Is My Discipline Covered?
If you are in the humanities or social sciences, or fields where arguments from the liberal arts are used persuasively, almost certainly, yes. Double check your field against my current expertise here.
Copyediting
Available at multiple tiers of intervention: listed from most to least intensive.
- Line editing (three-pass minimum). Includes an in-depth review of your manuscript at the sentence level to improve:
- clarity (does the argument come across logically?)
- tone (does the author sound authoritative?)
- readability (does the prose make it easy for readers to track the development of ideas?)
- flow (do the language and the argument both naturally proceed in a logical manner?)
- Copyediting. Includes an essential review for errors in:
- grammar and usage (are all formal rules obeyed?)
- conciseness (can it be said with fewer words without losing any impact?)
- style (are all regional conventions for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation maintained?)
- Proofreading (for authors). Includes:
- style (editorial enforcement of regional conventions on capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and diction)
- grammar and spelling (a quick review to ensure automated tools did not miss any terms)
- Proofreading (for publishers). Includes (at minimum):
- grammar and usage
- visual placement of lines and words (widow/orphan control, runts, word breaks, etc.)
- errors in formatting (heading placement, margins, images, etc.)
- information cross-check (TOC, footnotes, etc.)
Formatting and Proofing
- Dissertation formatting for seamless ProQuest submission
- Style matching for multiple journals
- I provide tailored cover letters to the journal of your choice for a small additional fee.
- CMOS 17 & 18, MLA, APA 7, and AP style all readily available.
- AMA, CME, and other formatting requirements available on request
“Major Revisions Requested”
A dreaded editorial comment in feedback. Reviewer 2 has thrown your paper across the room and then gone to collect it, tear it up, and feed it to his tropical frogs one tiny piece at a time. Fie on them. Can it even BE fixed?
Sometimes substance is revealed by simply enhancing style, but sometimes we will need to struggle together longer.
- Compassionate and honest feedback.
- Structural argument analysis and critique
- Rhetorical structure analysis and critique
- Concrete examples for improvement, including where more work needs to be done
- Optional coaching sessions from anywhere in the world over video conferencing
I promise to be completely open about my understanding of the potentials for publication with different journals and presses in the US and Europe. I will line edit your work regardless of my assessment, but my suggestions for revisions are based on my experience seeing authors succeed in publishing in these venues. If this manuscript has been successfully published in another language in another country, that is not a guarantee of publication in the US.
Grant Writing
Your team has done this work for years. Or these ideas have just sparked off from new findings. There are post-its on your wall like a bad whodunnit, and your mind has exploded on the page like a confetti cannon. Help!
Yes, I can help. I have assisted with grant writing for NASA scientists, educators, Asian studies scholars and more. Let’s talk about your research, your hopes for future projects, your plans for evaluation, and the role you envision for yourself and your team. I promise, we’ll get it down to the page limit.
Portfolio Review
Many academics come for professional editing when they are ready for the next step in their career. Your dissertation and your book are important pieces. But what about the rest of your portfolio? Get informed feedback about the design and polish of your teaching, research, diversity, and personal statements.
