Wie zijn de Scribbr-editors?

Born and brought up in London, I studied law at the University of Sussex. My career has consisted of working as a paralegal at various law firms which has led me to work on human rights cases and various other high profile litigation cases. In the not-too-distant future, I hope to qualify as a solicitor.

Currently, I am freelancing as an editor for Scribbr and hope to start playing some tennis and do some travelling as the summer sets in and lockdown ends.

My background is in Literature and Philosophy in which I have a PhD from the University of Sydney. I have worked for a number of years as a university lecturer teaching courses in literature, writing studies and critical thinking in Australia and New Zealand.  I have also taught ESL as having a Japanese father and European mother meant growing up with an awareness of the vagaries of language. I have been in love with words since my mother first began reading me bedtime stories and, for this reason, desire always that every word be treated with respect. What does that look like? It means using the right word in the right place at the right time. Doing so almost guarantees that your readers will want to keep reading because they can fully grasp the ideas being communicated. How is it achieved? Curiosity. Curiosity about what it means to really think well, curiosity about those who have done so, and the certain knowledge that it is a skill that can be learned.

Hi, I'm Alex! I'm from sunny California and I have a BS in Media, Culture, and Communication from NYU. I've written (and edited) a variety of texts on digital cultures, food and identity, AAPI issues, and more, and I'm excited to help students write confidently at Scribbr.

Writing tip: OneLook's Reverse Dictionary is an excellent resource for when that one word is on the tip of your tongue and you know exactly what it means, but you can't quite get what it is on your own :)

Hiya! I have always been a logophile, and I suppose this coupled with my love of traveling brought me into the freelance editing world. I have a bachelor's degree in English literature and French, and I have seven years of experience editing, tutoring, and teaching English as a foreign language. I also completed a joint master's degree with a thesis at the intersection of film, gender, and cultural studies. On any given day, you can find me a) crying over books or films, b) flinging food around the kitchen, c) lugging my backpack across the world, or d) mispronouncing greetings in Arabic (the next language on my list). Oh, and e) editing your work ;)

Writing tip: If you aren't sure where to begin or feel stuck when working on a text, just start writing. Sometimes slogging your way through a bunch of irrelevant ideas will lead you to a clearer understanding of what you really want to say about your topic.

After completing my schooling in England, I moved to New Zealand, where I gained a PhD in Zoology from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. I now live in the capital city, Wellington, and have over 15 years’ experience working as a science and technical editor. I really enjoy the diversity of work this brings and find it particularly rewarding helping people who do not have English as a first language to achieve their goals.

Writing tip: Always read over your work on paper, as you’ll be amazed at the number of additional things you catch. And better yet, read it out loud!

Hi! My name is Amin Ahmed. I’m currently a freelance editor with Scribbr. I have 7 years of experience working in the field of academic copyediting and proofreading. I have a bachelor’s degree in science (major: microbiology and chemistry). I love traveling, and I have special passion for editing and proofreading articles and theses because it gives me the sense of achievement and having an impact.

My tip for all students is, "Read again what you wrote!" This will definitely help you point out any mistakes that you could've missed.

A lifelong reader and writer, I was born and raised in the United States and hold a BA in English and a certificate in copyediting. In addition to editing for research and literary journals, I've written research articles and fiction, which has given me experience with the editing process from both sides of the red pen. My favorite part of editing is continually learning about language and the many ways writers use it.

Tip for writing: Once you've finished your first draft, take a break. Go on a walk, read a book, watch something, hang out with friends. When you come back to edit, you'll be able to see it with fresh eyes. You'll see where your argument needs improvement, notice typos you glazed over before, and think of fresh ways to express your thoughts.

Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, I studied Classics at the University of Cape Town. Most of my career has been in the parliamentary field. I worked as a Hansard editor and translator at our national Parliament in Cape Town, and then spent 20 years as head of Hansard at the Eastern Cape Legislature.

Currently I am freelancing as an editor and translator in Cape Town, my other languages being Dutch, German and Russian. And I now have more time than before for my great passion – the piano.

Thought for the day: "I'm exhausted. I spent all morning taking out a comma, and all afternoon putting it back again." Oscar Wilde

I hold a BA (Honours) in English and political science from the University of Ottawa, as well as an MA in English and a JD from the University of Toronto. I am called to the bar in Ontario, Canada, and I have over 13 years of experience as a writer and editor in academic and legal contexts. I currently work as a programme lawyer for an organisation specialising in labour and employment law. I love editing for Scribbr because it is a valuable opportunity to continue learning about new subjects while providing a helpful service for students.

Writing tip: “Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.” —William Faulkner

Language has always been my passion, and I have formally studied English, Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew, and Spanish. That knowledge of how language works has helped me live out my other passion: teaching others to use language. My experience includes a year of EFL instruction in Mexico and seven years of high school English, Spanish, and Latin. 

I also have earned a master's degree in education, writing my thesis on how to increase students' intrinsic motivation. That experience in the world of academia and research was so fulfilling that I now use my love of teaching and language to help other academics create their best possible work.

Writing tip: If you can say it in fewer words, you should!

I began tutoring others in English during my sophomore year of college. I found I loved helping people transform their writing into something they could be proud of, so I continued tutoring college students after I got my degree in English and began editing academic theses. I’ve now edited hundreds of theses and tutored countless students. Although I’ve expanded my editing services beyond academics, academic writing is still my favorite. I love learning about the varied topics each new thesis offers.

Quick Writing Tip: Don’t let a blank page daunt you. Just start writing without worrying about how every sentence sounds. It’s a lot easier to go back and revise once you've written down your general ideas than it is to write those perfect sentences the first time.

I am a lover of words, of knowledge, and of understanding. With a varied academic background spanning political science, global studies, anthropology, clinical psychology, and religious studies, I have yet to run out of ideas to explore! I am honored to assist the next generation of students in their own pursuit of understanding, and I'm excited to learn about what interests them. Cheers!

I'm a native New Yorker settled in Cape Town. I love our long summers, moody mountains and two oceans.

I live in Cape Town, South Africa. I have a master's degree in English literature from the University of Stellenbosch. In my career of three decades I have worked as a journalist, editor and translator for parliament, corporates, magazines, book publishers and websites. Teasing out the meaning from a badly constructed sentence is my greatest joy!

Writing tip: Don't try to sound intelligent! Clarify your thought, then express it as simply as you can. Honesty is always the best policy in writing.

I'm a writer with a BA in English (creative writing) and a minor in Game Design from Chapman University. I've been reading, writing, and editing for as long as I can remember, and I've done a variety of freelance writing and editing work over the past few years. For me, editing is like a puzzle: taking something apart, piece by piece, and strategically putting it back together to form a greater picture. It's incredibly fulfilling and I'm grateful that Scribbr has given me the opportunity to help students work on their own puzzles and tell their own stories.

I spend most of my free time doing indie video game work (I do character and narrative design, and I write a LOT of dialogue), but I also enjoy writing fiction, drawing, and going for walks.

Writing Tip: If you get stuck or find yourself rewriting something over and over, take a break, focus on something else, and come back to it later. Even if it's just for a few minutes, coming back to your writing with fresh eyes will usually allow you to spot mistakes that you might have missed the first time around. Alternatively, if you just can't get writing out of your head, try walking around or going over the problem out loud, either to yourself or to someone else. Even a little change in the process does wonders, especially when you're working on something creative.

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in building sciences, I discovered that I had carried my fascination for the English language through my adolescence into adulthood. Thus began my career vetting research articles and dissertations, and I see my role in Scribbr as an extension of my passion.

While editing, I focus on bringing clarity and consistency to writing; I attempt to blow a fresh breath of air into languid prose and aspire for beauty in communication. Often, I also dive deep into the ocean of grammar and punctuation rules, striving to keep myself updated on transient language guidelines.

