My services

Proofreading

I provide proofreading services for publishers and individual authors.

This service is best suited to those who are satisfied their work is well written but needs a final, thorough and objective check for accuracy. I will check for spelling and punctuation errors; correct capitalisation and grammar; consistency of language, punctuation and heading style; correct numbering of tables and figures; pagination; factual accuracy (within reason); and clarity.

I can proofread on screen using Word tools, on PDF (usually for publishers), on PowerPoint, and on hard copy using BSI mark-up symbols (again, usually for publishers). I have also proofread magazine-style publications using Futureproofs (for a publisher).

I may ask clients who are submitting their work for academic assessment to prove they are working within the rules of their educational institution.

 

Editing for Authors

Editing comes before proofreading and my focus is on writing that is reasonably close to completion rather than on substantive, structural or heavy developmental editing.

This service is useful for authors who recognise that they have brought their work as far as they can for now but need the support of an editor to bring it to the standard they require, especially if they need to follow a particular style guide. In editing such work I focus on accuracy, clarity and consistency.


 

Editing for Publishers

This may involve using styles and tags/codes on screen and working to the brief of publishers preparing academic, educational or general interest works, including textbooks and journal articles.

Editing for writers whose first language is not English

Sometimes the only thing holding a writer back from communicating excellent ideas is language. Editing texts written by those for whom English is a second (or third or fourth!) language includes the usual tasks of editing. However, here I pay significant attention to nuances of language that may be missed by those who are not native speakers of English.

This is often about finding the ‘right’ way to say something in English, which requires more than a dictionary or online translation service. It also involves identifying and communicating the intended meaning of the writer when language makes that difficult.

As with my editing work in general, my current focus is on writing that is close to completion, though I appreciate that closeness to completion may be complicated by language difference.

Transcription

This usually involves transcription of audio recordings (e.g. presentations and interviews), including focus group and one-to-one interviews. Please note that I am not currently offering transcription services because of the demand on my editing and proofreading services.

Writing

This service includes writing on general topics, education and religion. I have recently been commissioned to write several pieces for Sunday Plus and Advent Extra (Redemptorist Publications).

Other

I am happy to offer services that do not fall neatly into the categories listed here, tailoring them to suit the needs of the client.

Subject areas

 

With my background in teaching and further studies in ethics, I am happy to take on work in any related fields.

I have edited on topics including teaching and learning; nurse education; maths education in primary school; the role of the guidance counsellor in secondary schools; autism and the school; literacy matters; the family role in education; restorative practices in education and other community settings; mental health services for teenagers; theology and immigration; scripture and spirituality; and religion and ethics. I have edited biographical material and material for continuing professional development of business professionals. In 2022 and continuing into 2023 I have worked on several general interest books for a major Irish publisher.

While I do not proofread or edit material that requires graduate-level/specialist STEM or financial knowledge, I have worked on texts in these areas that do not require advanced subject knowledge, including some in the area of nurse education, health policy, psychology, psychotherapy and health behaviours. I have also edited textbooks for the Irish second level curriculum (junior cycle science).