Introducing...The Distinguished Editor Formerly Known as Diplomate, ELS(D)
Hello BELS Certified Editors,
In case you missed the BIG NEWS shared during the BELS Annual Meeting this past Wednesday, we are excited to share this exciting announcement with you! The somewhat arcane designation “Diplomate” is now being replaced with “Distinguished Editor." BELS encourages ELS-certified editors to apply for the Distinguished Editor certification. Learn more here.
More big news! Our survey of BELS members showed that the two most frequent reasons—25 out of 90 responses—why potential candidates were reluctant to submit their portfolios for the examination were (1) the requirement to maintain confidentiality (which precluded samples of work being part of the required portfolio) and (2) uncertainty about the value of the ELS(D).
In response, BELS now plans to (1) allow candidates to select a paper or papers from any open-access journal and treat the paper(s) as manuscript(s) to be edited and (2) proactively promote the ELS(D) certification as evidence of superior editing skill for the more demanding and discerning clients.
We were gratified to learn that more than 10% of survey respondents said that they were interested in becoming ELS(D) and are actively working on it. Take that next step now by visiting the BELS website at bels.org/distinguished-editor-program.
Sincerely,
Yateendra Joshi, ELS(D)
Chair, Distinguished Editor Examination Development Committee