Quick writing tip: Regardless of what you are writing—be it a blog article, resume, academic essay, thesis or dissertation—always keep the reader in mind throughout the writing process: Tailor each word for your audience.

Hi everyone. 

My background is in law, an area full of lofty language and convoluted sentences. I love drilling down into a sentence and figuring out how to express the idea in a precise and clear way.

I'm looking forward to helping you out. I always learn something new each time I take an assignment, and it is really a pleasure to help people express themselves.

Hi, I'm Bianca! I was born and raised in South Africa, but I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Belgium. I have a Master's degree in Medical Science, and I have been reading, writing, teaching, and editing since I can remember. I am a pursuer of knowledge, and I love helping people wherever I can.

Tip for writing in English: Keep it simple! 

Born and raised near Minneapolis, I earned my BA from the University of Minnesota, where I studied English literature and political science. In 2016, I moved to the East Coast to pursue a PhD in English literature at Rutgers University. Right now, I'm living in New York City and working on my doctoral dissertation. 

I love to work with students of all different backgrounds. Whether I'm teaching in the classroom or editing in my very tiny studio apartment, I feel fulfilled as long as I'm engaging with people who are passionate about reading, writing, and learning.

Writing tip: make sure to read your work aloud. Academic writing is more professional than everyday speech, but reading it aloud will enable you to judge whether it sounds awkward or unnatural. If something sounds strange to you, then it will probably sound strange to your readers. 

I spend a lot of my time traveling the world and enjoy editing for Scribbr in constantly changing locations. I'm from the Detroit area, USA, originally and worked as a technical writer for the auto industry among other clients. Good luck with your writing projects!

Teacher, Writer and Editor based in Amsterdam. Has a research background in arts/culture, and an unhealthy obsession with pop culture and electronic music.

I chose to become a Scribbr editor to use my background in education and teaching, editing expertise, and love of all things language to help students graduate. Right after completing my undergraduate degree, I received a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction in preparation for a career in teaching. I spent some time teaching public school before deciding that a career as a teacher was not the right fit for me. However, I am grateful for much of what I learned from working in the classroom, including how to give gentle but effective individualized feedback to students, a skill I still use today as an editor. In my previous position as a technical writer and editor at a small consulting firm, I edited documents by subject matter experts in a diversity of fields. I now work as a marketing content editor at a large technology company.

My one piece of writing advice? Say less. As William Strunk Jr. of The Elements of Style puts it, "A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell."

My educational background in Journalism has provided me with a broad base from which to approach many topics, including business, management, leadership, social sciences, humanities, and social media. My experience as an associate editor at a regional magazine catering to CEOs and other top-level decision makers has also enhanced my skill in developing compelling content. Moreover, my stint as a manuscript consultant has afforded me the opportunity to work on the studies, dissertations, and books of academics from renowned business schools in Southeast Asia such as the Asian Institute of Management and the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

I have been working with writing challenged clients for several years. My objective has always been to uphold the accuracy and consistency in messaging and style across all job orders and ensure the flawlessness of written material. This objective is complemented by my desire to help clients improve their writing.

My tip for writing: Spend a considerable time on preparing an outline before working on a paper. A detailed outline helps identify a strong thesis and follow up with ideas and examples to build on that thesis. Referring to an outline during the writing process gives you a better sense of focus.

I grew up in the Midwestern United States, graduating with a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Don't let that social sciences degree fool you -- language is, and has always been, my true love. Despite never having left the 48 contiguous states (or, perhaps, as a result of this fact), I have an insatiable curiosity for the cultures of and experiences offered by various countries around the world. Editing and learning from the theses and dissertations of students who not only attend universities from all over the world, but have conducted research in some of the most amazing places, is something that I am extremely grateful to be able to do. 

Writing tip: Read. Your brain is constantly forming new connections, through every little stimulus it's given. As you read, you are subconsciously reinforcing the "right" connections -- the ones that tell you how a word should be spelled, where a comma should actually go, or which "there" (they're?) to use in a particular context. It's a simple, yet effective way to improve your grammar and spelling in the long term (no memorization required!).

Courtney started with Scribbr as an editor in June 2017. She has a Bachelor in Communication and a Master in Editing and Publishing, and has worked as a freelance writer and editor since 2013. She loves helping students and academics all over the world improve their writing (and learning about their research while doing so!).

I am currently an MA student studying Gender and Women's Studies in the Middle East/North Africa at The American University in Cairo. Prior to this, I was working at a refugee organization in Cairo in education and community outreach. I believe strongly in writing as an important tool for shaping and clarifying our ideas, and it is always a tool that we can learn to use not only with a more critical outlook but also with more patience and generosity.

My writing tip would be to remember that the more complicated the argument your writing is, the more guidance your reader needs. Being clear and concise with your word choice becomes much more important than showing off your extensive vocabulary.

I retired in 2018 from a 41-year career as a daily newspaper editor, but I’ve found that I miss the fulfilling work of editing. Thanks to Scribbr, I’ll continue to have the opportunity!

My husband and I live in Davis, Calif., a vibrant university town just west of the state capital of Sacramento. We love to travel, spend time with our grandchildren, and attend all types of sporting events (alas, we're stuck with televised sports during this global pandemic).

Writing tip: Simple, direct writing can be very powerful. When in doubt, use fewer words.

Hi! I love film and hope to live my life as if it is one (more Wenders than Leone though). I've taught English in Japan, was an adjunct professor in New York, and wrote blogs and books in London. I'd really like to help students with their theses and dissertations; I imagine I could learn a lot. :)

I live in South Africa and am proud to call it home.

I am an independent translator/editor for a prominent publisher in South Africa, which I balance with the academic demands that editing theses placed on me. As a translator, I understand the mental gymnastics needed by students who are not writing in their mother tongue.

My advice to students who have a hard time with English:

1. Relax. Take a deep breath. English is a beautiful and versatile language. Don't be scared of it.
2. Don't try to sound smart by using difficult words and complex phrases. Keep it simple, because your supervisor is impressed by your knowledge of your subject, and it is difficult to convey that knowledge if you don't fully grasp the meanings of the words you are using.
3. Make use of the SCRiBBR resources provided on the website. Everything you can possibly need to know is there. Print out the information and refer to it when you are unsure.
4. Read your own writing aloud. Your ear is sometimes a better proofreader than your eye is.
5. Read, read, read. English novels, classics, thrillers, romances--it doesn't matter what you choose to read. Reading is the most effective way of improving your English. Just by reading a simple novel, you learn about sentence structure and where to place your subjects and verbs. Without even knowing the technical requirements of an English sentence, you will be able to 'hear' if your sentence structure is correct--provided that you are an avid reader.

If you have accepted the challenge of studying in a language that is not your home language, you have my greatest respect and admiration, and I will gladly help you polish your writing to perfection.

Hi! I’m a university professor with a wide-range of content knowledge. Since writing and defending my doctoral dissertation in 2016, I’ve helped hundreds of students achieve academic success. My favorite part of working for Scribbr is that I edit for students and companies worldwide. You’ll be glad to know that Scribbr is “the real deal.” My colleagues respect the ethical, consistent editing standards from Scribbr editors that vastly improve student writing and research. 

Earl Miller is a freelance editor and writer with more than thirty years experience. He has over 300 publication credits, mostly in the visual arts field, alongside a breadth of editing experience in the corporate and academic sectors.

Hi! I was the girl reading a book under the slide during recess. In 2013, I graduated with a BA in English. Pouring, drinking, and selling wine in Santa Barbara, California is my other job.

Reading fills me with joy. Writing allows my creative juices to flow.  Editing challenges my brain. I'm excited to be a member of the Scribbr Editing team! 

Writing Tip: Simple is good. Don't try to use a lot of fancy words to make a point. 

