I help people who write as part of their work. I provide editing and training services for businesses, research institutes, government organizations, and anyone who values high-quality documentation. Years ago, I majored in biology and interned at the National Institutes of Health before I realized that I was a much better writer than I was a scientist. Eventually, I tested my M.A. and B.A. in English and minor in biology by editing papers for bioengineering students at Georgia Tech.
With a mix of grammar love, biology basics, and composition-teaching know-how, I helped one graduate student through several journal manuscripts and had enough interest to pursue and earn a Ph.D. in professional writing to learn as much as I could about writing for professional purposes. With this knowledge, I help those who are subject-matter experts but not writing experts. Just in case you are wondering, the topic of my dissertation was the use of argument in the federal debate about funding embryonic stem cell research.
As a staff scientific editor at Mayo Clinic, I edited manuscripts intended for journal submission. Before Mayo, I edited for a pharmacology journal. I have also edited for many clients, including the FDA. In addition, several graduate students have trusted me during the final stage of their degree journey to edit their theses or dissertations. Here are some common reasons clients turn to me:
- To eliminate choppiness from their text.
- To apply style conventions for their field. (Style is more than citations. Style guides stipulate certain kinds of words that should be used, format of numbers, and more. I have experience with the following styles: APA, AMA, and GPO. I know how to follow a style guide, so talk to me if you need a different style.)
- To merge the voices of coauthors.
- To meet the standards of professional writing – format, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraph structure, etc. (Just as the workplace has expectations regarding dress and verbal communication, professionals have expectations regarding written communication.)