Getting Your Work Ready for Peer Review
Substantive Editing, Manuscript Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading
With firsthand experience in academic peer reviews and publications since 2010, I help make books and articles in social sciences and humanities. I know what it takes to get from your first idea to a finished book or article, and to make sure it’s ready for submission. I love to collaborate with authors of creative as well as scholarly nonfiction, and I sometimes do copyediting for publishing companies. Write to me: all questions are welcome!
Background
Studies, Skills, and Settings
Languages
English is my first language, but I have learned others.
- After studying French for several years, I was still a teenager when I became fluent in the language by taking part in the Rotary Youth Exchange. I spent an unforgettable year attending a high school near Bordeaux.
- German became a third language for me during my undergraduate studies at the University of King's College. As a student at King's, most of the courses I completed were held at Dalhousie University, one of Canada's largest research institutions.
- Japanese language became part of my life when I took my first job teaching English as foreign language. I hadn't imagined I would settle in Japan, but that's just what happened!
Editing
I have been doing this a long time.
- Friends' undergraduate essays became the first texts I was asked to help with. I enjoyed the exposure to their ideas.
- During my first few years in Japan, professionals in fields like architecture and medicine began seeking out my help with the articles they wanted to submit for peer review.
- At the Japanese universities where I would go on to teach for nearly two decades, others on faculty would often bring me articles for editing. Their fields were diverse, ranging from earth science to life science and from economics to museology.
- While working through a special appointment as associate professor at Miyagi University, I joined the US-based Editorial Freelancers Association. This website took shape around that time, and now my clients come from around the world!
Samples
Ask Me for a Sample Edit
Want to see what I can do to help develop, review, and revise your manuscript? By sampling passages from around the beginning, middle, and end, I am able to see what support I would recommend for the rest of your document. It's just a sample edit, but I can estimate a fee for your larger project based on what I find in this process. The fee for the sample edit is deductible from the larger project fee. This is a great way to start because it allows me to offer just the right kinds of help as you prepare your work for peer review and publication!
Services
Substantive Editing, Manuscript Editing, Copyediting, and Proofreading
Given your article, or a chapter you have written for a book related to your studies, or even a whole book you’ve drafted, I edit with an eye on the peer review you will probably face. I also check up on formatting according to the standards you need to meet. Here are some examples of how we might work through one, two, or three rounds.
- Using the light touch required for proofreading, I correct errors and make suggestions for your final copy's consistency and accuracy—often in PDF.
- In two rounds of copyediting, I first address language and style in your manuscript by examining grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary. I aim to ensure you meet standards for publication style: APA, CMOS, MLA, or a journal's guidelines. After your next review and revision (guided my suggestions and tracked changes in the manuscript), I help you check that the text is consistent and accurate.
- In three rounds, I might first point out how to address any basic issues in the structure of your paper. After you have addressed such issues, my second round of work focuses on the text. Line by line, I aim to improve its language and style. Next, I return the work for you to revise a second time. This may lead to a third round of checking for errors and arriving at final suggestions.
Particulars
You may ask me about any of these.
Overview
This page from the Editorial Freelancers Association's website shows a little detail on the things I do as a writer, editor, copyeditor, and proofreader. (I am a member of the EFA.)
Style
You will find not only corrections but also suggestions for your final copy's consistency and accuracy in expression. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary are not my only areas of expertise: I can also ensure your draft meets standards for publication style.
Resources
The Chicago Manual of Style is a good example of the resources I use. I can help out with style according to the Modern Language Association of America; the American Psychological Association's style manual is the one I most often refer to.
Expertise
While CMOS, MLA, or APA may be the basis, I will have plenty of advice to offer from years of experience across numerous projects. I can also help you through a particular publisher's guidelines.
Process
We can pass your manuscript back and forth a few times. This process will get your work into shape as efficiently as possible!
Fees
How much, you ask? It depends on what you need, but I usually charge by the word at rates like those you can see on the EFA's chart of median rates.
Flow
1Contact
Write to me or use one of the forms at the bottom of this page.
2Sample
You may ask me to show you what I can do to help develop, review, and revise your manuscript.
3Proposal
Based on your requirements, I will provide an estimate for the project.
4Contract
Following a negotiation of the proposed outline, we will arrive at an agreement.
5Delivery
Your manuscript will be returned according to our contract.
Testimony
These words comd from a few of my clients.
M.
I approached Craig to improve the writing style in the introductory and concluding sections of a scientific piece. After a very friendly and target-oriented exchange concerning the aim of the project, he delivered my thoroughly proofread manuscript. Craig's revisions have undoubtedly increased the manuscript's reading flow and quality, and I would recommend him to anyone searching for a thorough editor of scientific documents.
T.
Craig’s coaching method was enjoyable, and I felt relaxed during our sessions. I liked the way he always made coffee when it was time to begin. Talking about my ideas and philosophy has really been a lot of fun.
C.
Craig is really very attentive and caring. His words are precise as well as beautiful, and they can be usefully applied in my field. In addition to the amendments he’s helped me make, the reasons he gives make up a body of editorial reference I can keep. I am very satisfied with the results—very happy!
M.
Satisfied, I appreciate the improvements in readability and the helpful comments.
N.
The clarity, readability, and sophistication of my papers are greatly improved after Craig’s editing.
Contact
Each project is unique. Tell me about yours and we'll see what we can achieve together!
This website is under copyright, attributable to Craig MacDonald, CURRERE Specialist Editing Services, since 2014.