I was the weird kid who liked taking spelling tests. I was in my element whenever there were rules to follow or correct answers to memorise. My enthusiasm for doing things “the right way” led me to pursue a degree in mathematics. Throughout my years at university and my career as an accountant, I had many opportunities to put my writing, editing, and proofreading skills to good use. Eventually, I realised I was missing my calling, and I transitioned to a career as an editor.

My education, work experience, and lifelong love of learning have given me broad knowledge in a wide variety of subjects, including finance, business, psychology, physics, politics, philosophy, and many other fields. I love reading and learning new things; my favourite part of my job as an editor is that I get to read a wide variety of thoughts and ideas every day.

I currently live in Australia, but I’ve previously lived in the UK and the US, so I’m well versed in British, American, and Australian English. It’s often said that we are “divided by a common language” – I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make sense out of unfamiliar expressions or find the right word. It is a privilege to be able to use my experience to help clients overcome language barriers and improve their writing.

Even the best writers find writing difficult sometimes. If you’re ever feeling discouraged, remember what Steve Martin said: “I think I did pretty well considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.”

My academic background is in urban planning and public policy; I hold a master's degree in urban planning from Tufts University. I've recently taken a break from my field to spend my summers studying Swedish in Uppsala, Sweden. As a student of foreign language, I understand how frustrating it can be to struggle to find the right word or phrase in English, and I strive to help students clearly express their ideas. 

Writing tip: Keep it simple! It's better to write short, correct sentences than complex sentences containing many errors.

Hi, I'm Emily! I have a BAS in electrical engineering and an MA in psychology, and I'm currently pursuing a PhD in computational neuroscience. I was born and raised in Canada. When I'm not busy with school and editing, I enjoy reading, yoga, photography, and hiking. I like working at Scribbr because I get to learn about a wide range of topics while helping people express their ideas.

I'm passionate about clear scientific communication, and I believe simplicity is key! Expressing your ideas using direct, simple language can be difficult, but doing so is often the best way to engage your reader. 

I grew up in the small town of Ferrisburgh, Vermont and attended the University of Vermont where I majored in English, minored in sexuality and gender studies, and worked as a copy editor for UVM's newspaper. After earning my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2016, I worked as an archivist for an engineering firm, but I decided that wasn't quite for me, so I went back to school and earned a Certificate in Copy Editing from the University of California.

Because I love exploring English's rules and etymology, I love helping others navigate through what can sometimes be a dense, inscrutable forest of grammar rules.

My English writing tip: In the words of George Orwell, "Never use a long word where a short one will do."

Hello! I attended Ohio University for Media and Social Change with minors in Classical Civilizations and Public Health, and I graduated summa cum laude in 2018. I am a musician, gardener, writer, and passionate advocate for health equity and justice. I love helping students communicate more clearly through their writing so they can grow as learners and start important conversations.

I hold a BA in Political Science and Arabic from the University of Notre Dame. I have worked in career centers in both the United States and Egypt, and this experience fueled my passion for helping students effectively present themselves and their work. As a student of Arabic, I understand the difficulties of mastering the intricacies of grammar and writing in a foreign language, and I am happy to help you hone your writing while learning about new topics from your work! Writing tip: When you're feeling stuck, don't be afraid to write down the first thing that comes to mind even if it's messy, and come back to refine it later.

Between the ages of six and eighteen, I was never seen without a book in my hand – except perhaps if I was swimming. I’ve even been known to read while riding a bicycle (not on the road, I hasten to add!). This love of reading transitioned into a BA, then an MPhil and then a PhD in medieval literature; engaging with the mysterious peoples of the past through their literature is a pursuit that fascinates me. As a student, I learned to love helping others to improve their writing, especially those who did not have English as their first language. Friends would come to me the night before their presentations or submissions, asking for help to smooth out the wrinkles in their writing. I discovered a passion for ensuring that nothing would come between their argument and their audience. On entering the world of work, I found that proofreading became a constant feature of all my jobs: publishing test papers for schools, digital publishing, publication checking, composition or just helping colleagues check their reports and emails.

Tips for writing: I read once that a good writer sees words not as ingredients but as tools. Each has a specific use and produces its own distinctive effect. The aim is always the same whether you are writing poetry, fiction, magazine articles or academic prose: use the fewest words possible to convey the greatest possible meaning.

After completing my BA in English Literature and Linguistics, I headed out to Asia in the Spring of 2001 to teach budding young minds the language of Shakespeare, eventually becoming the headteacher of the largest literature academy in Seoul. I spend most of my days muttering about subject-verb agreement while fending off questions from young adults about why there aren't more apocalyptic dystopias on the curriculum.

Writing tip: One of the most troublesome aspects of writing in English is the use of prepositions. I have old students who are now experienced interpreters and translators who still email me with questions about them. I've seen students try to memorise them by printing out a sheet of the most commonly used ones, or devise complex mnemonics in order to hold them in their heads for a test. This is all very gruelling. Surely, the best way to learn prepositions is organically, by sitting down in a comfortable chair with a good novel, or reading as many articles in English as possible. It doesn't really matter what kind of thing you read, just as long as you read it regularly. The main reason my old students forgot their prepositions was because they stopped reading in English.

As a Brit living in Amsterdam, I've joined the Scribbr team to put my lifelong love of language to good use. With an MA in literature and a habit of being immersed in three books at any given time, I've developed a pretty good intuition for language. And as someone still struggling to make myself understood in Dutch, I can sympathise if you're wrestling with English (whose rules are by all accounts much more arcane) as a second language.

Writing tip: 'Discrete' and 'discreet' are in fact discrete words. If you don't know the difference, try to be discreet about it.

(A lot of English words have very close neighbours with distinct meanings. Aside from the aforementioned, 'complementary' means something quite different from 'complimentary'; 'affect' and 'effect' are importantly different in both noun and verb form; and you definitely don't want to mix up 'comma' and 'coma'! Mistakes like these can be hard to notice, since your spell-check likely won't pick up on them. It's worth making sure you've got the meanings of tricky words memorised to avoid errors.)

In college at the University of Georgia, I thought I would be a government reporter, and that's what I did for about three years after graduation. When a copy editor position came open, I decided to try it and have been an editor ever since. Most of my editing work has been with newspapers, but in the last decade I have also worked in education and government. I am new to academic editing, so this work has been challenging and rewarding.

My main goal as an editor is to clarify the writing. If I have difficulty understanding the wording and the sentences, there is a strong chance that other readers will also struggle. Another key point is to understand your audience. Academic writing is more formal and sophisticated than other styles of writing. Another tip is to be careful with your word selection. Use an online dictionary (Merriam-Webster for American English, Cambridge for British English) if you are unsure.

I live in a suburb of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina in the southeastern United States. I grew up in a town about 45 miles southwest of Atlanta and have lived in the Raleigh-Durham area for about 25 years. My wife is an English as a Second Language teacher at Duke University.

I love working with clients to boost the clarity, concision and cohesiveness of their writing, whether it's academic, business-focused or creative.

After living in London, New York and Montreal, I'm now based in the UK's beautiful Peak District with my wife and our young son.

I'm a literature student by trade (BA English Language and Literature, Oxford; MA English Literature, McGill), but I've worked right across the humanities and social sciences, as well as in various aspects of business through my professional work in marketing.

When I'm not busy editing, I run my own online marketing consultancy for small businesses, Maker's Name, specialising in website design, SEO, copywriting and digital advertising.

Writing Tip 

Writing should have punch and muscularity. Don't hide behind flowery or imprecise language. Be more like Hotspur in Henry IV Part I:

I had rather hear a brazen can'stick turn'd, 
Or a dry wheel grate on the axle-tree;
And that would set my teeth nothing on edge,
Nothing so much as mincing poetry:
'Tis like the forced gait of a shuffling nag.

Go ahead, grate that axle-tree, and get rid of any mincing poetry once and for all!

