YOU NEED your manuscript
- cleaned up for design or submission, following a specific style
- checked for consistency, syntax, and grammar
- reviewed for clarity of wording
YOU GET a clearer and more convincing manuscript with
- good grammar, syntax and punctuation, and consistent style
- clear wording and compelling flow and logic
FILE TYPES: Word (preferred, with tracked changes), Google Docs
You might need just a technical “surface” clean-up (copyedit) or something that goes a bit deeper (line editing). It doesn’t matter what you call it; you can tell me what you need.
Her editing and editorial advice helped keep the messaging crisp and concise.
— Ira Martina Drupady, Research Associate, National University of Singapore
Get in touch to discuss whether we might be a good fit for your scholarly or international development writing project!
Copyediting: “Technical” clean-up
Copyediting is mostly about cleaning up the text so it’s ready for the designer to lay out. (CIEP calls this a “technical” level of copyediting.)
I’ll check your document for
- style and consistency
- grammar, spelling, and syntax at the sentence level
- completeness of all the pieces that are supposed to be there (for example, are all figures there? Are the references complete?*)
Line editing: A deeper review
With line editing, I’ll help you make sure your messages are clear and the paragraphs flow logically and convincingly. (CIEP calls this a “structural” level of copyediting.)
Some questions I might ask include:
- Does the overall logic make sense?
- Is each argument clear and supported by evidence?
- Are there any ambiguous sentences? Can the language be tightened?
For more details, see the article on copyedit vs. line edit and others below.
*A note on references
I will spot-check references for completeness. However, if you want me to thoroughly review and format all references, we need to agree to it before you hire me. Kindly note I charge checking of references by the hour.
Ema handled the complex and abstract language in my manuscript with precision and speed
— S.S., doctoral candidate
Examples of past work
Baldwin, Richard, Jeison Cárdenas and Cristina Fernández. Telemigration and Digitally Enabled Service Exports: Opportunities for Colombia. Geneva: Thinking Ahead on Societal Change Platform, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, 2021.
Baldwin, Richard, and Simon Evenett. COVID-19 and Trade Policy. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2020. (Edited selected chapters.)
Fernandes, Ana, Nadia Rocha, and Michele Ruta. The Economics of Deep Trade Agreements. Centre for Economic Policy Research and World Bank, 2021.
Also:
- Articles on VoxEU.org, the policy portal of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (regular & ongoing)
- Chapters in edited books on social security systems (2022) and on social work and communication (2023)
- Six reports to the Singaporean government on nuclear governance, 2021 and 2022.
- Academic abstracts
- Lay summaries for the web of academic research
- Fundraising documents: pitch decks, concept notes, project proposals
- Project documents, project completion reports
- Learning needs assessment reports, evaluation reports
- Communication materials: website articles, press releases, calls for applications, social media
- Letters to donors, agreements
- Website text for small companies and non-profit organizations
- Training materials for a public-speaking training company
- Pitch deck for biotech startup
- Print ad and promotional video text and captions for a clinic
- Meeting “scripts” for a project manager in the private sector
- Internal presentation on business-expansion plans for a major private hospital in Bangkok
- CVs and coverletters
Other useful info
Learn more about working with me and about the differences between proofreading, copyediting, and line editing.
FAQ
What do you need? Copyediting vs. proofreading