Editor for Life: Kerry Fast, Freelance Academic Editor

Interview conducted by Jennifer D. Foster. A career as an editor is often a solo adventure, especially if you’re a freelancer. So we thought one way to better connect with fellow editors was to ask them the Five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Read on for some thought-provoking, enlightening tidbits from those of … Continue reading Editor for Life: Kerry Fast, Freelance Academic Editor

Editors Canada launches Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts

In academia, papers and theses are one way to test the ability of students to use written words for communicating ideas and arguments. Yet students sometimes ask editors to provide a full gamut of editorial services. To address this, Editors Canada first developed Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Theses / Dissertations in 2005. We are … Continue reading Editors Canada launches Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts

Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal

Crystal against crystallization by James Harbeck (Oxford University Press, 2017) How can we have crystal-clear language spoken by people with a crystal-clear understanding of how it works? For one thing, don’t try to crystallize it—just Crystal-ize. Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar, by David Crystal, is for anyone who wants to get Crystal … Continue reading Book Review: Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar by David Crystal

Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal

(Oxford University Press, 2017) By Christine Albert Some words are so familiar that it feels as though we instinctively know what they mean. And when we don’t, we use a dictionary to read its definition and determine how it can be placed alongside other words to form cohesive narratives. But how often do we think … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of Be: A Verb’s-Eye View of the English Language by David Crystal

How to write a successful academic grant application

Editors can wear many hats. Sara Scharf dons a grant-writing hat, especially in the fall. She sees a great many applications and she has a few tips, which she has kindly given BoldFace permission to share from her blog.   I’ve been editing a lot of grant applications lately. To borrow from Tolstoy, good grant … Continue reading How to write a successful academic grant application

Becoming an academic editor: one year later

By Nicole M. Roccas Nearly a year ago, I decided to strike out on my own and become a freelance academic editor. It wasn’t a hasty decision—I was about to finish my PhD in history and had been considering career options for several years. During that time, I took on small, short-term copy editing jobs … Continue reading Becoming an academic editor: one year later

A week in the life of an academic editor

By Kerry Fast I get odd responses when I say I’m an academic editor—from fellow editors, that is. Everyone else I say that to seems vaguely impressed, though not quite sure how to carry on the conversation from there. But other editors, even those who edit academic writing, seem to think that academics enjoy nothing … Continue reading A week in the life of an academic editor