I was born in London, England, and have worked there for most of my professional life, writing and editing. I have also lectured in English in China for several years, preparing undergraduate and postgraduate students for further study abroad.

As any good writer will tell you, the best way to improve is to read as much good and bad writing as possible, and then go out and write badly, making mistakes and receiving criticism. In particular, I have to remind myself daily of Orwell’s third rule for good writing: ‘if it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.’ Of course, he also stipulated that this rule could – and should – be broken. For a writer in a language with more exceptions than rules, this sort of advice seems appropriate. To all who write in English as a second language, you have my complete empathy and I will always be happy to assist (or at least share in your despair), wherever I can.

Hi, my name is Jed, and I am from rural Minnesota. For the past six years, I’ve lived in numerous places in Europe for work and university. I have master’s degrees in philosophy, international relations, and economics. However, I’ve predominantly focused on the philosophical side of things: the philosophy of economics, the sociology of international relations and international relations theory, and metaphilosophy and moral and political philosophy.

For most forms of academic writing, the most important thing is simplicity. When one writes simply, it’s easier to understand what each sentence means individually and how sentences relate to one another. Usually, simplicity also makes one’s writing more beautiful.

I grew up in Springfield, Illinois, then went to the University of Illinois to pursue a degree in biology. Along the way, I taught myself proficiency with computers, and veered off into an IT career for the next 15 years. I later earned a Master's in Library and Information Science, and in 2010 I took a job managing websites, writing newsletters and press releases, and producing podcasts for researchers in the field of animal sciences.

For most of my career, I have had the privilege to support students and the faculty who teach them. It is deeply satisfying to know that somebody was able to accomplish their goals in part because of assistance I gave them. That's why, when I decided to work as a freelancer, I chose academic editing as a field where I could use my skills and continue to help students.

My writing tip is related to workflow. I use color coding to help myself see which parts of a paper are done, and which still need work. So I'll use blue text for the first draft, then turn sentences or paragraphs black when I decide that they're polished enough. This helps me see at a glance what I still need to focus on, and helps keep me from getting overwhelmed.

Born, raised, and based in Los Angeles, California, I'm a language educator and editor, with a Bachelor's Degree in Cinema-Television Production and Spanish (minor in Russian Area Studies) and a Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In addition to teaching English to international students and recent immigrants in the United States, I have taught English in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Turkey. The diversity of these experiences has made me a globally minded teacher that loves to draw from learners’ diverse identities and experiences, as well as ensure that their unique voices can be heard through their writing.

I've always enjoyed giving detailed feedback to students as they navigate the intricacies of rhetoric and language. I also have experience in translation, proofreading, and rewriting many different types of documents. When I'm not teaching or editing, I enjoy traveling, hiking, eating, photography, and videography, as well as meaningful conversations about what matters most!

My slightly unorthodox tip for writers: as you're writing your first draft, try to write as much as you can without looking too much at your screen. This will help you to get your ideas out clearly and effectively without making you second guess every other word that you've written. You can always go back and proofread after you're done writing; many times, it's harder to edit things that you have spent a significant amount of time writing because you feel like you've invested so much time in those particular sentences already!

I’m an Australian-based freelance editor/proofreader. I came to editing after a journey through many other professions (including public relations) and business enterprises, and helping friends and relatives with their writing projects. I have a Bachelor of Arts with a triple major (Education, Sociology and German). My interests include hockey, swimming, reading, writing, music and drinking coffee.

Editing is ‘home’ for me: I love the written word and I love to learn. Editing provides me with many words and a wide range of learning experiences!

Writing English: ‘Keep it simple’ is always best. As a general rule, English sentences are not complex: don’t complicate them.

Born and raised in Scotland, I studied computer science at university before working as an IT developer in the telecommunications industry. I now work as a freelance copy-editor, using the attention to detail required by my background in computer science combined with my interest in language and linguistics to help others improve their writing.

My tip to improve your writing is to have someone else look it over. Another pair of eyes often catches mistakes you overlooked.

California, US, is my home state. I live in Pismo Beach, about a half block from the Pacific Ocean. It's a beautiful place to be semi-retired! I have a BA in English with a minor in history from CSU Stanislaus, and I've been editing professionally for over three years now. During college, I worked as a writing lab tutor and a reader for an English professor. I love language, and I've always been fascinated by the wild and crazy things it can do. My tip for learning to write better is to read a lot of good writing, as much as you can, because it tends to be contagious.

​I am an active researcher in neuroscience based in Madrid. I did my PhD work at the Autonomous University of Madrid on synaptic plasticity in learning and memory—work that required neurobiological techniques such as recording responses from neurons to see how they change over time and following virally introduced glow-in-the-dark proteins around the inside of the neuron to divine what their function might be. It was the grand philosophical questions that got me into all this, and since philosophical ideas can often be subtle and counterintuitive, expressing these ideas with clarity is important.

So aside from all the interesting quirks of history and evolution that can be inferred from the structure of language itself, that's where my interest in language is founded. I enjoy helping students in all sorts of disciplines to make their language clearer and more true to their ideas.

A native English speaker, I am an American born in Texas and raised in Indiana. I now live in New Mexico after spending a decade in Nebraska where I completed my B.A. in English and German. I enjoy working as an editor, as it allows me to immerse myself in the art of written expression while helping others improve their writing abilities. Quite fond of learning about other languages and cultures, I am also a voracious fiction reader, a lover of nature and the outdoors, and an avid student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Writing tip: Perhaps less conventional, but take a break from writing and crack open a book! Reading forces your brain to process line after line of properly written text. This exposure helps imprint on your mind acceptable language use for whichever language you are trying to improve for writing. This experience with the more complex constructions of language likely to be found in published books can sharpen and expand your general written language knowledge, allowing you to better apply key principles and established conventions to your academic writing.

Hi, I'm Karen! I enjoy editing and proofreading for Scribbr because it allows me to read in a broad range of fields and to provide support and a confidence-booster to writers as they advance in their educations and their publishing careers. I have a doctorate in Spanish and French and have been a college professor for nearly 25 years, teaching grammar, translation, literature, and cultural studies courses. When not working, I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with my family. 

My writing tip is that the process will be much less stressful if you do not let yourself end a writing session without knowing what your plan is for the next time you write. Make a note in your document (or stick a Post-it on your laptop if you're afraid you'll forget to delete that note!) to remind yourself of the next idea or source you will use when you sit back down to write. Your future self will thank you for it!

A Virginia native, I graduated with a BA in Middle Eastern Studies. Shortly after graduation, I moved 5000 miles away from home to Cairo, Egypt and began working in communications. Having a communications position right out of college challenged me to become a better writer and editor, and now I'm excited to help others improve their own writing by working as an editor at SCRiBBR.

Writing Tip: Make a "mind map" before your start writing to help yourself figure out exactly what you want to say. This will help you structure your argument. It will also help you make your writing clear and concise.

I have been a professional proofreader and copy editor for 16 years, having graduated with a BA in English and an MA in creative writing.  I work for commercial clients too, but have a preference for academic proofreading and find it a joy to read essays and theses on such a diverse range of subjects.

In my spare time I write plays, read widely for pleasure, and take French lessons.  I am British and living in France.

My writing tip is: precision.  Precision gives strength to a statement.  It cuts out background noise and allows the ideas to speak.  Inflated phrasing, repetition, and redundancy obscure the meaning of a text, which is particularly problematic for high-level academic works.  The more complex an idea, the greater the need for precise language.  This view is central to my practice as a copy editor.  

I'm a Michigan native and currently live in Tennessee. I have a degree in Music Business and have always been passionate about writing and language. As a native English speaker working on French and Italian, I understand the difficulties and frustrations of not being able to express yourself as well as you'd like with a new language.

My favorite aspects of editing are that I get to help students strengthen their academic writing skills and become more confident writers.

