What kind of skills and knowledge do we test in the application?

We use the application to assess editors in six key areas:

  1. The application tests your knowledge of grammar, academic style and tone, and the conventions of both US and UK English. Successful applicants follow the related rules consistently and thoroughly.
  2. Incoming editors must also demonstrate their ability to preserve each student’s unique writing voice. Since we work with student papers, it’s important to stay on the right side of the line between editing and rewriting.
  3. Since the sample texts come from a variety of fields, the application also evaluates your familiarity with different types of academic writing, including technical writing.
  4. We also assess your ability to provide students with meaningful feedback on their writing. This feedback should be clear, polite, and appropriate to the student’s writing level.
  5. The application tests your ability to incorporate student requests into your edits and to answer students’ questions.
  6. Finally, the application tests your ability to work with Microsoft Word, including its Track Changes function.

Frequently asked questions: Scribbr application

Do I have to prepare for the application?

As with the quiz, the application shouldn’t require any special preparation.

While you might find yourself looking up a handful of more nuanced grammar or style points as you work on the application, we expect editors to complete the application without needing to rely on too many outside resources.

To be a good fit for the position, you should already have the knowledge and skills needed to edit the sample texts.

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.

Do the application assignments reflect the kinds of orders Scribbr typically receives?

Yes. In general, the application assignments are a good representation of the average document you will edit for Scribbr and of the number of changes required to deliver a sufficient Scribbr edit.

Do I get paid for the application assignments?

No, the application assignments are without compensation.

After you receive a positive evaluation of your application, you will advance to the next step of the application process, the Scribbr Academy. The orders in the Scribbr Academy are compensated.

I failed the quiz or application, but I’d like to develop my skills. What resources do you recommend?

Our Academy coaches recommend the online editing certificate offered by Poynter ACES, which focuses on the fundamentals of editing. This course is particularly useful for new editors who want to start an editing career. It offers a language primer focusing on the fundamentals of grammar and composition, as well as courses on how to make writing clean and concise, how to edit for clarity, when vs. when not to edit, and how to explain changes as an editor.

They also recommend Amy Einsohn’s The Copyeditor’s Handbook and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage as their go-to resources for learning and reinforcing the fundamentals of grammar and editing.

A third source is Strunk & White’s classic, The Elements of Style, which focuses on what makes strong writing, and Lynne Truss’s Eats, Shoots & Leaves, an entertaining guide to punctuation.

Scribbr’s Knowledge Base also contains useful articles on academic style.