essays

Papers

Theses

PhD dissertations

Research proposals

Personal statements

Admission essays

Motivation letters

Reports

Reflection papers

Journal articles

Capstone projects
What plagiarism checker software does Scribbr use?: The Scribbr Plagiarism Checker is powered by elements of Turnitin’s Similarity Checker, namely the plagiarism detection software and the Internet Archive and Premium Scholarly Publications content databases.
Which citation software does Scribbr use?: The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js. It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github.