One of my favorite Ernest Hemingway quotes comes from his memoirs, A Moveable Feast, when he struggles with writer's block. Hemingway looks out over the roofs of Paris and thinks, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now."

Although Hemingway's words were in reference to a different kind of writing, it's easy to get discouraged in the world of academic writing as well. Sometimes it helps to step back, take a deep breath, and know that the words will come to you.

Another tip I have for writing is to read, read, read! When you experience different types of vocabulary and varieties of sentence construction through reading, you will inevitably become a better writer.

Born in the United States but raised mainly in Canada, I have always been fascinated by the many different cultures found both in North America and around the world. Most interesting to me is how our cultures set us all apart but communication--no matter the language--brings us all together. Our various abilities and passions allow us to tell engaging and inspiring stories, and through those stories, we connect with one another. This fascination with culture and communication is what led me to complete a BA in Honours English, a certificate program on publishing, and a certification course on TESL. With the hope of helping others to refine their writing skills, I have been working as a freelance editor ever since.

I am thrilled to be a Scribbr editor because it means I will have the chance to connect with both editors and students from those many different cultures I mentioned and not only learn from them but also share my own North American culture, English language, editing abilities, and passion for reading (and learning from) all the things. After all, a well-written and informative thesis can and should be just as engaging and inspiring as a work of fiction, and the best advice I can offer to any writer, let alone academic writers, is to read voraciously and try to learn as much as you can from the writing. Fiction, non-fiction--anything and everything will do.

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."

-- Stephen King

Hello! My name is Kira, and I'm a qualified Scribbr English editor. My job is to guide you in communicating your ideas more effectively. I love the focused quiet of editing, and I live for the feeling that comes when I perfect someone's flow of words and ideas. I also consider education and the dreams that are propelled by academic achievement to be highly important.

I grew up as a native English speaker in the United States, and in 2016, I earned my BA in English. In the course of that degree, I worked as an English TA helping general education students improve their essays. I was also the head copy editor of a student newspaper, and I was a founding member of an organization that now runs two conferences for young writers. I currently freelance edit for a broad set of clients on and off of Scribbr.

My top piece of advice for writers is to know what does and doesn't work for you. Figure out when, where, and how you write best! Part of this process is learning what mistakes you make most often and what words you tend to overuse. Word cloud websites can help you with that last one!

I currently live in Seattle, although I have lived and worked all over the world, including in Greece, Australia, and Nepal. I have an MA in Public Administration and a BA in English and Political Science. For the past 14 years, I have worked as a freelance and newspaper editor, and as a writer, researcher, and English teacher. My students include both native and non-native English speakers, and over the years I have taught everything from business English to Shakespeare.

My favorite part of teaching English is helping others to improve their writing. I pay very close attention to detail, and I assure you that I treat your papers and theses with as much care as if they were my own. Helping you to improve your written English and to succeed academically is extremely rewarding for me. The other amazing part of working for SCRiBBR is that I learn something new from every paper I edit.

When I am not working, you will most likely find me dangling off a cliff somewhere in the mountains. I am an avid rock climber and mountaineer, and I still occasionally work as a guide and outdoor educator.

Tip for Writing in English: Although he was not likely thinking about theses at the time, Albert Einstein had great advice for writers everywhere: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Keep your sentences as short and concise as you can, without sacrificing meaning. In many cases, two shorter sentences are much better than one longer sentence. 

I am a Hungarian–American, born and raised in the USA and currently living in Budapest. Before moving to Hungary, I worked in Holland as a freelance English instructor and editor, helping on countless theses and copy-editing two books. My work and personal academic experiences have provided me with an intensive exposure to academic writing and have fueled my obsessions with grammar and etymology! 

In Budapest, I am working as an ESL teacher and freelance editor while attending a university program in Hungarian language. I love languages and have studied Latin, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese while earning a BA in international studies from Kenyon College (USA). After graduating, I moved to Shanghai where I earned an ESL degree and taught English full time.

I understand the common diffulties and problems faced when trying to master English, and I love helping my students not only correct, but also understand their mistakes so that they can be avoided in the future. 

Writing tip: It is easy to get lost in specific terminology when describing a complex topic, and sentences often become lengthy, confusing, and equally as complex! I always encourage my students to try to be as clear as possible and try to read their own sentences from the perspective of someone who is not familiar with the topic. Clarity and consistency can go a long way in making a complex concept easy to understand. 

I grew up in West Yorkshire, England. I have a BSc in chemistry from Durham University and a PhD in polymer chemistry from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. I’m now based in Edinburgh.

Since I left university, my working life has varied widely to accommodate raising my two sons. However, the English language has remained one of my strengths and interests. Spelling and grammar errors have frequently drawn my attention, and at times I have had to restrain myself from correcting them.

I have over 6 years’ experience as an academic editor and have edited well over 1,500 academic texts in British and US English, specialising in scientific papers for publication in academic journals.

In 2015, I completed a TEFL course and began running a weekly EFL conversation class. Teaching English as a foreign language has made me more aware of concepts I previously took for granted, such as uncountable nouns. It has also given me an insight into the difficulties faced by those who learn English as a second language.

I enjoy improving a piece of writing and helping people write better English. For me, one of the best aspects of being an editor is that I am constantly learning.

Academic writing tips:

Write concisely – don’t use several words when you can use one.

Read your work aloud – this highlights grammar errors as they generally spoil the flow of the text. I often use Microsoft Word’s Read Aloud feature for this.

I have an honors degree in BA Journalism, a certificate in Professional Education, and an MA in Educational Psychology. I have been an English teacher for almost 15 years. I have taught various classes in speaking, reading, writing, literature, and research to high school students. I have authored three textbooks in English used by private schools in Manila.

I recently moved to the Netherlands. Aside from attending my Dutch classes, I spend my time exploring every bookshelf at the public library and helping a number of students prepare for the Cambridge English Test.

Writing tip: KEEP IT SIMPLE. As Kurt Vonnegut puts it, “Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. ‘To be or not to be?’ asks Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long.”

I diagram sentences for fun. Yes—you read that right—I diagram sentences for fun. I play with language the way other people play board games or musical instruments or sports. For the record, I also play board games and a couple of musical instruments, and I sometimes ride my sleek blue road bike, whose name is Aster, or my staunch grey hybrid bike, whose name is Mollusk. But at the end of the day, it is the chance to play with words—moving them around, mixing them up, making them sing—that truly brings me delight. 

I've put my love of words to good use since 1996 as a freelance writing tutor and text editor. I've also worked as a writing instructor at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona, USA), the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA), and Denison University (Granville, Ohio, USA). My teaching experience also includes 1st- and 2nd-semester German courses, intermediate- and advanced-level English as a Second Language courses, and courses designed to help pre-service teachers work effectively with students who are not native speakers of the classroom language. My academic degrees are in German Literature (BA, Kansas State University), German Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (MA, UW-Madison), Teaching English as a Second Language (Graduate Certificate, Northern Arizona University), and ESL Teacher Education (PhD, UW-Madison.) 

If I could offer my students (and you!) just one piece of advice about writing, I'd say the following: 

Remember that writing is both a product and a process. While the finished product is important, the process is not to be ignored! Allow plenty of time to craft multiple drafts. Frequent revision is not a sign of weakness; rather, it's the hallmark of a thoughtful writer who uses the writing process to explore, develop, and share great ideas with others! 

My mom often tells the story of my first day of kindergarten: apparently I came home from school furious that I hadn't learned how to read yet. I quickly became a voracious reader, devouring every available bit of text--cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, and junk mail were my daily fodder. I remember clearly the moment in third grade when diagramming sentences suddenly made sense to me. I've had a love affair with words ever since.

I still love to read--and I still read cereal boxes. 

