Services for Academic Writers

Copyediting is sentence-level editing with comprehensive, detailed attention to the following areas:

• clarity

• consistency

• grammar

• spelling

• capitalization

• hyphenation

• punctation

• usage of words and phrases

• numbers

• quotations

• acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations

• headings and subheadings

• lists

• tables and figures

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I use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature so you can see exactly what changes I’ve made and decide if there are any that you don't want to implement. I also use comments to explain why certain changes were made, make additional suggestions, present multiple options, and ask for clarification when needed.

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If your paper is part of your work for an academic degree – such as a thesis or dissertation – you will need to check with your supervisor or department to make sure professional  copyediting is permitted. Some programs limit professional editorial assistance to proofreading only.

Citation and reference formatting includes checking that in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography or reference list entries conform to your chosen style guide:

• All elements are present and in the correct order for that source type.

• All elements are correctly styled and punctuated.

• All sources cited in the text are listed in the bibliography or reference list, and all sources listed in the bibliography or reference list are cited in the text.

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This service includes formatting the citations and references to conform to the style guide. I’ll flag issues for you to address, such as missing or conflicting information. I can also provide more in-depth verification and correction of reference information if needed, and if permitted by your program (if the paper is part of your degree work).

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I work with references in these styles:

• The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (CMOS 17)

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (APA 7)

• A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th edition (Turabian 9)

• client-provided custom styles

Formatting of academic papers includes making sure that the following items are styled correctly to meet your submission requirements:

• title page

• font style and size

• line spacing

• margins

• paragraph alignment and indentation

• chapter titles

• headings and subheadings

• figures and captions

• tables

• page numbers

• headers and footers

• table of contents

• list of figures

• list of tables

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I format papers according to these style guides:

• The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (CMOS 17)

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (APA 7)

• A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th edition (Turabian 9)

• client-provided style guides, such as those from a journal or department

Proofreading involves checking for clarity, consistency, correctness, and conformity to your style guide in the following areas:

• spelling

• grammar

• punctuation

• capitalization

• hyphenation

• numbers

• lists

• acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations

• numbering of pages and chapters

• numbering, placement, and formatting of tables and figures

• consistent treatment of elements such as titles, headings, quotations, and captions

• reference formatting

• headers and footers

• table of contents

• lists of tables and figures

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Proofreading can be done in Microsoft Word, using Track Changes and comments, or by using Adobe Reader’s commenting tools to mark up a PDF. Proofreading a PDF is particularly appropriate when you’ve used a program other than Word (such as LaTeX) to write and format your paper. I can help you decide which approach is most appropriate for your situation.