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Member Benefits

Once you become a Board-Certified Editor, you can enjoy all the following member benefits as long as you remain an active dues-paying member and maintain your certification*!

Continuing Education & Professional Development

  • A wealth of free professional development events and webinars, as well as a library of recorded sessions, including topics such as:
    • AI and the Editor's Red Pen: Friend, Foe, or Tool?
    • Best Practices in Fact Checking and Annotating
    • Effectively Searching PubMed: Tips, Tricks, and Things You Never Knew Existed!
    • Build a Better Checklist for Your Editing Tasks
    • ESL Editing for ELS Editors
  • The ability to effect change in the organization by volunteering on a committee, holding office, and voting
  • A members-only discount on recertification

Resources & Support

  • Networking and social events, such as book chats, wellness tips, and creative activities
  • A members-only newsletter, job board, and email discussion list
  • A listing in the member directory and the optional freelance** directory
  • The opportunity to apply for the annual Professional Development Scholarship Award
    • Apply to win US$500 to a BELS Member to fund attendance at a professional meeting, workshop, or similar activity
  • Participation in members-only surveys to help advance the organization and profession
  • Coming soon: Special Interest Groups
  • Coming soon: BELS Bookshelf

Discounts on Products & Services

  • A 30% discount on a PerfectIt license
  • A 20% discount on DraftsmithAI
  • A 20% discount on several resource materials from the University of Chicago Press
  • A $50 discount on a single-user perpetual license for EndNote 2025
  • A discounted rate on job ads for your own freelance projects
  • Rewards and discounts on thousands of brands with a free BenefitHub account

Emeritus Category

  • For certified editors who:
    • are age 60 or older,
    • are retired from editing, and
    • have paid full membership dues for the last 5 years (or for 25 years in total).

*Certificants who retire (and therefore are no longer working as editors in the life sciences) are not expected to renew their ELS/ELS(D) credential every 5 years. Instead, they may complete a form to notify BELS of their change in employment status, and their names will be moved to a “Retired” category of the ELS/ELS(D) roster, whereupon the credential should no longer be used professionally. Converting ELS status to “Retired” does not affect membership in BELS, and membership may continue upon payment of annual dues (including Emeritus membership for those who meet the criteria).
**Emeritus members are not listed in the freelance directory.