I enjoy editing because I delight in the process of enabling ideas to shine brightly. I've been privileged to edit in different fields throughout my career; I began by working for several real estate magazines, and then I was employed in the nonprofit sector, where I edited newsletters, donor support letters, books, and conference materials. After my sons were born, I volunteered for any editing I could get my hands on, which usually consisted of scads of newsletters and the occasional newspaper article. Editing academic work is especially interesting because of the wide array of topics I encounter. 

My tip: serial commas, also known as Oxford commas, are your friend. They eliminate confusion and lend a rhythmic cadence to your writing.

I'm a South African living in Prague. I have a BA in Afrikaans and History and an MA in History, both from the University of Stellenbosch. Over the course of my career, I have worked as a reporter, copy editor, proofreader, fact-checker, and English teacher. Currently, I am working as an in-house editor at an international market research company focused on IT and telecommunications. One of the reasons I enjoy freelancing for Scribbr is getting to work on interesting texts from a wider variety of fields! 

Two writing tips: 1) In academic writing, the reader is engaging with your work because they are interested in your ideas, not because they want to see whether you can put together complicated sentences with fancy words from a thesaurus. Therefore, keep your writing as simple and clear as possible so that the reader doesn't need to waste time puzzling out what you mean. 2) Reading your work out loud to yourself is a great way of finding sentences that aren't structured as well as they could be.

My editing career began in September 2016, when I obtained a full-time, in-house academic-English-editing position in Taipei, Taiwan, where I have lived for the past 10 years. In 2019, after working in this role for two and a half years, I decided I wanted to expand my editing experience by seeking work for other organizations and in a wider variety of fields. I therefore left my full-time position in search of freelance jobs that would enable me to work from anywhere in the world. Over the past few years, I have built up a broad range of relevant experience, including academic editing and proofreading, writing magazine and newspaper articles, writing content for IELTS and TOEFL test papers, and songwriting and other musical composition.

I enjoy editing a wide variety of documents. Fictional and creative writing pieces are always fun, and regarding academic papers, I find social science and medical articles highly engaging. In addition, I am well versed in music theory, so any time I have an opportunity to edit a music-related paper (and such opportunities do not exactly come around frequently), I jump at it. I also have a keen interest in literary studies, having studied English Literature at university, and I am well read in the social sciences, especially psychology, linguistics, history, and economics.

My main interest outside of my editing career is music; I am a long-term guitarist, bassist, singer, songwriter, and amateur producer. During most of my free time not spent music-making, I am reading, cooking, hiking, jogging, or watching football (...English football that is). I also speak conversational-level Mandarin Chinese, so I make sure to brush up on that once in a while too.

I have a bachelor's degree in Communication and a master's degree in Educational Technology. During my master's, I took a special interest in distance learning. I have experience working in the high school classroom with at-risk youth. Then I moved into higher education, where I worked at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine and at the University of Pennsylvania's Gene Therapy Program. In both roles, I supported curriculum and performed administrative functions. I was also editorial manager for the journals Human Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods. I got to take advantage of working for Universities by enrolling in courses in areas of interest, such as nutrition and health & fitness. I also hold a certification as a RYT 200 yoga instructor. I am pleased to continue to help students by providing editing services at Scribbr. One tip for writing in English is to take advantage of the thesaurus. If you have a general idea of what you want to write, but it isn't exactly what you want to express, look up the word that vaguely suits your purpose and see what synonyms the thesaurus provides. You may be surprised that you find the perfect word. Using precise language not only boosts your confidence as a writer but also helps the reader's comprehension. 

Matthew earned a Masters in Music Composition at the University of California Riverside in 2010 and a PhD in Musicology in 2018 at the same institution. His writing tip is as follows: study the subject-verb-object relationship! It is the simplest and most effective structure in English. 

I am a writer, editor, doctor, and life coach. I grew up in a small town in Texas and moved to India to pursue medicine. I completed my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification and have been teaching English for over 3 years now. I love editing because I love helping others improve their writing, and I enjoy working with people all around the world!

Hello! I hold a BA in English Literature and have been editing with Scribbr for over a year. Originally from Los Angeles, I now live in Cambridge in the UK. Here in England, I enjoy the cool weather, the splendid architecture, and all the English witticisms, which can be heard even in the most mundane situations.  

Top writing tip: Try reading your writing aloud to yourself or a friend. Hearing yourself read your own writing can help you catch mistakes you may have otherwise glossed over, and it can also help you gain confidence and affection for your own work! 

I graduated from Towson University in 2019 with a BS in English Literature and a minor in Business and Communications. My passion for the English language, interest in helping others, and background in editing with various literary and publishing organizations made Scribbr the perfect fit for me. In addition to online editing, I am currently an intern at CLMP.

My best writing tip is to read! Especially if you are writing a very particular type of paper or in a specific academic field, take some time to thoroughly read and understand papers and reports of a similar type to the one you are writing. Nothing else will give you as good of an understanding of how things are typically done.

I have a Master of Arts degree in Dramatic Theory and Criticism and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama. Through my university degrees and my professional work since, I have developed a well-rounded background in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

After growing up with a writer as a father, and spending my undergraduate and graduate school days editing my peers' essays and theses extensively, I brought my editing skills into my careers in the theatre world and in event management

Seven months ago, my husband and I sold our house and all our belongings, and left Canada to travel the world with our two young daughters. We both had enjoyable, lucrative careers in Canada, and had built up a very comfortable lifestyle there. However, we realized that we have the rest of our lives to work hard in our careers, but we will never have this time back with our 5 and 2 year old girls.

We have been to Belize, Mexico, and Vietnam so far. Thailand, Bali, Japan, and Albania are next on the list. We are loving our world travel adventure, and have built location independent incomes so that we can continue to explore new places indefinitely.

If I can share one tip for working on your writing skills, it would be: read! A lot! Anything you can find - even the back of the cereal box! Exposure to writing and words on a daily basis is a key component to improving your writing. 

I am a professor of English, a writer, and an editor. My love of language, words, and books led me first to the M.F.A. program in Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After this I pursued the most arcane field I could possibly find: Germanic philology. In my doctoral work at the University of Minnesota, I spent several years studying Old German, Old English, Old Icelandic, Old French, Old Irish—pretty much old anything. I came away with a deep appreciation not just for the complexities of language, but for the rich human gift that language is. Language is an irreducible part of our humanity; it’s one of the skeleton keys that opens us to our collective experience. I feel privileged to consider myself a custodian of a rare and precious gift—words.

I am a writer, yoga teacher and mother. I've had a column on Elephant Journal since 2010. In my former life in Austin, TX, I was an advertising copywriter, then a bilingual elementary school teacher, and now I am a freelance writer, editor and translator. I have lived on beautiful Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan highlands since 2012 with my partner, daughter and fur family. 

I live in South Africa and I specialise in editing academic papers for second-language English speakers. I am a published academic with a doctorate of philosophy in theology - so I have a keen sense of logical consistency and will point out any logical difficulties with your text. I also have more than 20 years experience in the newspaper industry, where I "subbed" and rewrote stories (mostly for second-language English writers), and also mentored reporters. The newspaper environment is a fantastic training ground for learning all the little tricks of the trade, such as common mistakes to look out for and little things you can do to improve the writing. You cannot imagine all the details involved in editing copy!

Tip for students: if English is not your first language and you are studying in English, read, read, read and read some more English books! I mean good, classic novels - not just articles on the internet, which are often full of mistakes. This will give you a good feel for the language. Begin by getting an English copy of a novel you have already read in Dutch. Then you will have a sense of the content. Read a chapter a night, taking special note of the use of prepositions. These are non-native speakers' greatest difficulty with English. Keep doing this until you are thinking in English.

