SERVICES
Copy-Editing
I combine copy-editing and proofreading. This means that I:
Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors;
Ensure consistency of style in relation to spelling, formatting, and referencing;
Shorten overly long or complex sentences for ease of reading;
Flag or remove unnecessary repetition;
Query doubtful or confusing claims and anomalies;
Check for appropriateness of tone; and
Ensure document elements match.
Fact-checking, though, is not included.
When copy-editing, I am typically working on a final or near-final draft – close to a submission deadline – that is structurally sound and does not require major rewriting.
I also take a conservative approach to editing theses, dissertations, or any other academic work to be submitted for examination. I focus on the nuts and bolts of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style consistency. I may flag problems and offer suggestions to improve the clarity and coherence of text, but I do not make any substantive changes.
Developmental Editing
Sometimes all you have is a rough draft. Or you feel you cannot improve a document – be it a report, a journal article, a chapter, or a book manuscript – any further, at least not without an objective second pair of eyes. I can help.
This type of editing is a process, and it starts with me providing detailed feedback on a document: what works and what does not, and how the material can be made clearer and stronger. I focus mainly on clarity, consistency, organisation, presentation, and flow. If the project falls in my subject-areas of expertise and interest in politics and international relations, I also include comment on substance.
If you want, I can then support you through the revision process in several ways: I can offer further suggestions as you revise, I can read and review revised drafts, or I can reorder and rewrite material. It depends on what we agree together.
Equally important to know is what I do not do. I do not create content, conduct research, or check facts. I also do not provide developmental editing for theses, dissertations, or any other academic work to be submitted for examination.
Reference Checking
Clear, complete, and correct referencing is of vital importance in academic work, but also one of its most challenging aspects. There are many different referencing styles – such as APA, MLA, and Chicago – and most academic departments, presses, journals, and book editors have their own “house styles”. Under pressures of time and work, it can feel like a byzantine world, tedious and time-consuming.
I can help by ensuring that your in-text citations and reference list (or bibliography) follow the required guidelines; they are not missing information; the in-text and end-text citations match; and, overall, there is consistency. However, I do not research or verify references for accuracy – this remains the author’s responsibility.