Individual Consultant: Copyeditors and proofreaders (English)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Bangkok

Job Family: Public Information

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 30-Aug-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

1. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To enhance the visibility and impact of UNESCO’s work in the region, the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok) is seeking qualified individuals to join a roster of English language copyeditors and proofreaders. The qualified candidates will be added to a roster and selected for projects on an ‘on-call’ basis to provide support with publications, documents, and communications materials (‘manuscripts’). The candidates will be assigned one role at a time on any given project, whether as copyeditor or proofreader; candidates may apply to one or both positions and specify their preferences.

The call is open to ‘native English speakers’ who can provide the requested services and deliverables. The roster will be valid from 1 September 2024 to 31 December 2024 and subject to renewal annually.

The themes of potential copy-editing and proofreading projects include those falling under UNESCO’s mandated sectors of education, culture, communication and information, social and human sciences, ocean sciences and natural sciences. Themes of work may occasionally lie outside these parameters.
 

2. TERMS OF REFERENCE

Copyeditor:
a.    Undertake assignments to provide high-quality copy-editing services for assigned manuscript; 
b.    Ensure the final manuscript is polished, consistent, and error-free (i.e. grammar, fact checking, and stylistics);
c.    Receive assignment brief and coordinate with the Responsible Officer(s) to regularly report on progress made during the assignment via email, online meetings or phone;
d.    Ensure the copy-editing adheres to all stylistic requirements of the ‘UNESCO Style Manual’;
e.    Mainstream UNESCO’s gender strategy and ensure the ‘Guidelines on Gender-Neutral Language’ are applied throughout the manuscript;
f.    Correct typos, grammatical mistakes, misspellings, punctuation and capitalization errors;
g.    Check overall clarity, consistency of style and presentation, including tone and sentence structure;
h.    Ensure consistency of terminology, abbreviations, acronyms and formatting of footnotes
i.    Ensure bibliographical references are accurate and correctly formatted;
j.    Verify that the author has cited, referenced, and credited sources appropriately; conduct basic copyright and plagiarism checks and indicate any problems warranting attention and/or correction;
k.    Demonstrate mastery of standard software, especially MS Word, and competence using all the basic elements of tracked changes;
l.    Use proper names and place names that correspond to UNESCO official usage, including the names of UNESCO Member States;
m.    Improve or suggest changes of content while preserving the original meaning with notification to UNESCO;
n.    Align page numbers in the table of contents, list of tables, figures, and boxes with headings and subheadings in the manuscript;
o.    Ensure that works are in full compliance with international copyright policy to prevent any legal infringements;
p.    Submit work in MS Word file with tracked changes and a clear list of comments or questions to UNESCO;
q.    Improve and incorporate suggested changes until the manuscript is considered satisfactory by UNESCO; and
r.    Meet the committed deadline.

Proofreader:
a.    Undertake assignments to provide high-quality proofreading services for UNESCO Bangkok’s manuscript;
b.    Ensure the final work is polished, consistent, and error-free to UNESCO publishing standards;
c.    Correct errors that may have escaped the vigilance of the copyeditor in the laid-out version;
d.    Correct typos, grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and punctuation and capitalization errors that may have slipped through the editing process;
e.    Detect text that appears cut off, misplaced, or garbled in the layout process;
f.    Adjust mismatches between the table of contents and titles in the main body of the text;
g.    Ensure consistent page numbering or running heads (headers and footers);
h.    Check formatting problems, including font, font size, spacing, indentation, levels of titles;
i.    Check cross-references (e.g. ‘See page xxx’) where the actual page number needs to be filled in;
j.    Demonstrate mastery of standard software, especially Adobe Acrobat, and possess competence in using comment tools;
k.    Flag to UNESCO any problems encountered;
l.    Ensure the proofreading adheres to all guidelines in the ‘UNESCO Style Manual’; 
m.    Mainstream UNESCO’s gender strategy and ensure the ‘Guidelines on Gender-Neutral Language’ is applied throughout the manuscript;
n.    Ensure that works are in full compliance with international copyright policy to avoid any legal infringements;
o.    Submit work in PDF file with comments or questions to UNESCO;
p.    Improve and incorporate suggested changes until the manuscript is considered satisfactory by UNESCO; and
q.    Meet the committed deadline.
 