I am a language acquisition and language assessment expert, and I have been conducting research in these areas for over 15 years. I veered into testing and assessment after obtaining my PhD in theoretical linguistics from the University of Cambridge, UK, where I also worked for a few years before moving to the US. I currently live in San Diego, where I investigate language development of students learning the so-called less commonly taught languages. Although I love research and find it very rewarding, editing provides a healthy dose of variety to my daily work: I enjoy reading students’ work because I learn so much from it. Also, I don’t get much opportunity to teach these days, so helping students with their writing helps fill this void.

When I am not at work, I spend time with my family, play percussion with a few local bands, and climb rocks.

A writing tip: Remember, thesis writing is not a race to the highest page count; don’t waste time padding. Also, keep in mind that some readers will read your work from start to finish, some will read only the introductory and concluding chapters, some might scan or search for what they need, and some might only flip through it: a well-structured thesis will satisfy them all!  

I am a native English speaker and have spent most of my life in Southern California, USA. I hold a specialized certificate in copyediting from UCSD and a Master of Arts in English with an Emphasis in Education from GCU. I have written and edited many academic essays and have copyedited many nonfiction books through independent publishers.

Editing is what I live to do; it is my calling. I am truly happiest when I am helping people with writing and language. My whole purpose of joining the field of editing and earning a master’s degree in English was to help people succeed. Being a part of a writer’s journey—watching them grow and flourish—is such a rewarding experience.

Having recently completed a master’s program, I understand what it is like to be a student. I empathize with the struggles and doubts students often face when it comes to writing and submitting papers. Some instructors do not provide feedback, leaving students feeling lost. That is where I want to come in. During my program, a student approached me about submitting a paper and receiving a poor grade without any feedback. She felt despair and self-doubt and did not know what to do to improve her skills. Offering her my suggestions and advice on how to improve her writing was an honor and a joy. It was so gratifying to hear her gratitude, watch her rediscover an appreciation for writing, and learn she was attaining better grades.

Any student who comes to Scribbr for help demonstrates a desire to learn, grow, and improve. They need support and encouragement as well as instruction. I want nothing more than to be a part of that.

Hi! I'm from Canada, and I grew up in Alberta and British Columbia. I hold a BA in political science and history, as well as a law degree. I'm very excited to take a look at your work because I love helping students with their writing and pushing them to achieve.

In my spare time, I'm a cat dad, a musician, a whisk(e)y enthusiast, a politics junkie, and an avid reader.

I have two writing tips. The first tip is to just start writing - this will help you organize your thoughts and get your ideas down, and then you can go back and polish later. The second is to finish a good draft of your writing at least a few days before a deadline, so you can come back with fresh eyes in two or three days. You'll notice all sorts of mistakes and areas for improvement.

I’ve worked as an editor and writer for 30 years. I began as a BBC radio researcher and script writer, and after my first book was published in 1994 (Maypoles, Martyrs and Mayhem, Bloomsbury), I kept the wolf from the door by writing magazine articles and copywriting for agencies and corporates. Most of my work has been freelance, enabling me to indulge a parallel life as a semi-professional musician. In recent years I've specialised in academic and book editing, along with charity content management, and blogging for clients great and small. I’ve also written another 10 books since that first one (most recently The Little History of Oxfordshire, The History Press, 2019); and edited several others - for example, Professor Michael Crawford's groundbreaking The Brain Under Siege (due April 2021) and professional musician Tom Kitching's Seasons of Change: Busking England (March 2020).

The key to good writing is clarity. It's amazing how far the old format of 'introduction - method - results - conclusion' gets you, in any field of writing. Map out beforehand what you need to say in each section. You'll then have a framework, a path of least resistance down which your content can flow. It might not achieve full focus immediately, so take time out as and when necessary. Grab a cup of something, mess around on the guitar, whatever unwinds you, and then dive in refreshed.

I'm from India, grew up in Singapore and currently live in Amsterdam. After earning a Bachelor's in English and psychology in the US, I developed a passion for scientific research and academic writing. This led me to move to the Netherlands, where I earned a Master's in cognitive neuroscience. Since then, I've worked on several research projects in and outside academia. Currently, I also write articles on research methods and statistics topics for Scribbr.

Writing tip: practice reading your work for bias. Think about whether your choice of words may unintentionally exclude or make assumptions about groups of people. When using labels to describe groups, take a moment to consider whether there are more sensitive, respectful or appropriate alternatives. 

If you feel jealous when you see others masterfully express themselves with words, know that you are not alone. Jealousy is universal; however, the first step to being on the receiving end of literary jealousy is a lonely one: getting some words down on the paper. This is something you have to do on your own.

(From this point forward, however, remember that you may enlist outside help at any time you need.)

After you have some raw material (sentences and paragraphs) to work with, imagine that you are taking your readers on a journey from point A to point Z; A and Z are your document's introduction and conclusion, respectively. During this journey, you will make multiple stops; these multiple stops (points B, C, D, etc.) are the various parts of your document's body.

Each part of your document must be logically connected to what precedes and/or follows it, no matter what type of document you are writing. To ensure such a flow, start playing with the order of your sentences and paragraphs, keeping points A and Z (and B and C and D, etc.) in mind. This is the second, perpetual step: arranging the raw material you had collected in step one in such a logical sequence that each sentence, as well as each section, is connected to what precedes and/or follows it.

After this, in the third step, you begin to edit: In this step, you tend to the mechanical errors, improve the diction, etc., until you have a polished document, with a solid beginning, middle, and end, that you are proud of.

The fourth and final step is remembering to be kind to yourself. Always be sure to remind your inner critic that practice makes perfect. No one becomes a master in a day, and everyone needs help. The more you practice writing (and writing correctly), the better, and better, you will get at it.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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A Little About Me

I have a bachelor's degree in software and IT engineering and am currently completing my master's degree in English literature, after which I plan to go for a PhD in linguistics. I am also training to teach English to second-language students.

I have always had a knack for learning new languages. I am a native speaker of English and Hindi and have a working knowledge of Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Urdu. I am learning Spanish and hope to learn Bengali and German someday.

Editing is what I do because it is what I love to do. A published poet, translator, and trained Kathak dancer, I have been working as a full-time language editor for well over five years now.

I graduated from Brown University in 2013 with a BA in Anthropology. Besides editing for Scribbr, I also work for Scientific Writing in Health and Medicine, a company that teaches healthcare practitioners to write case reports following health research reporting guidelines. Outside of helping others improve their written communication skills, I enjoy partner acrobatics, playing board games, and frolicking in the wilderness.

I’m from Dublin but currently live in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. I hold a PhD in English, an MA in Modernity, Literature and Culture, a BA in English and Philosophy, and a Diploma in Fine Art. In addition to working as an editor, I am a researcher of contemporary literature and theory. My current research is based on close stylistic analysis of literary texts, so I am especially alert to linguistic nuance and to the myriad ways in which meaning is generated not only by what we have to express but also through the very means of expression. I enjoy tinkering with sentences to find out how they work, and I take pleasure and pride in honing my craft as an editor.

Writing tip: learn to edit your own writing. Understand that getting your ideas onto paper and producing polished prose cannot be done all in one step. Allow yourself to write badly, and then revise, revise, revise. If your expectations for your first draft are too high, you will inevitably feel disheartened, because the passage from head to page rarely runs smooth. Writing is thinking, and thinking, especially when it entails engaging deeply with new ideas, is often messy and unpredictable. Embrace disorder in your early drafts, but respect your ideas—and your reader—enough to strive for elegance in the editing phase.

I grew up in the Canadian prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and continue to make Saskatchewan my home. I have a BA in Humanities with a focus in English literature, and I have also studied English literature at the graduate level. During my years of formal education, I worked as a writing centre tutor and faculty assistant and found that I really enjoy helping students learn to communicate more clearly through their writing, which is what excites me about working for Scribbr.

