For documents that need thinking as well as editing.
I work at document level: structure, argument, reasoning, relevance, evidence, organization, flow and clarity. The aim is not simply to correct the prose, but to make the document work.
Substantive editing may address
- Overall structure and organization
- Clarity of argument, purpose or through-line
- Sequencing and flow
- Repetition and unnecessary material
- Gaps in explanation, reasoning or support
- Consistency of terminology and concepts
- Integration of research and sources
- Audience, tone and intended use
- Line-level clarity where it affects meaning
More than surface correction
Proofreading asks whether the sentences are correct. Substantive and developmental editing asks whether the document is doing what it needs to do for its reader.
I am particularly suited to material that contains substantial knowledge or research but has become difficult to navigate, repetitive, uneven, under-structured, or unable to communicate its strongest argument.
My editorial work is strongest with academic, professional, research-based and serious nonfiction documents where accuracy, reasoning and structure matter.
Editing the architecture of a document.
Depending on the project, substantive editing can range from a diagnostic assessment to intensive restructuring and editorial development.
Structure
Determine whether sections are in the right order, whether the document has a clear through-line, and whether the reader is being asked to work too hard to understand how the parts fit together.
Reasoning
Identify unsupported jumps, contradictions, buried conclusions, missing transitions and places where the strongest point has been diluted by too much material.
Evidence
Review how sources, findings and examples are being used and whether the evidence actually supports the claim the document is making.
Reader experience
Shape the document for the people who need to understand and use it, while preserving the author’s voice, purpose and subject-matter authority.
Academic, research and professional documents.
My editorial background includes paid and award-supported university research work as well as professional document and conference production.
Manuscript development
Graduate research work included compiling and organizing manuscript chapters, coordinating communications, and editing and producing a draft manuscript for a university research project.
Long-form research publication
As part of an Intergenerational Learning Research Project, I compiled and organized research documents, completed a literature review, and worked with a faculty member to edit and produce an eBook based on research data.
Scholarly publication support
Research-assistant work included editing and literature-search support for an article, identifying possible journals for publication, contributing to a peer-reviewed paper and case study, developing a conference abstract, and reviewing/editing a conference paper for submission.
Professional document production
Paid conference-coordination work included developing and distributing a conference program, maintaining web content and registration information, and producing public-facing communications and promotional materials.
Complex Document Diagnostic
For clients who are not yet sure what a document needs, a diagnostic review identifies the principal structural and editorial issues, priorities, and recommended path forward before a larger engagement is undertaken.
What you receive
A focused written assessment of the major document-level issues and recommended priorities, based on the agreed scope and representative material.
What it is not
It is not an open-ended rewrite. If you choose to proceed to substantive editing, restructuring or developmental work, that engagement is scoped and quoted separately.
Documents with real substance that are not yet communicating it clearly.
Academic & research
Articles, conference papers, research reports, literature-based writing and selected graduate-level work where the author retains responsibility for the underlying scholarship.
Professional & organizational
Reports, briefing documents, program material, complex internal or external documents, and other writing where structure and clarity affect how the work will be understood or used.
Serious nonfiction
Long-form nonfiction that needs help with structure, argument, pacing, coherence and the relationship between evidence and narrative.
Not the primary service
I do not position the practice as a low-cost proofreading or copyediting service. Line-level correction can be part of a substantive engagement when it supports clarity and meaning.
Have a document that is not yet working?
Send a short description of the document, its intended audience and purpose, approximate length, and what you believe is not working. For larger projects, I may ask to review representative material before quoting.