SERVICES

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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.

 
 
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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.

 
 
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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.