My best writing tip is that the better you want to write, the more you need to read! All kinds of reading are beneficial, but it's especially helpful to read academic texts in your field to get a feel for the style of language your discipline requires. Also, read your own writing! Proofreading carefully and even reading your work aloud will greatly improve your writing.

My first official full-time job had me writing for a living, but I've always loved editing first and foremost. I love turning a rough draft into an engaging, readable piece of content, and I genuinely enjoy helping others become confident in their own abilities, discover their unique voices, and realize just how good their writing can be. 

Ever since I was little, I've read basically everything I could get my hands on, and I think my love for language stemmed from my passion for devouring books! In college, I majored in English (creative writing) and mass communications. Nowadays, I work at a company that creates eLearning courses.

Writing tip: Read as much as you can and pay attention to the aspects of the writing that you really enjoy. Where better to find ways to improve your own writing than in the work of authors you love? Plus, as you read more and more in your chosen language, you'll automatically become more familiar with the conventions of that language. It's a win-win!

I'm an English-speaking South African with a PhD in Linguistics. My educational background includes a Bachelor in Linguistics, English Literature and Philosophy; and an Honours and two Masters degrees in Linguistics.

In the past I have tutored first-year university English, and I have extensive experience in editing academic texts and theses.

A tip for writing in English (or any language that is not your mother tongue): First and foremost, try to express yourself clearly. Using complex sentences or 'fancy-sounding' words that you've found in a thesaurus often makes your argument harder to follow.

I grew up in rural Ontario and spent a few years after high school making music at cafés and bars, before leaving for my university education. At Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I completed a combined honours degree, first class, in Philosophy and English, returning the next year to complete an MA in English. My undergraduate work focused on philosophy of language and feminist philosophy, while my master’s thesis focused on ecology and contemporary Canadian poetry.

While at the school my writing interests were broadened well beyond the scope of my own disciplines. As I completed my undergrad, I spent five years as a university writing tutor, seeing students at all levels of education (from entrance level to PhD) and treating writing in most academic styles: scientific, creative, business, journalistic, argumentative, and so forth. About half of the students who came to the centre were accomplished writers in their native tongues. These students worked with our tutors to learn the nuances of English writing specifically, and they gave me plenty of practice working with writers who come to English from other languages. During these five years I also graded for the Engineering, Commerce, English, and Philosophy departments, and gained some teaching experience along the way. I work in writing because I find it gratifying to read interesting papers on subjects or arguments I’ve not been exposed to.

Tip for writing in English: English speakers find that writing tends to be clearest when the main verb in a sentence is close to the beginning of that sentence, whereas it is more common in other languages to push the main verb further into a sentence. Try to be attentive to the placement of that main verb, and try to place it early.  This advice, of course, does not apply to all sentences, but works well as a general writing guideline.

I was born in Co. Clare on the west coast of Ireland. I am a Heritage Studies graduate. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Heritage Studies at Galway–Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland, in 2015 and my master’s degree in World Heritage at Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus, Germany, in 2017. I received an academic achievement award for my bachelor’s degree.
I have been working as an editor for the past five years. I began my editing career during my master’s program when the program founder recruited me to edit a series of contributed academic volumes for the Heritage Studies Institute Berlin, a post-academic research institution. I remain affiliated with the institute and provide editing services and advice for its academics and experts. Since then, I have worked as an independent freelance editor in open access publishing, where I edited a wide range of papers covering anything from Social Sciences to STEM research.

I have a bachelor's degree in Biology and a PhD in Comparative Literature. I have been teaching, editing, and writing for the past decade. I enjoy editing because it allows me to bring together my interdisciplinary background: I have edited a range of scholarly texts from the humanities and the sciences. I love helping students and scholars express themselves through writing.

My writing tip: Plan to revise. It's much easier to start writing when you know your first draft doesn't have to be perfect. Once you finish the draft, take a short break if you can and do something else. If you find revising difficult, try to read your draft out loud. That will help you hear awkward-sounding sentences. If you want to focus on grammar and spelling, try reading your draft backwards, starting with the last sentence. It sounds strange, but when you start at the end of the paper and focus on just one sentence at a time, it is easier to spot spelling and grammar errors.

I'm a South African by birth and residence. In addition to being a professional editor, I'm a writer and wellness practitioner. My degrees are BA English, BA Honours psychology, and MA research psychology (all with distinction). I often edit technical work and am statistically literate. My interests are broad, but I prefer working on post-graduate papers.

Tip for academic writers: Keep your sentences short and clear, and include only one main idea in each sentence. Many writers try to cram too much information into a sentence and the result is a loss of clarity.

Hi, I'm Talia! I'm currently a second-year medical student in a dual-degree MD/PhD graduate program in the US. My undergraduate studies were in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology and English & Creative Writing. Prior to starting graduate school, I conducted behavioral neuroscience research at the NIH on hippocampal neurogenesis, and a few years before that, on the effects of alcohol on neural stem cell proliferation. Outside of Scribbr, you'll most likely find me studying, working on my first novel, or playing with my dog, Appa. 

Writing Tip: Remember that the best writing is often direct and concise. It's important that we value our reader's time (and attention span), so do your best to avoid redundancy and needless repetition.

I am originally from Wales but now live in the south of France with my wife and dog. After studying Theology (including a year in Israel) at university I headed off to teach English as a foreign language in South Korea. It was there that I met my wife. I returned to Britain and to university in Cardiff where I completed both a masters and PhD. in archaeology, graduating with the latter in 2010. Another couple of years in South Korea followed before we moved to France in 2012.

I adore reading, am an avid football (soccer) fan, and I am also trying to write a novel. 

Writing Tip: Keep it simple! When writing an essay, dissertation, or thesis it is important to use formal, academic language, but this does not mean you should try too hard to impress with unnecessarily long or difficult words. The subject being written about is often specialized and complex enough, do not make it more so. Using simple, straightforward language to explain your ideas and opinions will make it much easier for the reader to understand.

I am a native English speaker and an experienced editor and writer. I was a UK academic for many years working with undergraduate, MA and PhD students on their essays and theses. I have a BA and MPhil from Oxford University in English Language and Literature. I have an MA in Creative Writing and a PhD in Contemporary Curating and Critical Writing. I enjoy working with language and texts, just as a sculptor enjoys working with stone or a painter with oils and watercolours. I write fiction and non-fiction. My books – early medieval novels, future fiction, art history – are published by Impress Books, Phaidon, Routledge, Palgrave and others. My novels have won and been short-listed for a number of prizes including Impress Prize, Rome Film Festival Book Initiative, Santander Research Award, Literature Wales Writers Bursary and Authors Foundation Award. I also write book reviews for Times Higher Education and Historical Novels Review and a regular column about writers living abroad for The Displaced Nation. Currently I am teaching art history to American Study Abroad students in France and running creative writing workshops. I was formerly senior lecturer in art history and theory at Oxford Brookes University and Dartington College of Arts and guest professor at Bauhaus University, Weimar and Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam. I divide my time between the UK and France. When I’m not working I’m playing with my grandson, reading books, chatting and walking with family and friends. I am an avid swimmer and own a waterproof Kindle.

Tips for writing: Notice what your bad habits and repeat errors are in writing and make sure you read through your text to edit them out. For example, I use “that” too often. We all have little tics that are a kind of throat-clearing in writing. Keep an eye on incorrect apostrophes especially in its/it’s. If you are struggling with your sentences or the flow or coherence of your writing, read it aloud to yourself. Think about who your readers are, what they know and don’t know, to help you decide what you need to tell them, how to keep their interest. The best way to learn how to write is to read constantly. Read anything that interests you: English newspapers, magazines, blogs, novels and textbooks.

I have 15+ years of experience editing a variety of documents, including theses, dissertations, and juried academic articles. She has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Communications, both from Texas Tech University. I've spent much of my professional career helping students in one way or another, and I'm very pleased to help you with your writing. Thanks for letting me contribute a bit to your academic career.