3. SCOPE OF WORKS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE RATE PROPOSALS

The candidates must propose their ‘service in flat rates per word in US$’ for (1) copy-editing and (2) proofreading (The candidates will be assigned one role at a time on any given project, whether as copyeditor or proofreader) according to the following specifications:
•    Language: English
•    Size: standard (A4, A5, etc.) or customized
•    Number of words: to be specified for each assignment
•    Software: MS Word (for copyeditor) and Adobe Acrobat (for proofreader, a laid-out version in PDF file)
•    Feedback/revision circle: until deemed satisfactory by UNESCO
 

4. DUTY STATION

The assignment will be remote-based (off-site) and on an ‘on-call’ basis, with regular communication with the Responsible Officer(s) via email, online meeting and phone; no travel is anticipated. Candidates located in same, or close time zone as Bangkok (GMT+7) are preferred.

5. FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY UNESCO (if any)

The candidate will be responsible for providing their own off-site working space and equipment e.g. computer, software, printer, and any other equipment that may be required for the successful completion of the assignment.

6. COMPETENCIES (Core/Managerial)

7. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

At the time of application, candidate must possess the following qualifications:  

Education:

University degree in English (preferably British) language studies, literature, journalism, communications, international relations, or other liberal arts fields.

Work Experience:

Minimum of five (5) years of demonstrable professional copy-editing and proofreading experience, particularly in the fields of journalism, publishing, education, culture, communication and information, social and human sciences, ocean sciences and natural sciences.

Previous experience working with UNESCO or other UN agencies and/or other multicultural organizations is an advantage.
 

Skills/Competencies:

• Familiarity with gender equality and gender-neutral language.
• Strong British English grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills are essential.
• Understand and apply in-house style guides to ensure consistency within the manuscript.
• Ability to verify the accuracy of information, especially for technical or academic content.
• Familiarity with publishing workflows.
• Competency in MS Word and Adobe Acrobat software.
• Meticulous eye for spotting even the smallest errors.
• Collaborate with colleagues effectively with strong communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and efficiently under tight deadlines and revision cycles.
• Adhere to in-house branding guidelines, style manuals and templates.
• Stay up to date on the latest copy-editing, design, and technological trends in the field (note: Using AI apps or related programmes is prohibited).

Languages:
Native-level proficiency in written and spoken English; preferably British English.
 

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

UNESCO shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks with regard to all materials which bear a direct relation to, or are produced in consequence of the services provided by candidates to the Organization.
Candidates will grant to UNESCO exclusive worldwide rights including the editable artwork file to exploit, to publish, to reproduce, to diffuse, to communicate to the public, and so forth, in any form and on any supporting platform, including digital, all or part of the work and to license these rights to third parties on the basis of the rights herein vested in UNESCO. The candidates warrant that:
a.    The work made under the assignment is created by the candidates and candidates are the sole and unrestricted owners of the exclusive rights in the work
b.    The work made under the assignment is free from encumbrances and no third party is entitled to any intellectual property rights with regard to the work
c.    No third-party rights have been infringed upon in the making of the work
d.    The work has not been generated by AI apps or related programmes.
 

9. APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should apply through the UNESCO careers website and follow these steps: 
1.    Create/login to the account. 
2.    Download and complete/update your ‘employment history form’. 
3.    Prepare your ‘cover letter, CV, portfolio and standard service rates (see below)’:

a.    Cover letter: highlights your most relevant skills and experiences, and explains how your qualifications and experiences make you suitable for the assignment
b.    Curriculum vitae (CV): outlines your professional and educational history. The CV should  include contact information, work experience (including company names, dates, positions, and key achievements), software skills, language skills, etc.
c.    Portfolio: showcases your copy-editing and proofreading skills. The portfolio should include samples of three of candidate’s latest works with tracked changes and brief descriptions of the project.
d.    Standard service rates: provide your ‘flat rate of service per word in US$’ of two assignments: (1) copy-editing; and (2) proofreading.

4.    Combine and upload all five (5) items (employment history form, cover letter, CV, portfolio and standard service rates) as a single file. 
5.    Complete/update your ‘candidate profile’; save and submit your application.
 

10. SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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